Confident about walking

Howdy, Day two of the mini series on walking. Questions.....Do I ever feel unsafe? Have I ever been in a scary situation? What about security when walking? I am assuming these questions relate to me being a lone female walking in remote areas therefore making myself vulnerable to possible attacks, rather than the possibility that I might fall and break a leg. There are a lot more lone male walkers than there are female. I can see that some people might think it is a foolish thing to do, to walk across the country on a 'make it up as you go along' route, with my exact location not known to anyone.

I think that to understand why I feel confident enough to do this, you need to know a little bit more about my background. I was born the eldest of three, mother had to go to work and I was left in charge of getting my siblings up in the morning and ready for school. When mother was poorly I was kept off school and took over the running of the household. I learnt how to look after things from an early age. I left school at 15 and got a job, I wanted to earn my own money. Yes, I was still a bit shy, but I knew I could conquer that by throwing myself into whatever I was doing. I left home when I was 18, got a flat and a job and so began my independant lifestyle. No more running back home to mum for help. I took responsibility and made some big decisions of how I wanted my life to turn out. I worked and saved up for a deposit on my first house at the age of 27. 

It was a bit scary to take a job working in an all male environment, but my confidence grew and moved on in leaps and bounds, as I had to quickly learn how to assert myself. At 37 I was confident enough to make the decision to take birth control one step further and make it permanent, I asked for sterilisation. Not many childless single females were asking for the operation at that time. I did, and got it.

After working with men for many years, I have a pretty good idea of what makes them tick. I can talk to them on their level, use their language, even swear like they can if needed. That's what happens when you work alongside men as their equal. It can go either way though. You either leave the job because you can't hack it, or you think stuff it, I want this job and I am not going to let them bully me.

I can pick up on bad vibes via their body language, I see the warning signals, and I get a gut feeling when I don't like a particular person, I keep out of their way. I have parked up in truckstops and city centres and gone for a drink with other drivers. I wouldn't say they were all gentlemen, the majority were, but you always get one or two who think you are easy meat. I would get back in my cab and tell them to bog off. I have also spent many a night in my truck, parked up in isolated laybys all over the country. Once I pulled the curtains round no one knew there was a lone female inside. So you can see, I am pretty clued up where men are concerned, it's only the balls which are missing.

So, let's get back to walking. Do I ever feel unsafe? No. Have I ever been in a scary situation? No. The way someone walks can tell you a lot about them. I walk with a purpose, I walk tall with my head held high. I appear to be a confident walker who knows what she is doing. I look all around me as I walk, I take note of what is on my right, and my left. I glance over my shoulder to see if there is anyone in sight behind me. If someone is coming towards me, I eye them up, I look at their face. I make eye contact and check them out, do they look ok, or do they look dodgy. I tend to say a quick hello, and if there is room I give them a wide berth, and stride on. A few seconds later I will look behind me to check they are still walking away from me. If they look ok, I might stop for a couple of minutes and exchange a few pleasantries. Sometimes, if I feel comfortable talking to them and they seem quite nice I will chat a little longer. I would never tell anyone where I am going to be that night if I am staying out. Sensible really. I always go by my gut instinct, and have never been bothered by unwelcome attention while out walking.

On the other hand, if I was walking with my head down, feeling nervous, worried that someone might jump on me, I would be giving out all the wrong signals. People would pick up on that and I would be an easy target. Besides, how can you enjoy a walk if all the time you are panic stricken when you meet strangers. If you play the helpless female you leave yourself wide open to anyone who wants to take advantage. If you wise up and look them straight in the eye, and demand respect, you are quids in.

If you worried all the time about what might happen, you would never go anywhere. I feel more vulnerable walking alone in a big town or city, than I do walking alone in the countryside. When I am in big wide open spaces, I feel safest. I take extra care when walking through large woods or forests, because there are more places for someone to hide, but it's very unlikely that I would come across a raving perverted monster, more likely to be another walker just like myself.

It's not a good idea to take more money than you actually need with you, or credit cards if you don't intend using them. I carry a few pounds in cash in a small purse in my back pack, anything more and I have a secret place. It is not a good idea to carry a weapon, because it can be used against you. I am not going to go into personal safety here, because that's a whole new ball game, and you will have your own ideas about that. There is a massive possiblity that neither of us will ever find ourselves in a life threatening position, so don't dwell on it, and don't let it spoil your walking.

It goes without saying that you should carry a mobile phone while walking alone. If you slip and hurt yourself you might need to call out the emergency services. The only problem is that there isn't always a signal in the hills and mountains with some of the networks. Some phones have a GPS tracking device, mine doesn't. You might need to enlist the help of another walker if you find you are imobile. The best thing you can do is to not let yourself get into that situation in the first place. If you feel the terrain is too demanding and you don't have the experience, don't try and tackle it alone. Go with someone else. I would never have gone up Helvelyn via Striding Edge in the lake District on my own, I went with a group of people.

If you are not very confident when you start going out on walks, you will find that you begin to feel more confident the more you do it. Stay local if you are not sure you want to go too far from home. Start with a couple of miles, build it up slowly, three miles, four miles. Most people who walk at a brisk pace walk at three miles per hour, that's on the flat. Up and down hills takes a bit longer.

I just want to add a note to yesterdays post. I mentioned that my jacket cost me £30. I could have spent more by buying one with a detachable fleece lining. I decided not to because the best way to keep warm is to layer up. Wear an ordinary fleece top on top of your two or three teeshirts, add a sweat shirt or a body warmer if needed, at least you can take a layer off if you get too hot.

We'll have a look at map reading tomorrow.
Toodle pip.

Buying the right walking boots

I see there were a few questions in the comments yesterday, on the latest walking post. Rather than skim through them, I thought I would do a mini series on all aspects of walking, whether it be easy walks for the beginner, or longer distances on unfamiliar routes for those wishing to up their game. Although I have quite a lot of experience, I tend to forget that not everyone has the confidence or the ability to walk 20 miles in a day, using a map for navigation. Perhaps if I go through the basics it might inspire anyone thinking about getting started. You don't have to walk great distances to reap the benefits of walking, a few miles pottering around your home town is enough to keep the muscles flexible. If you are not used to regular walking you will find that in the beginning you will ache a little, but over time, and walking at every opportunity, your body will become more flexible and the muscle ache will gradually become less noticeable.

I have always loved walking, and getting away out into the countryside. I have old Ordnance Survey maps for the Peak District where I used to walk regularly when I was in my twenties. It was a short drive from my home in Burton upon Trent to Ashbourne, Buxton, or Bakewell. I enjoyed many long days out on the hills. My walking was mostly alone, because I didn't have any friends who had similar ambitions. Walking is a great stress buster, it gives you time to ponder, time to take in the beauty of the landscape around you, and for a while be at peace with yourself and the world.

Then work got in the way, and for a long time I wasn't as able to get out as much as I would have liked. Working 60 hours a week at a physically and mentally demanding job leaves little time for anything else except flopping down on the sofa at the weekends. But now I am retired, I am pleased that I can take it up again and delighted that I have the energy to do it. I didn't start walking longer distances, and by that I mean over a period of several days, untill 2011, when I got a train to Blackpool and walked back home, a distance of 137 miles in seven days. The first few days were hard, but I felt a great sense of achievement at the end of it, even though I hadn't done the full distance that I had planned. The fact that I managed to walk the thirty miles from Selby to the Humber Bridge on day seven, still amazes me even now when I think about it.

In this first post of the mini series on walking I want to talk about the most important part of the equipment you will need. If you want to walk a long way, you need to make sure that your feet will stand up to the hours and hours of pounding over all terrains, from tarmac roads, cobbled paths, rough dirt tracks, muddy uneven footpaths, slippery wet grass, jagged boulders and rocks, and boggy fields. Your ankles will need support so proper walking boots are a must.

I have several pairs of boots, but only one good pair for walking long distances. I have cheaper boots which I bought for a few quid at car boot sales and charity shops, these are ok for local walks for up to about three miles, but any further and my feet would be sore, because they are not a perfect fit. My best boots fit me like a glove.

How to chose boots. The only way is to go to an outdoor shop and spend time trying them on. It took me a couple of hours of trying almost every boot on in the shop before I found mine. Take socks with you, preferebly the socks you might wear while out walking. I wear a thin pair and a thick wooly pair. Wearing the right socks is a bit trial and error, try several combinations on short walks first before you tackle a long walk. You do not have to pay a fortune to buy good socks. I use the socks I already have, I've got a drawer full of them. My feet don't sweat very much at all, but if your's do you need to get socks that won't get damp soon after you start walking.

What causes blisters? If your feet move in your boots, the rubbing will give you blisters. What you are aiming for is no movement at all. This is why you try lots of socks until you find the right ones. So, you want snug fitting boots. After an hour or so you might need to stop and re do your laces, because they stretch and can work lose. If you find your feet moving about adjust your laces to stop it. Don't tie them too tight so that your toes get squashed as that would be uncomfortable and will give you cramp in your toes. There should be some ankle support in the boots, to stop your foot going sideways if you step on a wonky bit of rock. Put your fingers inside the boots and feel around for any hard surfaces or uneven stitching that might become a problem later on, especially around the heels. Always check that the boots fit correctly across the widest part of the foot. I have large bunions, no pain at all I may add, so I need wide fitting boots.

These days a lot of boots are made of fabric which has been treated to make them waterproof. I am not too keen on these, as they are not very easy to clean. I much prefer leather boots, where I can brush the dry dirt off them and cover them in boot wax. My boots were waterproof when I first had them, but now I find after nearly three years they are leaking. I think all boots leak eventually. I will keep on wearing mine because they are so comfortable. If my feet get wet on a long walk, I just dry the boots out each night.

You can buy a decent pair of boots for around £100, I wouldn't go much lower than that because you will find that they use materials of inferior quality. Mine were £110, I paid £55 in the half price sale. I must say they have been excellent boots. They told me that I could try them out at home. If I only wore them on carpets in the house and found they weren't right, they said I could bring them back and change them. I didn't need to, they were perfect from day one. When you buy boots ask about the try at home deal.

Once you have your boots, you might think about getting a waterproof jacket and over trousers. There is some very expensive kit out there, some walkers like to go for the must have names, and wouldn't be seen dead in some cheap Joe Bloggs gear. There is no need  to spend a fortune. My jacket was £30 from Trespass, and my over trousers were £12 from a department store. Perfectly adequate. If you need to buy a small back pack for day walks, you can get them quite cheaply. Put things in plastic bags as you pack them, then if the pack isn't fully waterproof it doesn't matter. All other clothes can be what you already have, nothing fancy needed.

Tomorrow, I'll answer the question of how to keep safe while walking alone, I am asked this question constantly. Toodle pip.

A walk from Hull City Centre to Paull

Aaahhhh, that's better, fully refreshed after a good nights sleep. Yesterday I walked 14.3 miles, not a great distance for me, easily achievable in the five and a half hours it took me. I bought a new Ordnance Survey map last week of Kingston upon Hull and surrounding areas, more places to explore in a day out.

It was a last minute decision to go out, there was a record on the radio just before 9am in the morning, some pop group singing 'Should I stay, or should I go'. I looked out of the window and decided to go. It was very misty but the sun was trying to break through, it had the potential of being a nice day, so I quickly stuffed a few things in my little backpack and drove to Barton to catch the bus over the Humber Bridge to Hull. I got out at the bus station in the city centre and started walking. I planned to walk eastbound for as far as I could alongside the river, there was a good path marked on the map.

I crossed the busy main A63 road and headed for the Marina. In the first three photo's you can see a lovely blue sky, it wasn't so blue looking in the other direction over the water, there was still a heavy mist swirling about. I love the ornate top of the Whittington & Cat Public House. It's so nice that it has been preserved.  

There are always a lot of boats in the Marina.

The Minerva Pub has been talked about a lot by Burnsy on his morning show on BBC Radio Humberside. It's future has been hanging in the balance for a long time. There have been a lot of financial problems and it has recently been closed for a while. I spoke to the men working on the front cleaning it up, they tell me that it has a new owner so things may be looking up. I have found a smashing article about it, you may wish to read more about this historical pub.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/foodanddrink/top-100-famous-pubs/8617697/The-Minerva-Hull.html 

Onward along the waters edge I went. Next comes a few misty photo's, looking out over the Humber.

A jogger passes me. Looks like the timbers from the old docks have been left in place. The paved walkway continues for quite a long distance making easy walking.

Relics of old piers, warehouses, and landing stages. The sun was making a valiant attempt to break through.

I passed a large sign which said that the lock gates may be open further ahead to allow boats to pass through to enter Alexandra Dock, and there could ba a two hour period when the path would be inaccessible to walkers and cyclists. There was no indication of the times that this may happen, so I took my chances and carried on along the concrete walkway. Some fifteen minutes later I arrived at the lock only to find the gates open, my way was closed. I pondered for a few minutes, wondering if I should retrace my steps and go the long way round. Then I noticed these two little boats, side by side, hooked up together, heading towards the lock. Are my prayers about to be answered? They were.  

Their shift was over, and they entered the lock.

Parked up for a few minutes while the first gates were closed, waiting for the second gates further down to open. My path is about to be re instated.

Now I can cross, phew, that's a relief.

The next landmark along the waters edge is King George Dock, where the big passenger ferries come into. This is The Pride of Rotterdam, which parks just outside the dock entrance. The Zeebrugge ferry goes into the dock, I couldn't get close enough for a good picture of that.

At this point the footpath goes up some steps and over the top of the road which takes the cars onto the ferry. Still a bit of mist about.

I took a couple of pics of the docks on the other side as I was going over the top.

Next there was a long walk alongside a lot of sheds. This is Salt End Jetty. At this point the path goes inland a bit, and goes round the outer edges of an industrial area. The noise from the chemical works and power station was deafening, a good idea to take the hearing aid out, ha ha.  

I came across this fox snoozing in the afternoon sun. By this time it had warmed up, turning into a beautiful sunny day. I got quite hot.

Now according to the map the path I am following comes to an abrupt end, but no matter, I was going to try my luck and see if I could find a way to join the road. A big sign told me that the path was ending, but I saw some tyre marks on the ground which told me that cyclists have passed that way before, so I followed their tracks. I knew I had to cross a railway line, but as luck would have it, it was a disused line so easy to cross. Then I came across a couple of Environmental Agency vans, they must have been driven there from the road. I asked the man if I could walk to the road. He said yes, follow the track. Whooppeeee, YES, I came out just where I wanted to be. Next was a bit of road walking. I had made my mind up to walk to Paull, a village further down the Humber. There was a footpath from the road which would take me there. As I had done a big loop, I found myself on the other side of the Salt End Jetty. This is where the tanker ships come in, to service the huge chemical works.

Here we are in Paull. In the main street is this lighthouse. Looks rather grand standing at the junction where two roads meet, close to the waters edge.

There is a museum just outside the village, closed for the winter, open again in March. Taken from the web site. Explore 500 years of history within the walls of this superb Napoleonic fortress set in 10 acres with magnificent views over the Humber estuary. It has quite an interesting history, check out wiki if you want to know more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Paull

My mission was to carry on walking untill I could walk no further. There is a little peninsular which juts out onto the mud. It's called Cherry Cobb Sand Bank. Almost there, a couple of light houses to pass.  

That's it, the end of the path, time to go back.

Twas a lovely day out. I retraced my steps back to Paull village, hoping to get a bus back to Hull. Couldn't understand the timetable at the shelter, it looked as if it might be another hour before a bus arrived. I decided to walk to Hedon, another couple of miles, a bigger place so a better chance of getting a bus. Again my luck was holding out, I arrived at the bus stop and within ten minutes a bus arrived. Straight into the bus station to get my connection back across the bridge to Barton and my waiting car. Brilliant. Didn't spend any money, took my own food and drink. Can't beat it. Toodle pip.

Don't panic

Don't panic, I am here. I've had a day out and took lots of pics, it's taking a while to sort them out. I'll be as quick as I can. Don't wait up, they will still be there tomorrow, ha ha.

Head in the clouds

Image source NOAA Photo Library

Oh wow, what a dream that was. I woke up thinking I had been in a disaster movie. Do you ever have dreams like that? Like you have been on a long journey and it took all night, but in reality the dream probably lasted only a few seconds. I don't dream very often but when I do it is of epic proportions, and so vivid in my mind. I have usually forgotten all about it half an hour after waking, so I'm sat in bed recording my dream here before it is lost from my head forever.

The most scary thing about this dream is the fact that there is no way that I could have known about the scene I saw. There was nothing in my head which could have prompted my memory to kick in, nothing to remind me that I have seen something similar in real life. Where it came from I do not know.

It has happened before, I dream about the future, about how the world might be in a hundred or a thousand years time. I don't watch science fiction films, but I find myself in places I percieve as the future. Last night I was in a tall building looking out over a city. A short distance away was a building of a similar height. It had like a cone shaped top to it, with a shiny steel outer covering which wasn't one complete moulded piece, but panels welded together.

I could see right into the building, there was a middle aged man sat inside, at a control panel. He had lots of electronic equipment at his fingertips. Lots of switches and buttons, lots of screens and dials to monitor, a bit like an aircraft cockpit, only much bigger. The man wore a blue checked shirt, he was rugged and of chunky stature, his grey hair was cropped short.

As I was watching the steel cone there appeared to be fireworks coming from the top of it. Shooting up and out in all directions, not coloured but silver sparks against the darkened stormy sky. It looked spectacular and I was in awe of it's beauty. A storm had been raging, the wind was blowing the black clouds, they were swirling around the top of the city.

My eyes were transfixed on the steel cone, the noise of the wind grew louder, I felt a slight tremor as the building I was in seemed to waft a little with a particularly fierce gust. As I focussed on the steel panels I noticed one of them lift slightly, it was like the bolts that held it together were finally giving in to the force of the wind. First a corner lifted, then a whole panel was ripped off and went flying through the air. More panels came adrift, as the wind raged, exposing the man inside to the elements.

A few seconds later, the wind took complete control and ripped the whole cone from it's base. It toppled sideways and completely broke away from the main structure. The fireworks had not been fireworks at all, it was the movement of the steel surfaces together which had caused the sparks.

I saw the man, fire had broken out around him, he seemed calm, his hair had caught fire and he tried to put it out. Then his clothes caught fire, and the floor around him started to collapse. At that moment he realised that the end of his life was upon him as the flames were licking around his body. It was as if he accepted his fate. He said, 'If this is the end, then it's a good way to go'. Then the floor fell away below him and he disappeared into the bowels of the building.

Then I woke up. I go to some strange places in my dreams. I sometimes wonder if these dreams are premonitions of the future, or just a vivid imagination on my part. Who knows. There you go, I have recorded my dream in case someone in a billion years time is able to pluck my blog out of the cyber archives. The visitor from outer space will read it and think, aha, she was right. That's if they can understand English.
Toodle pip. 
     

No chuffin trains

I am a little peeved to say the least. You may remember I said I was going to get a Rail Card with my Tesco vouchers. Well I applied, and my card arrived in the post. Whoopeeee, now I can have lots of days out on the train, and save a third of the cost of a ticket on every trip. So I started eagerly planning my first trip, to Sheffield, haven't been there for ages, should be a good day.

Now look what's happened, there has been a chuffin landslide and the railway lines have collapsed, causing major disruption to services. Trains from Scunthorpe go to Doncaster, because it is a major station where passengers change to go in all directions. Halfway between, near Hatfield, is where the tracks have fallen apart, so no chuffin trains are leaving Scunthorpe. It is estimated that the work will take up to eight weeks to put it right. Looking at the photo on the poster, it is my bet that it could take longer than that. That is mega damage, they're going to need massive cranes, huge digger machines, and hundreds of tipper truck journeys bringing in hundreds of tons of that stuff they put under the tracks.

So, we are effectively cut off from the rest of the country, our links are severed, our trains are stranded and aint goin nowhere. See the red dots, that is where the railway line should be. This is going to cost East Coast Rail millions, or is it Network Rail who will be paying, they own the tracks. Either way I hope they are well insured.

So what next. Well, they do have a plan 'B'. They have organised a fleet of buses to go backwards and forwards. So you go to the station as normal, buy your ticket, and get on a bus. The journey to Doncaster by road takes longer than by rail, and they say that people travelling further afield will make their connections because they have allowed for the extra time needed. That's good to know if you are travelling to the other side of the country, like I will be doing next month. But I want to have some days out on the train now. I have my Rail Card now. By the time I have spent the extra time on the bus, added to the train journey, will it be worth me bothering. By the time I get there I will have to come back. Oh, flippin heck and chuffin fiddlesticks. They are going on about the new high speed train which is coming in about twenty years time, but what about us up here in the sticks, we haven't got a chuffin train at all now. 

Toodle pip.  

Not the Domestic Goddess, just how I do things.

Complete turnaround today. Yesterday I took one look at the jobs that needed doing round the house, and went out. Today I groaned, and thought I had better get on with a few of them, otherwise I will be getting bogged down and never catch up. I stripped the bed and filled the washer, putting it on a 30 minute cycle. I put the water on for a bath, and set about cutting and colouring my hair. Here is the finished article. Once again I hacked at it using two mirrors opposite each other, and a pair of dressmaking scissors. The colour was from Poundland, I can get away with using half of it and saving the other half for later. Looks quite good I think, and exactly how I like it.   

The washing went on the line, a lovely blowy sunny day, it soon dried. The pots were washed, four days worth in one bowl of water in the sink. Then I had lunch, spaghetti and scrambled eggs on toast. 

After lunch it was soak in the bath time. I forgot to put some bubbly stuff in it, and as I lay there, I thought perhaps I don't even need it. Have you ever walked past a house when they have just let the bath water down the drain, the perfume from the smellies they added waft down the whole street. I'm sure some of them must put the whole bottle in for it to smell that strong.

I thought I would conduct an experiment, have a bath without using any soap or bath foam, just use water. I normally scrub myself all over anyway, that gets rid of the dead skin. So, here are my bathing tools. The pumice stone can be used anywhere where the skin is tough enough to take it. As well as feet, I use it on legs, arms, shoulders, bum, and back as far as I can reach. The scrubby gloves reach all the places the pumice stone can't, all the nooks and crannies. And the back brush is, well, for the back obviously. I dry myself with a rough towel, (don't use fabric conditioner), while standing in the bath, then step out and finish off. I feel perfectly clean, my skin is smooth, so no more toiletries are needed, just a dab of moisturiser on my face. So I don't think it is necessary to put a load of gunk in your bath, waste of money, and bad for the environment. When I've used up the stuff I've got, I won't be buying any more of it. Mind you, I've got about five years supply. If I use it sparingly it will last ten years, ha ha. And don't forget, my bath water stays in the bath and is used to flush the toilet. 

My next job was to run the Dyson round, downstairs. The cat hairs are building up, I know I said I can live with them, but when they reach knee height something needs to be done, ha ha. Also the living room floor was looking a bit messy after my last crafting project.

My upright Dyson is not very good at cleaning round the edges of the carpet, right up to the skirting board, so I've found a way of making a better job of it. I usually get down on my hands and knees with the nozzle attachment, but even this does not do a perfect job. Anyway, I've made a little video of how I tackle this problem. See what you think.

Next job was get the washing in off the line, and make up the bed. Tonight I made a big pan of carrot curry, well it's mainly carrots, with some potatoes, onions, and a tin of sweetcorn. My usual simple recipe, three teaspoons of curry powder, one teaspoon of turmeric, two teaspoons of garlic out of the jar, one veg stock cube, a handfull of sultanas, three dessertspoons of porridge oats. My, does it taste good. I will be eating this for the next three days, might freeze some if I get fed up of it. Sometimes I have it with a spud in the microwave, or pasta, or cous cous, or even on it's own with a piece of bread.

While this was cooking I made a start on the windows. I cleaned three of them on the inside, Will do the rest another time. Phew, busy day today, at least I'm making some progress with the jobs. Nearly forgot, my pants drawer in the bedroom wardrobe was broken at the back. When I pulled it all the way out to see what the problem was, I found a load of pants which had dropped down behind the drawers. I wondered why I hadn't got as many pairs as I should have, I know I haven't thrown any away lately. So, I'm happy, I have found my lost pants, and mended the drawer.
Toodle pip.

A walk along the Viking Way, and back

Should 'ave cleaned the windows today. Should 'ave done some washing today. Should 'ave got the Dyson out today. Should 'ave had a bath today. Should 'ave changed the bedding today. Should 'ave done a lot of things today, but I didn't. I went walking instead, ha ha. It was such a lovely day, would 'ave been a shame to waste it. 

I drove the 18 miles to Barnetby le Wold, I may have posted about this place before, it's on the way to Immingham and the east coast. There are quite a lot of footpaths to chose from around here. I set off along the Viking Way. This is a long distance footpath, I've already done some of it mainly the bit further north, so today I am going south. If you want to read about the Viking Way, this is a good site. http://www.walkingenglishman.com/ldp/vikingway.html

Mostly it's agricultural land, tramping along fields, past farms, and through villages. It's a nice day, sunny and warmish, and squidgy underfoot.

All Saints Church at Bigby is super lovely. The building dates back to the thirteenth century, and has a lovely wooden porch. There was a very convenient wooden bench to sit on round the back, with glorious views over the fields, while I had a bite to eat.  

The next place I come to is Somerby. You can see this monument form quite a long way away.

The plaque on the side tells you all about it.

This little shelter is in Searby. It looks as if it might fall down at any minute, it's very old. The building behind it used to be the village school, but is now being renovated and turned into a house.

This is the plaque inside the shelter.

And around the back is a wooden canopy.

St Nicholas Church is opposite the shelter.

As I arrive in Grasby I noticed that there are a lot of very big, very posh, detached houses.

All Saints Church. Grasby.

This used to be the Post Office, but is now a private house.

And just opposite is the Methodist Chapel, with it's very modern stainless steel chimney stack.

I did a left turn in Grasby, crossing over the A1084, along Grasby Wold Lane. When I got to Hendale wood, I did a left turn onto a bridleway which ran alongside the wood. It was time to head back towards the car.

About half an hour later I passed by a lot of lights, just beyond them you can see the runway at Humberside Airport.

I checked my watch, and realised that I was going to get back a bit too early, so I did a right turn and headed off towards Kirmington Vale, next to the Airport. I didn't want to cut my walk short, I have time to fit in another couple of miles. Oh my word, where has the path gone. When a farmer has ploughed a field, he is supposed to re instate the footpath, by running a tractor over it to flatten the ground. As you can see, lazy farmer has not done this, and now I have to stumble over here to the other side. Some of the ruts are a foot deep. It isn't long before the clay like soil is sticking to my boots and making them very heavy. Not good fun :o(

At New Barnetby I picked up the railway line and followed it to where my car was parked at Barnetby Station, arriving just after 5pm. Perfect timing. I've checked how far I've walked on www.bikehike.co.uk it comes out at 13 miles. Another good day out, and I didn't spend one penny, except for a splash of petrol for the 36 mile round trip.

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.