Eaton, Eastwell and Stathern, 30th August 2020

Maggie and Glen led this 9-mile walk again with an excllent turnout, this time eighteen as walks start getting back to the programme. Starting in Eaton, the route took us across the headwaters of the River Devon to St Michael's Church, Eastwell for coffee. This lovely ironstone church dates mostly from the thirteenth century. Then it was through the woods of Harby Hills and down off the Belvoir Escarpment to cross fields to St Guthlac's Church in Stathern for lunch.

The path back took us back up the escarpment and through Coombs Meadows, one of the best nature reserves in Leicestershire and full of interesting plants including meadow saxifrage, common spotted-orchids flower and soft shield-fern. Then we walked along the track of Tofts Lane, making use of a short section of the Jubilee Way back to Eaton.

The start in Eaton

Eastwell in the background

St Michael's Church, Eastwell for coffee

Fine views across the Vale of Belvoir as we leave Harby Hills

Bubble in Stathern

Small bubble in Stathern - Johny no-mates

Fallen in last week's storms

Whatton and four Smite villages, 23rd August 2020

A magnificent turnout of 22 for Elaine's 7.4 mile walk starting at the Village Hall in Whatton, passing through Aslockton, Thoroton, Hawksworth and Orston before returning along the Smite and over Blackberry Hill.

No chance of a group photo these days but will this do as a register of participants?

Church of St John of Beverley, Whatton

Setting off on the Smite Valley flatlands

Coffee stop at the church of St Mary and All Saints, Hawksworth

Thoroton's 14th century dovecote.  Approximately 600 nest boxes were built into the walls and the young pigeons, called squabs, were eaten before they fledged at about six weeks old 

River Smite, not always this low as the last attempt at this walk was halted by its flooding

St Mary's Church, Orston for lunch

Originally created for Orston's entry in the 2015 Best Kept Village competition - not the same flowers of course

The mighty Blackberry Hill just before Whatton - only a 5m climb but excellent views from the summit

Edwinstowe, Kings Clipstone and Sherwood Forest, 16th August 2020

One misty moisty morning when cloudy was the weather ... 

... we went to Edwinstowe for the first wet walk of the summer. It took us first down through the village centre to the River Maun which we followed through the Duke of Portland's Flood Meadows before diverting to Kings Clipstone to catch a glimpse of King John's Palace (or not). Then it was past Cavendish Lodge and back down across the river to walk up to Sherwood Forest for lunch. It was a short walk then back past the Major Oak to the Visitors Centre in Edwinstowe.

Cottages in Edwinstowe.  Not as old as they seem - built in1875 in the "olde worlde" style favoured by the Victorians

Bridge over the Maun

River Maun, Edwinstowe in the distance

Signal box at a major junction of old railways serving the nearby collieries

What we should have been able to see in the distance - the headstocks and winding house of Clipstone Colliery.  At the time of construction (1953) they were the tallest in Europe

Evidence that King John's Palace is somewhere nearby

The impressive Cavendish Lodge at the end of Squires Lane, Kings Clipstone, built in 1745 by the Duchess of Oxford, heir to the Welbeck Estate

Old carriages in the barn at Cavendish Lodge

An unexpected treat just off-route - Sherwood Forest Railway, Nottinghamshire's only narrow gauge steam railway

Ancient flora and fauna

Robin Hood meets Little John near the Visitors Centre

...

I met with an old man a-clothed all in leather

He was clothed all in leather with a cap beneath his chin

Singing how do you do and how do you do and how do you do again

Sutton Bonington, West Leake, Kingston and the River Soar, 9th August 2020

Rab led this 8-mile pop-up walk with ten Ramblers starting in Sutton Bonington.  It took us first to West Leake for coffee then followed Kingston Brook downstream to Kingston on Soar for lunch, returning along the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal.

St Helena's Church, West Leake - coffee

Social distancing in family groups on a bridge over Kingston Brook

Leaving Kegworth New Lock on the Grand Union Canal.  This lock used to called Kegworth Deep Lock on account of its 12 foot rise but after several narrowboats sank after getting caught on the cill at the upstream end, it was renamed Kegworth New Lock so as not to scare off new users

Narrow boat waiting to enter lock - held up by some ramblers

Radcliffe on Trent and Cotgrave Country Park, 2nd August 2020

Heather led this 6.8 mile walk starting from Radcliffe Health Centre using the recently opened multi-use path on the old railway to stroll round Cotgrave Country park, returning across fields and a new plantation to Radcliffe.

Extreme social distancing