Langar, Colston Bassett and Cropwell Bishop, 27th April 2025

 

Steve's 8-mile walk today took 24 members and visitors from the Unicorn in Langar, past Langar Church and on to the gated road to Colston Bassett for bacon butties at the Village Hall.  After crossing the Smite, we walked through the grounds of Colston Bassett Hall, past the ruins of St Mary's Church and on to Cropwell Bishop before returning to St Mary's for lunch.  Field paths then took us back to Langer for some well earned refreshments.

Steve briefs us outside the Unicorn

Langar Public Wetland Area near the pub car park.  Click on the image to enlarge and read the notice

St Andrew's Church, Langar

St John the Divine, Colston Bassett

Late breakfast at the Village Hall

Often seen at a distance - Colston Bassett Hall

Approaching St Mary's Church

Cows taking no notice of us (JY)

St Giles Church, Cropwell Bishop

Lunch back at St Mary's (JJ)

Langar Lane 5MW Solar Farm

Welcome refreshments

Keyworth, Bradmore and Plumtree, 20th April 2025

Click on the image to read it

 Starting at Keyworth's Rectory Field off Elm Avenue, Rab led 14 ramblers on an 8¼ mile walk across rolling country on tracks and field paths including part of the Notts Wolds Way. There were a few stiles and a few gentle hills.  Coffee was taken at the Methodist Church in Bradmore and lunch in the churchyard of St Mary’s Church in Plumtree.

Rab briefs the members

Big Issue seller at the start - no takers

Passing St Mary Magdalene Church, Keyworth

Good, dry going today

Coffee stop in Bradmore with hot cross buns and Easter eggs generously supplied by members of Bradmore Methodist Church

The plaque is to commemorate the final phase of the restortion of this Grade II listed building, Stafford House, built by Sir Thomas Parkyns between 1690 and 1692

Pleasant tulip displays in Bradmore

Barn Farm - a very large grain storage and drying facility

St Mary the Virgin, Plumtree - lunch

Site of the Church of St Peter of Flawford.  The church was built around 800 AD and was demolished in 1773/1779. This is one of the few remaining headstones (dated 1758) in the graveyard. The outline of the church is marked on the grass behind the gravestone.  Click on the image to read more

Wysall, Willoughby and Wymeswold, 13th April 2025

Twelve on Christine's 7.7 mile walk from Wysall to Willoughby along the Midshires Way and then on to Wymeswold on the Cross Britain Way for lunch at the Three Crowns  We returned to Wysall past the Medieval Village of Thorpe le Grebe.

Thanks Paul and John for the photos and route.

Christine briefs us at the start near the church

Holy Trinity Wysall. Thankful Villages are settlements in England and Wales from which all their members of the armed forces survived World War I

Setting off

Cowslips in Willoughby

Ladies outnumbering men today

St Mary and All Saints, Willoughby - coffee stop

Papplewick and Newstead Abbey, 6th April 2925

John's 7.4 mile route started in the layby by Linby Lane and/or at Papplewick Village Hall.  It took 16 members up the Papplewick Trail alongside the River Leen and across fields to the pretty village of Linby.  An excursion was made to The Ranges, the former slag heap of Linby Colliery, for coffee before continuing to the grounds of Newtead Abbey for lunch.  A deviation from the route of previous walks took us round the north side of the Abbey and past Papplewick Hall back to the start.

Thanks John for an excellent walk in excellent weather with companiable ramblers.

The start near where the Leen crosses Linby Lane

Kingcup, aka Marsh Marigold and Molly Blobs, in Papplewick Dam Wood near the start

The recently refilled Upper Pond reservoir used to store water for Castle Mill on Linby Lane (see later)

Group at The Ranges in front of Man & Dog (2007)

Two of fourteen plaques set in the base of the Man & Dog sculpture.

"Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station, 8 miles SW of Nottingham. Commissioned in 1968. It has an output of 2038MW"

and

"The Ranges, 115m above sea level. A landscaped spoil mound from the former Linby Colliery"

Pick axe, shovel and hammer in Frickland Wood, the restored area of woodland on the former spoil heap of Annesley Pit Top

Wildlife in Freckland Wood

North Lodge at the entrance to Newstead Abbey Park

The Upper Lake in Newstead Abbey Park (near the source of the Leen) and The Fort, a mock fort built about 1770 for the fifth Lord Byron

River Leen - outlet from Newstead lakes, 15 miles to the Trent

Lunch overlooking the Abbey

The Leen flowing out from the Upper Pond

Castle Mill (1782) near the start.  The Leen Valley was flooded north of here to form the artificial lake known as Papplewick Dam and the Linby road ran across the dam wall.  This was one of several mills in the very industrialised valley of the Leen

Castle Mill now - a private residence