Nottingham Waterways to Radcliffe on Trent, 13th October 2024

Elaine's linear, 7¾ mile walk today started at the Carrington Street bus stop outside Nottingham Railway Station and took ten members firstly along the Nottingham and Beeston Canal to the Trent opposite the City Ground.  After crossing Trent Bridge, we went along the river, past The Hook Local Nature Reserve to the National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont for lunch and to view the white-water rafters.  After rounding the far end of the rowing lake, we returned to Radcliffe via Holme Lane and The Green.

View of Castle Wharf from the bridge over the canal

Castle Wharf

Setting off towards the London Road Bridge, fine warehouses on the left

Description of Canalside next to London Road

Traffic on the canal

Meadow Lane Lock - canal meets the Tent

Dragonboat near Trent Bridge

View from Trent Bridge - City Ground and rowing clubs

Junction of the Grantham Canal and the Trent

Apartments at Trent Basin close to the site of the new pedestrian bridge across the Trent

Nottingham Princess

Rounding the mark before a struggle upstream in light winds

Map of Country Park

Colwick Sluice undergoing refurbishment

Holme Lock

White water rafting.. and swimming...and carrying...and diving

Leaving the site of the white water rafting after an entertaining lunch stop

Canoe Polo site near Skylarks Nature Reserve

Return to Radcliffe for refreshments and/or a bus back home, St Mary's Church in the background

Hickling, Kinoulton and the Grantham Canal, 6th October 2024

Angela's 7-mile walk today started at The Old Wharf at Hickling Basin and took 19 of us along the Grantham Canal to Kinoulton for coffee.  We then headed along the Smite to Colston Bassett before turning south to rejoin the canal at Clark's Bridge and then walked back along the towpath to Hickling Basin.

Crossing the Smite on the way towards Colston Bassett

Distant view of Colston Hall - a Grade 2 listed building dating back to 1704

Lunch stop

Recently restored Clark's Bridge

Hickling Lengthsman's Hut built to provide a resting place for the workers who maintained the Grantham Canal

And back to Hickling Basin for tea and cakes at The Old Wharf ...

... or something else at The Plough Inn

Walton on the Wolds, Prestwold Park, Hoton and Burton on the Wolds, 29th September 2024

Paul's 8.6 mile walk started in Walton on the Wolds and took twelve members along tracks and across fields through Prestwold Park to St Andrew's Church for coffee.  Then it was across the A60 towards Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Centre, through Hoton and back to St Andrew's for lunch, before returning to the start via Burton on the wolds.

Incidentally, the village sign features a sheep, for the traditional local agriculture, the timber framed house known as Kings Cote and a winged man. The latter is the Rev. Bertie Bird, incumbent of the parish between 1894 and 1942, who was an amateur photographer, and created trick pictures of himself flying.

Start, outside The Anchor Inn, Walton

Prestwold Park, approaching St Andrew's

Prestwold Hall, for many years the seat of the Packe family and now a wedding venue

Coffee stop at St Andrew's, a Grade II medieval parish church near Prestwold Hall

Distant view of Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Centre

Vinetree Terrace, Hoton

After lunch, Prestwold Park again, heading towards Burton

The Old Manor House, Walton

Grosmont, Beck Hole and Goathland, 22nd September 2024

Scott's 7.8 mile walk took us from Grosmont Station up through woods and across moors  to the village of Beck Hole and then to the spectacular waterfall of Mallyan Spout.  A sharp climb up to Goatland for lunch followed.  After lunch, we descended an old railway incline back to Beck Hole then took a level track along the Rail Trail past the Esk Valley Mine back to Grosmont.

 Grosmont is on National Rail's Esk Valley Line served by Grosmont railway station, which is also used by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR), forming the northern terminus of its heritage railway to Pickering

Grosmont Station

Scott briefs us in the station car park

Our eventual route back from Beck Hole

Moorland above the Esk Valley

Coffee at Beck Hole

Mallyan Spout, at 23m the highest waterfall in the North York Moors National Park

Mallyan Spout Hotel

St Mary's Church, Goathland - look out for the stained glass Millennium Windows inside

Heartbeat's Aidensfield Stores in Goathland

Ford Anglia Police car as seen in Heartbeat

Ironstone plaque celebrating the first iron made in the Esk Valley in 1857.  W J Armitage was the owner of Cragside

Twin Arch Bridge, built in 1847 at the heyday of iron production in the Esk Valley

Miners' cottages in village of Esk Valley with retro Heartbeat car this year under wraps

Shafts at Esk Valley mine

Looking over Grosmont.  Display board shows how the village looked when iron was made here

Back at Grosmont Station - vintage steam engine shunting Pullman carriages