Vale of Belvoir Ramblers

Long Clawson, 2nd November 2014

For those who miss a walk, we will try to include on the blog a route description so you can still do it at a later date. This means that someone with a GPS device on the walk must record the track as a .gpx file. A recording with a distance interval of 200m is sufficiently accurate for most puposes.

Distance 4.9 miles, height gained 90m

Long Clawson windmill showing the characteristic Lincolnshire-style cap (white painted ogee-shape)

We are encouraged to talk to potential new members ...

.... but Bernard should really have gone to Specsavers

VBR AGM in Long Clawson Village Hall
Rab in the Chair and Mike handing over the Treasurer's responsibilities

Clumber Park, October 26th 2014

Bridge over the Poulter (I think)

A rare sight - Brian leading from the front

Clipsham, 12th October 2014

Holywell Quarry near Clipsham - Clipsham stone is highly regarded as the hardest of the Lincolnshire limestones and has been the stone of choice for many prestigious building projects, including cathedrals such as Ely and Salisbury, colleges at Cambridge and Oxford, the restoration of the river frontage of the Palace of Westminster and of St George’s Chapel, Windsor The stone is an oolithic limestone from the Lincolnshire Limestone formation of middle Jurassic age.

A walk in the woods with visitors from Sleaford, Rutland, Peterborough and Rushcliffe

Lunch near Pickworth Drift, an old drovers road

Captions are invited for this photograph of our leader

Forget the walking, this is why we come.

Bunny, 5th October 2014

St Mary's Church dates back to 1346

Overlooking Bunny and The Moors, once a fen. Old clay pits now a landfill off right.

Almhouse in Bunny built by Sir Thomas Parkyns (1662-1741)

Weekend Away in Teesdale, 19th -21st September 2014

This year's walks were centred on the County Durham market town of Middleton-in-Teesdale which is surrounded by the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The four walks made extensive use of the Pennine Way, the Tees Valley Way and parts of the disused railway line from Barnard Castle to Middleton.

Middleton in Teesdale

Friday - Low Force and High Force

The path by the River Tees from Low Force to High Force and beyond is one of the best-known in the Pennines, providing the best viewpoint for some of the most spectacular British waterfalls.

Start of the weekend

Low Force

A wonderful place to be a walker - on the Pennine Way


High Force

Dine Holm Quarry - not an AONB but still part of the landscape

The return to the start at Bowlees Visitor Centre was on little-used paths and byways through farmland along the north side of the valley.

An interesting description of the flora and fauna in Upper Teesdale can be found in the Telegraph's Walk of the Month, April 2008.

Saturday - Cauldron Snout

Today half the group walked in the Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve, the largest and probably the remotest in England. The route descended the unfenced road from the Cow Green Reservoir round Widdybank Fell to the Tees itself on a good track. The going then was tricky in sections, over two or three 200m sections of boulders beside the river.

Upper Teesdale

After lunch we then had a short scramble up the Whin Sill beside the Snout and back to the car park.

Looking down Cauldron Snout

Top of Cauldron Snout below the dam

Saturday - Down the Tees to Eggleston and Romaldkirk

The other half of the group walked down the Tees passing through the pretty villages of Eggleston and Romaldkirk in time for lunch at the Rose and Crown. The return made use of the old Tees Railway back to Middleton.

Sunday - Lunedale

This walk took us up the Lune Valley to Grassholme Reservoir and then used the Pennine Way to climb up Harter Fell and back to Middleton.