Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

It was sunny but on the chilly side this morning as I set off on an 18 mile walk along The Grantham Canal. I would be doing a ‘there and back’ starting in Woolsthorpe- by- Belvoir and going to Dove Cottage Tea rooms near Harby.

Why did I walk 18 miles? -you might well ask. Well, on the 29th June I am taking part in a 26 mile sponsored walk along the canal, from Gamston to the Grantham Canal Society depot at Woolsthorpe, in order to raise funds for the Society. http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/granthamcanalsociety

The Grantham Canal runs 33 miles from Grantham to the river Trent in Nottingham. With the coming of the railways, sadly, the canal fell into disuse. The canal is gradually being restored by The Grantham Canal Society but there is still a long way to go.

Today I wanted to do a longer than usual walk to condition myself to the longer distance.

It was a perfect walking day – not too hot and a gentle breeze, as I set off from the depot.

I walked past a series of locks that have been restored by the Society.

When I reached lock 13 there was a detour off of the towpath because this is the lock that is currently at the early stages of restoration.

One thing that I did notice is how much the grass and weeds on the towpath has grown in the last few weeks, not to mention the weed in parts of the canal. The wet and warm weather has certainly allowed nature to flourish.

I passed a couple of swans with their three Cygnets – lovely to see!

As I walked along the canal I realised how much I was enjoying it because navigation was simple and there were no worries from traffic. I had nice chats with a number of people who I met along the towpath who were also enjoying a walk.

The highlight of the walk was hearing cuckoos in the distance, its not often you hear a cuckoo and there were a plenty along my walk today.

I passed another Lancaster bomber crash site memorial – so sad.

Along the way I stopped for a break a couple of times. I definitely needed to take on board fluids. Finishing the walk I was pleased that I was feeling strong so that gives me confidence to tackle the 26 miles on the 29th June. I wonder what the weather will be like on that day?

I had enjoyed the walk and achieved my objective for today 😊.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶‍♂️