Hello and welcome to my blog 😊.

Today, Mick and I enjoyed an 8-mile circular walk, starting in the Nottinghamshire village of Woodborough, taking in the villages of Lowdham and Epperstone along the way.

We parked outside the church – we were going to park in the village carpark but we saw a good spot outside the church and took that instead. It was a relatively cool morning which made a very pleasant change.

Walking to the village hall we passed a colourful mural on a wall.

Passing through the village hall carpark and the Tennis club we crossed into open fields and headed up a slight incline towards Ploughman Wood. The fields either side of the path had recently been harvested.

Looking back we could see Woodborough.

Entering the wood, it was quite atmospheric as we walked along its narrow paths. The wood is one of the few remaining areas of ancient woodland in Nottinghamshire.

After leaving the wood we followed paths across arable fields. Mick wondered whether we might get rain – it was looking possible.

Several fields on our right contained corn.

And then, we hit a problem. Ahead of us was a large construction site surrounded with metal fencing signed keep out. Where was the path diversion? No signs to be seen. The right of way was blocked.

We edged our way around the fencing, eventually deciding to cut (good job I had packed the secateurs) our way through a hedge to reach the road- that was fun, crawling on hands and knees through a gap in the hedge. It is so annoying that construction companies can get away with this sort of thing and that local authorities allow them.

We continued across fields towards Lowdham, and as we crossed the final field into Lowdham we met a chap who had worked the land here for 40 years so we had a good chat with him.

We stopped in the churchyard (in the shade) of St Mary the Virgin church for a break – I enjoyed my scotch egg😊.

Continuing onwards we passed a very nice property which was the former Lowdham mill before reaching a lane that would take us to Epperstone.

As we walked along the lane we could hear guns shooting – soon we passed the entrance to the firing range with the red warning flag flying.

Just before entering Epperstone village we passed a nice old brick building – most curious. I wonder what it had been used for?

We walked through Epperstone village – it is a lovely place. After finding the footpath out to Woodborough we enjoyed the final mile or so back to the car. The rain had kept off, and in fact, it was becoming another hot day.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶