My Walking Journeys

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today the Three Amigos met up and enjoyed a 7.8 mile circular walk starting from the Nottinghamshire village of Fiskerton, adjacent to the mighty River Trent.

We passed through Rolleston then by Southwell race course and through the village of Morton. The mist was rising off the River Trent as we set off on our walk. The weather forecast was for a sunny morning, so that was promising.

We walked through a wooded area along a path that was adjacent to a drainage ditch – it needed careful footwork to ensure you didn’t slide down the sloping path into the ditch! After safely navigating the slippery, sloping path we arrived into Rolleston village.

The renowned illustrator and writer of children’s books, Kate Greenaway, had a long attachment with Rolleston. There is plenty of evidence in the village of her life and a Kate Greenaway trail that could be followed. We had our route planned so we stuck to our plan.

We were soon in sight of the impressive Southwell racecourse.

As we stood and took in the racecourse, horses on their morning gallop passed us by. It was nice to see.

Further along the racecourse our route should have been across a grassed area but the farmer had put sheep there, surrounded by an electric fence, so we were forced onto an alternative path on the embankment of the River Greet where the grass was damp from the morning dew. My boots got soaked.

It was interesting to note that there were numerous water sprays in use across the racecourse – presumably to make to going soft.

Our route took us across the racecourse where an accommodation had been made in the fence to allow walkers to pass.

After leaving the racecourse we had a walk through a wooded area where it was like an assault course in places to get past the trees. Finally, we hit a road and walked towards Fiskerton railway station. We were looking for a bench to take a break and Chris suggested using the platform benches – this worked a treat for our break.

Refreshed from our break we headed across fields to the village of Morton where we admired the nice cottages as we walked through. We passed a Pinfold – a stone enclosure where, in the past, stray animals were impounded until a fine was paid.

Good paths across fields led us to the River Trent and the impressive Hazelford Weir.

Having admired the weir we then followed the river back to Fiskerton. Anglers lined the river – clearly a popular spot.

Clouds reflected in the calm waters of the River Trent.

Finally, we were nearly back at our cars. A canal boat powered past us – that was nice to see.

It had been a beautiful morning and was feeling quite hot towards the end. We all had enjoyed the walk.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today, the Three Amigos met up and enjoyed a 9.5-mile circular walk starting from the village of Gunthorpe in Nottinghamshire, adjacent to the magnificent River Trent.

We had last walked this route in July 2024, so it has been a while since we last walked it. It is one of our favourites because it is easy walking and you can walk along at pace. I had expected a cloudy day but it also turned out to be quite a wet one – we are not used to rain, plus, it wasn’t forecast!

Shortly after setting off we passed by Gunthorpe lock. I was in denial about the drizzle mizzle but it got heavier so I had to reach into my rucksack and fish out a waterproof jacket- its been a few months since I last needed to wear it!

The bank of the river is grassy and wide. Our distant views were reduced because of the rain, however we saw quite a few noisy Canadian geese.

It was interesting to see the changes from our last visit as we progressed along our walk – nothing seems to stay the same. Fences are erected, bushes grow, new houses are built etc.

A few Anglers were dotted along the bank and we passed by some curious cows.

After about 4.5 miles along the river we turned away from the river and began our return leg. We couldn’t help but notice that there was an autumnal feel to the day. The rain and leaves on the ground all hints to the impending change.

We took a break standing up – there was an unfortunate lack of benches on the walk. The Canadian geese were nearby wandering through a field.

The rain eased off and a slight hint of sun broke through the gloom. ‘The sun will help dry us out’ said Mick – we were well saturated at this point- and indeed as we walked along we felt the sun was working its magic. We were coming to Hoveringham Mill – one of the highlights on the walk.

A bridge took us over the Ford which was quite low in water – no surprise there.

As we passed across the Ford we were wondering whether the path diversion we had come across last year was in place still. Thankfully, it had gone so we clambered over a rickety stile and followed the drainage dyke into the village of Caythorpe. Nice willow trees hung gracefully near the water.

A short walk through the village and we were soon leaving heading for Gunthorpe. We noted that some former agricultural fields had now got rows of trees in them. We wondered why? The rain had started once again.

Arriving into Gunthorpe we noticed that a former derelict restaurant had been refurbished and was now a pub – that was good to see.

Mick was going to hunt out his gaiters when he got home – getting prepared for wetter weather. Chris had a list of jobs to do too. No rest for the wicked they say!

Happy Walking 😊🚶