Last night we were still planning to walk to Lords Seat from Edale. There were thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast but not until 11:00 by which time we would have been finished or thereabouts. When we checked the weather forecast this morning it had changed and it forecast heavy rain at 09:00. Reluctantly we decided not to go to the Peak District but do a local walk instead. Heavy rain was forecast here also but as it turned out that didn’t materialise which makes me think that we would probably have been ok doing our planned walk. Why is it that weather forecasting seems to be almost impossible these days?? Climate change?
Instead we did a lovely 9 mile walk at Dunham Massey which included part of the Bridgewater canal.
Sun rising over the Bridgewater canal
The sun was still low in the sky as we set off along the canal. We saw a heron who was looking for fish in the canal.
The Heron and Swans
After leaving the canal we entered the National Trusts Dunham Massey estate and because it was early the park was quiet.
On the path to Dunham Massey
The moisture was hanging on to the multitudes of cobwebs in the grassy verges and looked spectacular.
We passed the old mill.
The old Mill at Dunham
Parts of the park were looking autumnal.
Along one of the paths we saw a leaf hanging in mid air – it had caught on a cobweb strand. It was one of those sights where you do a double take because it looked odd 😊.
Walking through Dunham village I couldn’t resist taking a photo of their village hall.
It was a good walk but our planned walk would have been better.
This morning myself and Mick went walking and did the Gunthorpe circular walk. The weather was good to start then we had some unexpected heavy showers along the way – ‘Quick get your rain coats out!’
There was an amusing sign for dog’s along the banks of the river Trent.
We had to do a detour around a group of cows that were blocking a gate 😊
Quite a number of fields along the walk had Corn growing – the size of the plants is impressive.
I seem to be collecting photographs of village halls – here is the one from Caythorpe that we passed through on the walk. I think you can tell alot about a village from its Village hall.
Despite the odd shower it was a great walk. We are looking for good weather next week to get a walk in the Peak District.
This morning I did a 7.5 mile walk in good walking weather – it was nice to stretch my legs because I spent alot of time driving yesterday. I have now walked 1,303 miles so far this year which is another key milestone passed on the way to my 1,800 mile target 😊. For the month of August I am also on target to reach 200 miles.
It was interesting to watch the tractors tilling the soil in the fields on my walk this morning.
Myself and Angela have done some shorter walks in the past couple of days. We had planned a Vale of Belvoir walk but one of my ankles has suffered insect bites which made it difficult to wear my walking boots and, as I wanted the bites to heal, I did not want to aggravate them. Frustrating.
We did a walk around Long Bennington which unfortunately took us past the village sewage works which was smelling ripe- not a pleasant experience! The rain showers were light and we avoided the heavy rain.
Bridge over the river Witham at Long Bennington
The harvesting has been continuing – we walked past a wonderfully large hay bale structure – a perfect photo opportunity.
We were wondering what the new crop in one of the fields was – it’s currently growing rapidly and has white flowers.
Wondering what this crop is
I am doing well against my walking target (despite the insect bites!)
These are just my personal thoughts on the recently completed Dales Way. As a long distance trail I think The Dales Way disappoints in many respects. It has the feel of a walk cobbled together from shorter walks and therefore fails to give the a sense of being on a continuous journey to a destination.
There are too many paths close to rivers where there are low tree branches, exposed roots, slippery rocks and, because of the rain, mud. Barbed wire fences to one side of the path and the river on the other side creates a sense of being hemmed in. When I am walking I enjoy feeling a sense of space and being corralled is an anathema.
The sheer number of stiles / ladders & gates in some sections becomes very tedious after a few days and hinders walking with any fluidity. In some sections the stiles are in a very dangerous condition and urgently require replacing.
Bridge linking Yorkshire National Park to Cumbria
The signage along the route to indicate direction was appalling – the worse I have seen. A GPS unit is essential to navigate with as mobile signal is zero most of the time.
Having said all that I did enjoy the walking holiday and look forward to my next one.
I think if I am considering a long distance trail in future I might find that doing a trail where accommodation is booked along the way with baggage transfer between overnight stops might suit me better. I can then start the days walking early allowing time to stop and look at interesting things along the way instead of rushing because there is a bus to catch.
What a pleasant surprise today has been – sunny and warm 😊😊
This afternoon I did a nice 6 mile walk locally.
The road stretches aheadWalking along The Viking Way
I left The Viking Way and walked across a large field that had a new crop in it.
And it is here that ‘The Devils Claws’ are to be found.
A Devils Claw – otherwise known as the fossil Gryphaea
The field is littered with these fossils which were created from Oysters that lived in shallow seabed’s up to 200 million years ago. They are relics from a time when sea covered this land. They are commonly known as Devils claws because their shape resembles a claw.
Walking through the Wheat fields I noticed some water damage from the persistent rain has affected some of the crop. Not good news for Farmers.
It was a pleasure to walk around without having to worry about rain – July has been a very dismal month.
Blue skies and white fluffy clouds
I thoroughly enjoyed my walk today and especially because I have now exceeded my July target of 150 miles.
On 3rd May myself and Mick did the circular Gunthorpe circular walk of 10.18 miles. It was a lovely sunny day – I wore my shorts for the first time this year! There were cows along the banks of the river Trent and at one point, close to the old mill, we were challenged by a couple of aggressive geese.
first outing of the year in shorts!lovely field of buttercups
On 6th May myself and Angela did a 6.6 mile circular walk starting at Branston taking in Croxton Kerrial, Harston, Knipton and back to Branston. It was very quiet out and we started very early in order to get back home for the Kings coronation.
Bluebell heavenHarston old quarry site
On 7th May, myself and Angela did the Denton reservoir walk of 9.25 miles. It was very misty and showery at the start of the walk but brightened up halfway around.
striding along the Grantham canal towpathOn the path of the old railway track
On the 10th May I got up early and drove to Woolsthorpe to do the Denton Reservoir walk – started walking at 07:30 on a lovely sunny morning.
scenes of quiet tranquillity along the walk
On Friday 12th May I met up with Mick and we did the circular walk starting at Branston taking in Croxton Kerrial, Harston, Knipton and back to Branston. It was a dull day and chilly but we enjoyed the walk and particularly the stop for coffee at the Knipton Post Office.
On Tuesday 16th May myself and Mick planned a walk where we would leave one car at Woolsthorpe and then walk from my house on a route along The Viking Way that finished at Woolsthorpe. However, halfway around I remembered that I had forgotten my car keys and the car parked at Woolsthorpe was therefore of no use to us to return to Allington. After consulting the map we changed our planned walk to a modified route. While doing the return route I managed to slip off the step while crossing a stile and ended up on my back in a muddy mix of cow manure/urine and mud. 9.8 miles. All in all things didn’t go as well as they should have.
what a mess!interesting bruises and cuts on my legGrantham canal by the Dirty Duck Pub being drained for some reasons yet to be discovered!
On Saturday 20th May myself and Angela did a 7.83 mile at Rivington, Chorley Lancashire. We were early and had a good walk – it wasn’t too busy. We stopped for a coffee in a converted church hall on the way around.
Rivington reservoir in the background Angela by the stocks!
There was an old castle to view and some genuine foot -stocks in the village of Rivington.
This was the area that Angela had helped pupils from her school with the Duke of Edinburgh bronze award on a couple of recent weekends.
Rivington reservoir not full yet
On Sunday 21st May we were again up early and drove to Crowden (Peak District) and did a lovely 6.95 mile circular walk from Crowden passing by Torside and Rhodeswood resevoirs and then climbing 1,550 ft up to Millstone Rocks which gave a spectacular view across Langendale.
On Tuesday 23rd May myself and Mick did a 10 mile circular walk starting at Woolsthorpe. It was a good walk along some unfamiliar paths.
On 26th May Angela finished school for the half term break. We had booked a cottage (Plough cottage) at North End Farm in Kelk as we did at Easter. Angela had a terrible trip over from Manchester due to heavy traffic – 4 hrs! On Saturday 27th May the day started clear with good weather forecast. Our planned route was from Thixendale to Wharram Percy medieval village.
It was a fantastic walk following the Yorkshire Wolds Way. The hawthorn trees along the banks of the Wolds were still in bloom and the Rape fields a vibrant yellow. Angela wore her shorts for the first time this year!
We walked to the famous deserted Medieval village Wharram Percy and had a look at the remains including a historical church.
On Sunday 28th May we walked from Wharram Percy to Sherburn along the Yorkshire Wolds Way- 15.34 miles. It was a lot cooler than Saturday. Towards the end we had fabulous views over the Vale of Pickering.
Angela on a very steep ascentThe sign says it will be steep!Buttercups galore and the Vale of Pickering in the background
On Bank Holiday Monday 29th May we went on a local walk passing through the villages of Harpham, Burton Agnes and Kilham. The walk was supposed to be 7.5 miles, however, we got blocked by an inaccessible Rape filled field (thank you Mr Farmer!) which meant we had to do a detour leading to a total mileage of 10.17 miles. Angela was not happy with the route being blocked. We had a nice stop by the village pond in Kilham. On Tuesday 30th May we walked from Londesborough to Huggate 11.86 miles. It was a demanding walk with plenty of up sections. The weather was grey so unfortunately we didn’t get the good views over the Vale of York
The village of Millington is in the background, with the Vale of York in the distance
Angela had hoped we could get a tea from the Huggate tea room’s but they were closed (again!).
On the 31st May we tried to walk a route that would visit some wolds and remains of Medieval villages. We were one mile into the walk and found the way blocked by a locked gate. The local farmer will have done this to deter walkers even though we were walking on a public right of way. It was annoying and a shame. We went back to the cottage and did a walk from the cottage instead.
Data – How am I doing against my 2023 target?
A total of 192 miles were walked in May against a target of 83 miles.
During the month I breached 700 miles walked giving a total of 729 miles YTD.
I walked on 29 days out of a possible 31 days with the mean distance being 6.62 miles.
The graph below illustrates how my walking in 2023 compares to 2022.
The mean temperature in May when I walked was 13.27 Deg C (cf 14.4 deg C in 2022).
The chart below shows the walking temperatures recorded from May 2022
Outlook for June
We have now walked 37 miles (from Londesborough, which is near Market Weighton, to Sherburn) of the 79 miles length of the Yorkshire Wolds Way. We will complete the remaining sections at some stage this year. We will return to the holiday cottage hopefully during Angela’s summer vacation.