Along the Viking Way from Walesby to Risby

 A cloudless day greeted us at Walesby for our bank holiday walk along the Viking Way to Risby and back.  We climbed steeply up to the Rambers' Chrurch set high on the wold above the village.  We continued along the Viking Way Path, dry at first then very muddy and slippery in the dip before climbing back up to Risby where it was drier again.  We enjoyed photographing the impressive rams from the Risby flock of Lincolnshire Longwools before sitting on the bench at our high point for lunch.  Enjoying my turket sandwich, I reluctantly exchanged it for binoculars to check that the raptor lazily drifting over the valley was, actually a buzzard, so I was delighted to pick out the forked tail of a red kite.  A red kit in Lincolnshire is always a red letter day for me; and we came across a buzzard in the same air space a short while later.  A good first birdwatch of the year even if the birding was secondary to a family walk.

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The Ramblers' Church.

The Walkers' Window.

The Rambles' Church

Arriving at Risby.

Risby Lincolnshire Longwool Rams.

Risby Lincolnshire Longwool Ram.

Risby Pond

The Viking Way

The Viking Way

Refections

The last Leaf

The Weekly Escape

 The weather was somewhat more clement today as we pulled up behind two other cars at Normanby-Le-Wold Church.  It was our weekly escape to make sure that the battery on the Kia was kept well charged.  Our plan was to walk along the Viking Way to the Rambler's Church at Walesby for lunch and return via the low path to Claxby and back up the hill to Normanby.  The Four Churches Walk.  We hadn't been going for more than a minute or two before we met the occupants of the other two cars: long-time running friends Steve and Susan Green and their daughter and husband.  It was good to catck up.  The views from this section of the Viking Way are spectacular, it being the highest part of the Lincolnshire Wolds. To the west, across the Witham and Ancholme Valley we could see Lincoln Cathedral perched high on the Lincoln Edge with the Trent Valley power stations beyond.  To the east we could look down on the attractive Otby Valley, whist to the south the Rambler's Church was visible beyond Walesby.  It was a very peasant wander down to Walesby and as we pulled up to the church the sun put in a brief appearance.  After lunch it was back down into the village to visit the current church and then we followed the old byway to Claxby where we enjoyed the view of our fourth church with a foreground of primroses.  Pulling up the steep woldside to reach the car we were amazed to come across a huge badger sett with a great deal of fresh excavation.  The badgers had obviously been dragging fresh bedding into the set from the plentiful dry, dead grasses in the meadow, leaving several grassy trails into the wood.

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Ruby Anniversary Walk Along the Viking Way

 It being our ruby wedding anniversary we decided to have a latish afternoon walk as we had no meal to cook; we were having a celebratory Ruby Murry.  We picked Jet up and were soon parking up at Walesby village hall.  We were surprised that the car park was full and we only just squeezed in and later that there were so many people out walking.  We saw more people in 3 miles of walking today that we did on the whole of the viking way.  It was pleasant weather , a Sunday and the beginning of half term, but, even so, it was amazingly busy.  We could only assume that as we are slipping into lockdown once more, people are walking locally rather than travelling out of the area.

We had a lovely walk and the views from the top of the scarp slope at Risby were excellent.  We continued as far as Castle Farm where I took some photos.  It doesn't seem long since this unusual house was occupied, but it now lies derelict.  A few years ago it was for sale but presumably there were no buyers.

We turned around at this juncture and stopped for lunch and hot chocolate when we reached the bench above Risby.  We had excellent views of a red kite being harassed by a crow from here.  A friend saw another two today in a different part of the wolds.  It would be good to see them breeding in Lincolnshire.  From Risby we made our walk into a round route by dropping down off the ridge and returning to Walesby via the lane.

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Lincolnshire sunken lane up to The Ramblers Church

Walesby Ramblers Church

Walesby Ramblers Church

Castle Farm

Winter Feeding Station and Dog Walking Along the Viking Way.

Yesterday I needed to check on the feeders at both feeding stations so decided to have an hour in the hide at Scallows.  I had sat in during the real cold a few days ago and surprisingly there was little activity.  We have noticed this before: when the weather is really cold the birds tend to stay tucked up somewhere, presumably conserving energy and living off fat reserves,  Once it warms up slightly they immediately beginning feeding again to top up on lost reserves.  This was certainly the case yesterday with plenty of birds back and forth.  It was good to see a group of long tailed tits make a couple of visits, but I din't manage any pictures.  Snow drops are just beginning to come into flower at Scallows, but there is no sign of the aconites as yet.  Strange as in other places both are well in flower.  Perhaps they are slightly later with being high on the Wolds.  I look forward to the magnificent display in a few weeks time, however.

Later in the afternoon we took Jet for a walk along the Viking Way long distance footpath at Walesby, which here follows the edge of the scarp slope of the Wolds with wonderful views across the valley to Lincoln.  We had hoped for a good sunset, but sadly the cloud persisted.

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Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Chaffinch, Female

Chaffinch, Female

Chaffinch, Male

Coal Tit

Great Tit

Great Tit

Great Tit

Nuthatch

Pheasant stealing the blackbird's apples.

Who Me??

Pheasant

Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Male

Walesby Ramblers Church

Pond, Risby

Derelict Farm Machinery

Castle Farm

Scots Pine