A Long Muddy Walk Around the Deadwood and the Horsefield

 Having missed a walk yesterday, I decided on a longer one today to keep up the 3 mile a day average.  I needed the long walk as I am feeling frustrated, disenchanted and resentful, not just because of Lockdown itself but of the lack of clarity, lack of enforcement and lack of compliance, including from our Prime Minister.  Over the last weekend there were over 500 cases of guideline infringement in the Lake District with people driving from Liverpool and from as far away as Northamptonshire!!

Rant over!!

I set out as usual from the house and accessed the edgeland as normal through the wardrobe and into Narnia.  I made my way past the school and then, rather than turning for the Horsefield, continued along the farm track to Low Farm.  Here I got into conversation with the lady who lives in the bungalow and she was keen to tell me about the deer and foxes who frequent the fields as well as the local barn owls.  I must spend more dawn and dusk time looking for them on the Horsefield.

Crossing the very busy Peaks Parkway (essential journeys??) I continued round to the site of the old Peaks Tunnel Farm and on into the Deadwood.  I was delighted while sweeping the plough with binoculars to spot a couple of hares hunkered down pretending to be clods of earth.  It was muddy everywhere with the land sodden, but it was particularly bad in the wood.  As I passed into Weelsby Woods I was pleased to find a very attractively lit clump of velvet shank fungi.  From here I made a large circuit of Weelsby Woods before heading back to the Horsefield over Peaks Tunnel.

A circuit of the Horsefield and a final stretch of mud brought me to decision time: a plodge along the field edge to the back of the wardrobe or returning via the church and Scartho Road.  I had had enough of mud so opted for the better surface.  Nice to see the first snowdrops in flower in the churchyard.

Birds

• Starling
• Blackbird
• House Sparrow
• Wood Pigeon
• Robin
• Chaffinch
• Crow
• Feral Pigeon
• Dunnock
• Pheasant
• Yellowhammer (flock)
• Reed bunting
• Collared Dove
• Great Tit
• Jay
• Common Gull
• Black Headed Gull
• Magpie
• Blue Tit
• Brown Hare

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A Late Walk Around the Deadwood and a Spectacular Sunset

 Again a walk from home and back on familiar terrain.  During the first Lockdown last March I began a project to record the changing seasons on the Horsefield and in the Deadwood during the year and photograph close to home.  I found the project both satisfying and successful and, now with Lockdown 3 to last until at least march, set to continue.  Todays walk involved a longer more round about route to get to the Deadwood via Low Farm and then returning across the Horsefield.  We deliberately set off fairly late so that we would be walking into the sunset for the last couple of miles.  In places the ground was still frozen, but in places it had thawed and the land was a quagmire making walking hard work.  It was beautiful weather, though, and a spectacular sunset only being marred by the burnt out car as we left the Horsefield.  One can only hope that it was an essential journey!!

Lockdown Walk From Home to Bradley Woods.

 A foggy walk today from home over to Bradley Woods.  Lockdown means we are now back to walking from home again.

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Final Pre-Lockdown Walk in the Wolds

In these first few days of January the issue of Covid restrictions have become confused.  in NE Lincs we are still in Tier 3 but Lincolnshire has moved into Tier 4 meaning that we are now unable to meet up with Brian and Heather for walking. Aware that we are unable to travel into Lincolnshire we decided to drive to Irby, still in NE Lincs for a walk in Irby Dale.  We followed our regular walk but making the most of being able to travel at all we extended the walk over to Swallow Dale and finished by walking through Irby Dale again.  An enjoyable walk with some dramatic light.

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