It’s a sign: England, part two

When out for one of my countryside rambles recently, the realisation that I was just a tad lost finally dawned on me when I saw this sign on a side road.

Low-flying aircraft

As far as I was aware, I shouldn’t have been anywhere near an airport. Turns out I wasn’t too far from a rather large, now abandoned airfield, former Royal Naval Air Station Stretton or HMS Blackcap. According to the Forgotten Airfields website it was built as a Royal Air Force night fighter station to protect Manchester and Liverpool from Luftwaffe raids during the Second World War but transferred to Admiralty control when the Germans stopped bombing British cities. The Navy had 41 Fleet Air Arm Squadrons based at Blackcap for varying periods, flying regular missions to and from aircraft carriers based in the Irish Sea.

Construction of the M56 motorway in 1971 went right through the site, half of which is now an industrial area but the south side is still very obvious in this aerial photo. In recent years, apparently, Shell used the airfield to test engine oil but it seems currently to be languishing unused. The Warrington Guardian of 11 June 2014 reported on plans to turn part of the land into an underground vehicle storage facility but that is being opposed by local councils, and car-racing enthusiasts have been eyeing the site for a race track, something neighbours have also opposed.

I’m assuming the sign has been there for a long time – I don’t think there have been any low-flying aircraft in the vicinity since the airfield closed in 1958!

The Pinfold

‘This enclosure dates from the Eighteenth Century and was used as a pound to secure stray livestock.’

You never know what you might stumble across when out walking! First an airfield and then, on that same long rural meander, something much much older. I discovered this enclosure and its explanatory sign on Budworth Road, not far from Arley Hall, in Cheshire. I’d never heard the word pinfold before so, when I finally got home, I hastened to google to discover more. Professor Wiki notes that the terms ‘pinfold’ and ‘pound’ are both Saxon in origin and both mean ‘animal enclosure’ – the only difference in usage is which part of England you’re in: it’s a pinfold in the north and east and a pound in the south and west.

Due to its age, this pinfold is a Grade II listed structure. It’s of ashlar contruction with large coursed stones, is rectangular in shape, with walls just over 100cms tall and has a single entrance. Dating from the days before enclosed fields were in common use, it would have been used to house stray pigs, sheep and cattle until their owners reclaimed them.

Signpost to Arley

‘This Road Forbidden Is To All / Unless They Wend Their Way To Call / At Mill, Or Green, Or Arley Hall.’

Having mentioned Arley Hall above, I thought I’d also include this rather wonderful signpost in this blog. The sign marks one of the side entrances to Arley Estate, an entrance only for use by those who reside in the old houses along the lane or those on foot, intending to walk the local public footpaths. If you’re not familiar with Arley, it’s a magnificent country estate that has been home to members of Lord Ashbrook’s family since the fifteenth century. 

So far, I’ve only been able to view Arley’s glorious vistas from the public paths as the house and gardens have been closed over the winter but I’m planning on exploring further when the 2015 visitor season opens in March. 

Footpath signs

As you’ve no doubt gathered, both from the name of my blog and from the numerous times I’ve mentioned my rambles and meanders, I’m a very enthusiastic and active walker. One of the things I like best about living in England is the public rights of way that make this country’s green and pleasant lands easily available to everyone. They give access to places you could never reach by road, allow you to appreciate the sounds of Nature not motorways and, as some are hundreds of years old, they provide valuable insight into the history of the people who have lived in the area.

There are various types of rights of way: public footpaths, for pedestrians only; public bridleways, for horse riders and pedestrians to share; and restricted byways, for horse riders, pedestrians and non-mechanised vehicles (the horse and cart of olden times) to share. Walkers can also often use concessionary paths, where use is allowed at the discretion of the landowner but is not a legal right. These are often also called permissive paths (which always makes me chuckle!).

The signage for these paths varies from place to place and from county to county so I have included several different examples here. 

As the sign below reminded me, you do have to be mindful of track boundaries when using footpaths (though this warning of potential shooting is a rather extreme example!) and you should always always follow the Countryside Code. 

Cheshire walks: Around Pickmere Lake in the snow

Elated by last night’s dump of snow I headed out this morning to enjoy our white winter wonderland. I decided on a circuit of our local lake, Pickmere, with a slight detour to the lime avenue at Great Budworth, walking partly on the narrow country lanes and partly along some of the public footpaths that criss-cross local farmland. I’ve included a map of where I walked – the numbers mark the kilometres (this was about 6.5kms all up so quite a short wander) and the blue dots are the places where the following photos were taken (sometimes more than one at each spot) (a small selection of the 200-plus I took!). 

I hope you enjoy walking along with me – it was magical!

We start off via the footpath that runs along the top of Pickmere Lake. It's a favourite walk for local dog-owners.

Looking out across the lake. That’s the tower of the church at Great Budworth on the skyline.

On Park Lane, looking back across the lake. This is one of my favourite trees hereabouts.

Looking in the opposite direction, over the fields towards the Millenium Wood. There’s another footpath that heads in that direction and it's also a lovely walk - another day, another blog.

The lane heads through a small section of wood called Pickmere Rough.

Three photos from this spot. The first is looking over farmer’s fields on the other side of the Rough.

And, from the same spot, looking over the fields towards Great Budworth.

And the third shot looks over the fields towards Hield House Farm. As you can see, the clouds were looking threatening at this point so I started striding out for Great Budworth.

The magnificent lime avenue at Great Budworth. It’s a long planting that runs either side of this narrow footpath. I sheltered here while a hail and sleet shower passed through.

From halfway along the lime avenue, I headed down this public footpath across the local farmer’s fields.

There are a couple of photos from points along this footpath – this first one has the lime avenue on the right and looks towards the Church of St Mary at Great Budworth.

This path is very muddy during the winter months, but was made easier today by the covering of snow, though I had to be careful not to slip!

The footpath comes out on to Hield Lane, which changes its name at the bottom of this slope to Dark Lane (the border between neighbouring councils runs through at this point, changing from Cheshire East to Cheshire West and Chester).

Looking back towards Pickmere Lake, along one of the streams that feeds into it.

On Dark Lane now, looking back toward Hield Lane and Hield House Farm.

And my last shot for today, taken of my favourite trees in Earle’s Lane, before I headed home to dry my wet feet and warm up with a hot cuppa. I hope you enjoyed my stride in the snow as much as I did!

Cheshire walks: Pickmere Lake in the snow

When I posted a couple of photos on Facebook this morning, excited at waking up to a white landscape after overnight snow, my New Zealand and Australian friends mentioned their recent high temperatures – it was still 32 degrees at 5pm in Nambor, it was sweltering in Ashburton, Christchurch had had a high of 34 degrees, and one friend en route to Cambodia figured she’d be wishing she had some snow after a few days in their scorching temperatures.

So I thought I’d share snapshots from my white walk in our 2-degree temperature here in Wincham in the heart of Cheshire. Hopefully, just looking through these will help cool down all you hot and sweaty Antipodeans!

If you follow my daily photo posts – this year it’s a celebration of trees – then you’ll recognise this scene, though the sheep are a charming addition. They’re probably not locals – farmers who live on higher ground, both in Cheshire and in counties further north, often send their flocks south to over-winter.

Across the road from the sheep is one of the three access ways off this lane to Pickmere, our local lake.

The access ways leads to the fields behind these houses. I often think this would be a pleasant place to live, with picturesque views over the fields and lake.

Down the fields we go, towards the lake in the distance. This is a public footpath and, as you can see, I’m not the first person to walk this way this morning. Usually, everyone follows a more narrow route but the field is a bit mucky today so walkers have been meandering, seeking a less muddy path.

Pickmere Lake. It’s looking quite full following recent rains. It’s home to flocks of mallards and other ducks, coots, swan and seagulls.

There’s an old jetty, though it’s beginning to fall apart. The seagulls are often to be seen roosting on the end as they are today. It’s very misty down here today.

The jetty again, and those seagulls, and a coot swimming by.

Further round the lake, past the kids sledging down the hill (sorry, no photos of them!), to the area where the ducks usually congregate, waiting hopefully for humans to bring them bread. Cute snowman on the water’s edge!

Homeward bound. I was hoping for better landscape photos as we’re on a bit of high ground here but it’s just too foggy. Still, I quite like the indistinct trees in the distance.

Now we’re heading along one of the other pathways, back towards the lane where we first started our walk. There were lots of other locals out for a walk, with family, friends and dogs.

Looking along the footpath in the other direction.

The last photo for today. Just before we reach the lane, there’s a pond that a small flock of ducks calls home. They also get fed bread by the locals so came heading over when I stopped to take this photo. As you can see, the pond was partly iced over – shows how nippy it’s been.

I hope all my Southern Hemisphere friends, who’ve recently been overheating, are now feeling a little cooler after that brief stroll through England’s white and chilly lands. I’m off for a hot cup of tea!

England: South West Coast Path, Devon

Blazing sun and striding out, sweaty skin and street performers … a sweet sweet day!

A six-mile walk might not sound like much but, when it’s up and down the spectacular coastal cliffs you can see in this photo, you might understand why I finished the day with slightly sore feet, especially as our destination, Sidmouth, had a music festival happening all that week so we also pounded the pavements there, checking out all the weird and wonderful sights of the street entertainers and their onlookers.

We parked the car and began our walk in Budleigh Salterton. It’s a pretty seaside town, sitting alongside a two-mile pebble beach, within the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and it’s one of the access points to the 95-mile-long coastline that is the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site – think fossils. 

If they weren’t reasons enough to visit, Budleigh Salterton also sits on the mouth of the River Otter, where the reed beds and marshy area around the river estuary have been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest as they provide an excellent habitat for migratory birds – twitchers take note! And – the reason we were there – you can also access the 630-mile-long South West Coast Path from Budleigh Salterton.   

We picked up the coastal path by the river estuary, crossed via a small bridge, then set off across the fields towards the coast. The path runs along the clifftops, at times close to the edge. The cliffs were rich red sandstone initially and then, as we continued, the fabric changed to a beige-coloured soil full of pebbles and chips of flint. It’s a long way down and the cliffs are subject to erosion, so you do need to be a little wary of straying too close, particularly as it’s tempting to take photos over the edge.

The countryside rolled up and down hill like a rollercoaster, so the walk was at times quite challenging but never difficult, especially as we stopped often to photograph butterflies, wild flowers and the panoramic views. The fields were a natural patchwork, golden with ripe barley and green with lush grass, and the views up and down the coastline were spectacular. Not far off the coast we could see one of the colourful Stuart Line Cruise boats taking passengers on a tour along the Jurassic Coast.  

Sidmouth looked very distant at first but we gradually got closer, passing the very unexpected sight of Ladrum Bay, a holiday camp full of caravans and tiny identical holiday homes. The pebble beach below was packed with holidaymakers, with many people kayaking and row-boating. From Ladrum Bay, it was quite a strenuous hike to the top of the aptly named Peak Hill, at 512 feet the highest point on our walk, and from there it was all downhill to Sidmouth.

With the music festival in full swing, the town was packed with sightseers and holidaymakers, musicians and performers. It was buzzing! We enjoyed a shady umbrella, cold drinks and a spot of lunch at a roadside café, then wandered hither and yon, watching the many free outdoor performances on the prom and in the streets beyond. The entertainment was varied and fun: a didgeridoo player, the Weymouth Accordian Club, a man playing a harp, a woman singing operettas, a kid juggling, Morris dancers, a guy on a tall unicycle juggling fire sticks. And the weird and wonderful characters in the crowd were almost as much fun to watch as the performers.

Sidmouth is another charming seaside town, with many of its buildings and much of its architectural heritage dating from the Regency period. The locals are obviously and justifiably proud of their town, and streets and shops were bedecked with glorious displays of flowers – a visual fiesta.

From Sidmouth we caught the local bus back to Budleigh Salterton. It meandered to and fro through all the little hamlets between the two main towns so took quite a while but it was nice to sit and relax, the scenery was pretty and the hamlets interesting: we passed through Hayes Barton, where a statue pays tribute to its most famous son, Sir Walter Raleigh. Our bus driver was very skilful at manoeuvring the double-decker through the narrow lanes and streets.

From the bus stop at Budleigh Salterton we had just a short walk back to the car but we detoured along the beach where someone had very creatively used the different coloured stones to create pictures. Families were enjoying evening barbecues here and there, crayfish pots were stacked ready for the next day’s fishing, and the multi-coloured beach huts helped to create a very picturesque scene. It was the perfect end to a wonderful walk. Now, I want to complete the challenge of walking a much longer section of the South West Coast Path.