Rutland Round 7 - Whissendine to Braunston

With Marta. Started grey and drizzly, but after Langham (11 am) it cleared up for the rest of the day. Still some mud underfoot, views good. 11.7 miles approx. A few hilly bits.



We set off from Whissendine around 9 30, and walked up past the church, turning right on to Foxhills, and following the road round as far as Number 21. The footpath runs alongside this house to a field, where we turned left. There's a gateway on to the the road, but the path turns right and follows the hedge for a short distance before joining the road at a stile. We turned right along the road as far as a left hand bend. At this point we continued straight ahead, on a bridleway leading to Langham.



By now we were both wearing waterproofs as the drizzle persisted. The hedge was on our left for a while, but at the summit of the track it changed to being on our right. The views here are said to be excellent, but the mizzle made them a little hazy today. We used John Williams' book and the OS map and found the path without problem. At one or two points along the way the waymarks have faded or become overgrown.



There is a junction of bridleways at the end of the field, and here we turned right, with the hedge on our left. In the next field the path goes over a stile after a gap in the hedge on the lef. We followed the path alongside a deep ditch on our left. We crossed a plank bridge and then turned right when a hedge blocked the way, turning left over a briidge in a short while cutting off the corner of a field before following the hedge and waymarkers to reach Manor Lane in Langham, via a stile.



We turned right then left into Orchard Road, then at the end of Orchard Road, right then left into Bridge Street. Just after the bridge we turned right before the Noel Arms.

5 stars for the welcome coffee!

Well, to be truthful we were delighted to be able to buy an early coffee in the pub - the landlord took pity on our drowned rat appearance.

Ms Wet Anorak ?

The rain gods smiled on us and by the time we left twenty minutes later the rain had stopped.



At the end of Church Street we crossed the main road, turned right for a short distance before taking the bridleway towards Braunston, which leads off to the left. The path climbs up hill following the left hand hedge and turning right to walk around the small wood near Mill Hill.
At the end of the wood we turned slightly right and continued up to Manor Lane, a small road which leads into Barleythorpe.

Rutland Water in the distance

We walked down into Barleythorpe, and to the road, then turned right, along a pavement until a stile led into a playing field on our right. After this we walked along the edge of Catmose College, and through Rutland Care Village, before coming out close to the level crossing near Oakham Station.



We had our lunch stop at the Castle Café in Oakham - a very good broccoli and stilton soup. It was still a little cool and damp for sitting out, so we went inside.

Outside the Castle Café, Oakham

We left Oakham on the road towards Uppingham and Kettering.

Floral peacock

Swooning Bridge, from where you would once have seen the gallows at the top of the hill.

Shortly after the bridge our path turned off to the left towards Egleton, crossing muddy fields which could have been a lot worse! Of course, since the 2000 edition of the booklet, and the publication of my OS map, the bypass has been built. It's on the newer maps, and doesn't complicate the route.



Through Egleton, we turned right along the road to the A 6003. We crossed over the road and then the railway line to a path which leads up hill with a hedge on the left.



At the second gateway we cut across the field slightly, joining a track past Brooke Covert East. Soon after this the track bears right, but we took the route through a gate to the left. The path goes downhill over a small bridge and past Bridge Farm into Brooke.

Brooke Church

We walked through Brooke, turning right at the junction. We passed some earthworks on our right, and a dovecote in the grounds of Brooke Priory - a house on the site of a 12th century priory.

Earthworks at Brooke

The dovecote

We took a footpath in the field opposite the priory, and walked alongside the stream, the Gwash. After a few hundred yards the path crosses a footbridge to a bridleway. We went across the bridleway through a gateway and over a field diagonally tot he left hand hedge. The path is clearly marked into Braunston.

The last few steps of the Rutland Round

with a little more decorum

and a sense of achievement.

And here is Braunston Church again


65 miles of very enjoyable walking, done on seven separate days.





A couple of pics from a walk in the same area in April

Awesome Day, Sweet Ride

What a beautiful day. When I decided to head out to ride, it was about 65 deg, sunny, and no wind. The 4300 needed to be checked out after derailleur repairs, so brought it to the bike shop, switch pedals to the full (no flat side) clipless. Rode out from the shop.
Was not sure how far I would ride, see how I felt. Stopped at the Trail Center (10 miles). Feeling great to went on to the pedestrian bridge, rode over to Omaha, and took several photos. Went up to Millers Landing (first time there) and down to Lewis & Clark Landing. Finally, headed back across the bridge.
I have to comment. When I was a kid, I learned to look to watch for others around me. These days, just walk on the sidewalk, go to the the store. People do NOT look were they are going, do not watch for others near. I have many times when people would walk right into me, had I not stopped and back up. Well, the same thing is happening on the pedestrian bridge. They walk like they own the bridge. Hell, they don't even pay attention to on-coming traffic (walking or cycling). When I come behind them and call out "On your left!" they keep on walking like they never heard me. Today, I was coming behind 2 on the right, and 4 abreast coming my way. I called out to try to get through. NO ONE stepped over to make room. They kept walking, passing 6 abreast. WAKE UP, PEOPLE. There are more folks out here than you and your group.
OK, I will get off my soapbox.
Great ride on the way back to the shop. Much of the way, I was riding at 15-17 mph. Sweet ride. Ridden 30+ miles, gone for 2 hours and 40 minutes, 20 minutes stopped. Logging, I calculated the ride at 12.9 mph over the length of the ride, pretty good with the traffic on the bridge!

Max

March 12, 2000 - May 24,

You touched the hearts of so many the world over. Rest in Peace, sweet Max.

Monkey cigars

Several Catalpas grow here. They're a native tree, but these were planted by previous owners, to attract the catalpa worms that are such good fish bait.

One of its country names is Monkey Cigar Tree. Ever since I learned that, the long pods always bring to mind those old smoking monkey toys.

Inside the pods are several seeds, all fringed on the ends.

Looks like twins. (They all do.)
I posted about Catalpas, aka Catabas or Catawbas, and their worms before. They grow naturally by streams, so they don't mind getting their feet wet - the trees in the flood photo last week (on the right) were catalpas.
I thought I'd read that repeated defoliation by the worms didn't harm the trees. Usually, not every tree is defoliated every year. But one that seemed the worms' favorite is now dead. Could just be coincidence though; I don't know how to perform tree autopsies.

The spring we first moved here, I found a hornworm on the porch, and mistook it for a catalpa worm. Oh, so gently did I carry him over to a branch, thinking I was helping him find his true home. I want to slap my head now, remembering that piece of idiocy! It's ok though — confusion to our enemies, and all that.
I wondered if people actually ever lit up the pods, which don't seem very smokable to me. No firm evidence, but I thought it was hilarious that the search turned up an article by my blog friend Ron as the top item. Small world!

Back up to Sedona

Originally, we were scheduled to jeep out on the desert today. For some reason, that was changed to a trip up to Sedona for lunch and tourist things.
Had I known that, and with the Grand Canyon trip in the morning. I would have stayed up in Sedona last night. Oh well, at lease i didn't have to drive. Rode with others from the reunion.
Out first stop in Sedona was the same trailhead where I rode out from. I sounded like a native - telling them the names of the various formations.
Missing my bike today.
Today's photo shows couple of my army buddies and me in front of Cathedral Rock.

Belated Gratitude

You might (or not) have been wonderin' where we've been. WE'VE been wonderin' where our Mamma's been. Obviously, not heres. Mom finally HERE: This month has been one of the nutsiest Februaries in recent memory. Besides about twelve birthdays, there have been grandkid holidays (yes... we've been the sitters) and a couple of short trips for us... as in two-day road type vacays. Our son just announced his engagement and impending marriage at the end of April - woo hoo! The fur-girls have gotten a couple of awards that we haven't gotten to, and a VALENTINE gift that we've been unpardonably late in posting and thanking about. So heeeeere's Sammie!It's about time... About a month ago, the pawesome mailman brought us a package that we've been sniffin' at since its arrival! And yes... we've taken a couple of trips that were cool. One was to Eureka, Ca., where we opened this unbelievable pressie!

You can see me investigating this wonderful smelling giftie above. Check out all the decorations on the package. It is from our pals, Augie and Ti, who are non-pareils (isn't that a candy?) at adorning their pressies!

You BET we were fighting over this!
Daddy helped us open part of it, and Avalon immediately stole some of the packaging!
Awwww... isn't that a gorgeous box??? Looks like candies!!!
Uh ohhhhh... Avalon!!! Stop stealing the goodies!!!
Thank Dogness, Dad got the loot away from her! SNooooooooooof!!! Ahhhhhhhhh... smells so yumzers yumzers!!! And look at the card with Augie and Ti signature cards!!! We'll treasure those furever!!!
And for some reason, we are having the worst time embedding youtube vids here, but if you'd like to take a look at how excited we were to jump on these goodies, take a look here first,and then jump to this one to see how much we loved your yummy Valentine's Day heart cookies! Thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much, Augie and Ti!

Great Blue Heron Family

Some of you may remember that almost a month ago I posted some pictures from a visit to a Great Blue Heron rookery. Yesterday I visited the rookery again and WOW how the babies have grown! On my last visit we only saw a couple of babies and only their heads stuck out above the nests. This time, the babies were a lot more visible because they were a LOT bigger! As far as I could tell, all but one or two of the nests had 3 babies in it. That means there are about 45 young Herons in this rookery.