Boxing Day Walk (27-12-13)
Almost 40 people set off from the Wheatsheaf car park at 10am on Boxing Day for a 4 mile stroll to Colston Bassett.
Regular members of the Walking Club were joined by family members, who, in many cases were staying Cropwell Bishop over Christmas. This makes it a special day and the weather did not let us down.
In spite of warnings all over the country, there was no wind and we set off under a blue sky and in bright sunshine.
A cool mist had settled over Colston Bassett but, by then, we were warmed up—just glad to be out in the fresh air once more without a mince pie in sight.
Not everything went to plan though. I had checked the route a couple of weeks ago and the paths across fields were firm and there was little mud to worry about.
Unfortunately, for us, the local farmers decided to plough some of their fields in the days before Christmas and to say that the ground was a 'bit soft' at times would be an understatement!
Never mind, this was Boxing Day and spirits were high. No one had to report in to work, leaving plenty of time to wash muddy boots and, for some, very muddy dogs.
Tony Jarrow.
Colston Bassett Tour (3-11-13)
Twenty one people strode out of the village this morning under a blue sky. The gales of last night had subsided and before long we had warmed up enough to ignore the cool breeze that lingered.
After a couple of miles heading south along the Canal tow path, we turned left and headed towards our Stilton Cheese neighbour, Colston Bassett.
A large flock of sheep greeted us but we left them to continue their nibbling as we walked on to the Martins Arms and old Village Store. No time to stop, we carried on and soon turned left onto a footpath that led to the Cricket Field, old Church and eventually Cropwell Bishop via Pasture Lane.
You can rely on the weather forecast on the BBC website. Most of the time you can but it let us down a bit today. The rain shower forecast for the afternoon blew in sooner than expected and arrived 10 minutes from home.
It may have dampened our coats but failed to penetrate the warm glow of satisfaction from having covered 5 miles before mid-day. We also managed to catch up on a great deal of local news.
Photos by Lance Thorpe and me.
Tony Jarrow.
Late Summer Sun (22-9-13)
The clicking of central heating systems being switched on last week left some villagers fearing that summer was over. But members of the Cropwell Bishop Walking Club knew that the planned Sunday walk would ensure warmer weather; and so it was.
The five mile walk along the Grantham Canal towpath this morning gave everyone a chance to enjoy warm sunshine and trees still in full leaf.
