Walk 03/2007 – Around Wimpole Hall

Sunday 28th January 2007

Wimpole Hall and the grounds designed by Capability Brown provided a most attractive start and finish to our 7+ mile walk. The weather was changeable, relatively still moments but punctuated with cold windy periods; however three of us were equipped to overcome the cold snaps with the most appropriate and stylish headgear! (There appears to be a ‘hat competition’ brewing)

At the start of the walk we traversed the grounds of Wimpole Hall passing by a pretty lake with a family of 5 swans, a large folly on a hillock and some wooded parts. We also crossed a stylish bridge with several carved balls- ‘balls’ then continued to be a theme for the rest of the day! Unfortunately we could not get into the folly but it was appealing from a distance. The rest of the walk comprised of a figure of eight route over field tracks and some very muddy country lanes. The landscape was typically fen and it proved difficult to find a sheltered spot for both our coffee and lunch breaks, we had to be satisfied with a few twigs and the odd tree as a wind-breaker. A mixed experience as very few animals and birds were observed, but we did pass by some attractive old properties in the 2 villages of Great and Little Eversden and did not have to endure any stiles.

We all concluded our day with a very fine cup of tea in the warm and welcoming National Trust restaurant back at Wimpole Hall. There were some culinary delights which some tried, but there was an air of being good, perhaps as it was only a month after xmas.

Cathy

Walk rating – average

They made some good looking stables in the olden days.	Wimpole Hall.
The Chinese bridge with the folly in the distance.	The folly.
A neat little house we came across.	Cathy wins the hat competition with her “balls” theme.