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REPORTS |
8 of us gathered at the Woodman with little idea of who was leading us, as we tend to be like sheep and just follow those with authority. We met new walker Lucy and on arrival at Dalton Hall, Upper Dean the numbers swelled to 14 with another new walker – Duncan. [Ed – I never was very good at Maths, but doesn’t 8 plus one equal 9?] It then became clear who the walk leader was – Tilley the dog with owner Nigel holding the maps!
The walk was pretty uneventful, reasonable amounts of mud and very few sightings of wildlife or human life come to think of it. We did come across a row of animal graves, obviously a favorite spot.[Ed – what, for dying?]
Extending the route by 1 mile, we passed through Riseley – a small village in North Bedfordshire. Although very small, there are some historic rumours that circulate through the village. One of the most popular stories is that of Catherine of Aragon staying in the village, on her way to Castle Ashby. There is a rock placed underneath the main sign of Riseley, opposite “The Five Bells” public house, which rumour says she sat on, in order to have a rest when the horses of her carriage stopped to drink.
The route then took us via Chadwell End, Pertenhall – not much to say about this village except that its name is thought to be a corruption of “Purton Hill”. Purton being the old English name for a church, and eventually through part of Spanoak Woods – consisting of a wide variety of trees, recently created woodland glades and wide walks from which birds such as woodpeckers and crossbills may be spotted – but not today. Once again the elements were very kind to us and we kept nice and dry.
After walk drinks were taken at The Three Compasses in Upper Dean.
Report – Sue
Pictures – Angela
Walk rating – Any suggestions?
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