Go West!
Off to Kingsland today for an appointment with the westerly most point of this adventure. This was another walk I plotted ages ago, and for the first mile or so I was convinced that I was just going to be retreading old ground, but careful comparison between maps (while my fingers froze in the icy air) assured me I would be treading new ground. On the drive out the sun had been shining brightly, but as soon as I exited the car, the cloud came over and pretty much stayed for the duration. Oh well, at least it wasn't raining or snowing.
Starting at 'The Corners', I headed down past Coronation Hall, and took the path on the corner that leads to the field behind the school and across to the church. The kids were obviously having break, and were noisily playing in the playground, and it wasn't until later that I'd realised how many children there were, considering that children who can be homeschooled wouldn't be there at the moment.
Through the churchyard (where I took a call about projector throw and lenses - It still boggles me that technology has come to a point where I can be in the middle of the countryside, yet still contactable about work.), down the side of a field where I was greeted by some curious, and surprisingly clean looking sheep.
As I walked down the side of this field, I suddenly realised that I knew what was coming next. A couple of times I've passed a lovely little bridge, but never had the need to cross it, but today.... today was the day. How come I have so little in my life that the idea of crossing a bridge fills me with excitement? But it does, and I did.
Oh, and there was also an interesting looking tree.
After crossing the bridge, I passed straight through two fields, crossed a road, and then back into another field. As I walked around the edge of this one, the sun finally broke through the cloud, and for a moment the sky was the most incredible blue.
Nearing the far side of the field, I could hear two dogs barking furiously and impotently - They had obviously sensed me, but couldn't get at me, which must have been infuriating for them. When checking my map for directions, I did note that these dogs seemed to be living on Dog Lane. Actually, this part of the world seems to have some great road names - Tickbridge Lane, Tadpole Lane, and my favourite, Teapot Lane to name but a few.
Once out on the road again, I was to take a figure of eight route, with a slight diversion to meet the boundary. I went past the car auction place down towards Lawton Cross, where I note that instead of the horrible junction that was there, it now boasts a shiny new roundabout which must improve road safety no end. Turning towards Eardisland, and nearing the boundary, I found an old mile-post in a ditch. It would be impossible to see this from a car, and if I hadn't been walking, I would never have known it was there.
It features the archaic spelling of Leominster as 'Lemster' (which is, after all, how Leominster is pronounced), but I found it particularly interesting as it's marking 4 miles from Leominster, and that's the scope of my walking, so I found that quite compelling. And just a little further on, I came to the boundary, and the most western point in my imaginary circle of walks. Again, a main road, but I took a picture anyway.
As I headed back into Kingsland, the sun's rays were crepuscular (which is one of my two favourite words, along with palimpsest, just in case you were interested), so I couldn't resist taking yet another picture.
Heading mostly northward, I skirted up a track which was absolutely lined with abandoned or broken farm equipment, which you'd think would be worth a fortune in scrap alone. This brought me out at a road which seemed familiar, and for some reason I'm associating with walking in a late afternoon - I'm sure I could check when I was round this way before. Past the council depot that was filling up the lorries to go out gritting, I ended up back on the road into Kingsland, and three quarters of a mile later I was back at the car.
Music Played
Eleanor Rigby (Live) - Jellyfish
Eleanor Rigby (Live on Japanese TV) - Jellyfish
Eleanor Rigby / Julia (transition) - The Beatles
Electioneering - Radiohead
Electioneering - Cold War Kids
Electric Funeral - Black Sabbath
Electric Guitar - Talking Heads
Electric Mummy Daddy - Marillion
Electricity - Captain Beefheart
The Electonix King - Marillion
Elegance - Prefab Sprout
Elegie - Pattie Smith
Elegy - Mogul Thrash
Elektrobank - The Chemical Brothers
Elements - Lemon Jelly
Elenor (Live) - Me First & The Gimme Gimmes
Elenor - Me First & The Gimme Gimmes
The Elephant - Saint Saens
Elke - Die Arzte
Ella Guru - Captain Beefheart
Ellie's Love Theme - Isaac Hayes
Eloise - The Damned
Eloise - Barry Ryan
Eloise - Tino Casal
Elton June - Andrew Collins
Elvis Has Just Left The Building - Frank Zappa
Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier - Manic Street Preachers
Miles Walked Today - 5.6
Miles Walked In 2021 - 93.9
Starting at 'The Corners', I headed down past Coronation Hall, and took the path on the corner that leads to the field behind the school and across to the church. The kids were obviously having break, and were noisily playing in the playground, and it wasn't until later that I'd realised how many children there were, considering that children who can be homeschooled wouldn't be there at the moment.
Through the churchyard (where I took a call about projector throw and lenses - It still boggles me that technology has come to a point where I can be in the middle of the countryside, yet still contactable about work.), down the side of a field where I was greeted by some curious, and surprisingly clean looking sheep.
As I walked down the side of this field, I suddenly realised that I knew what was coming next. A couple of times I've passed a lovely little bridge, but never had the need to cross it, but today.... today was the day. How come I have so little in my life that the idea of crossing a bridge fills me with excitement? But it does, and I did.
Oh, and there was also an interesting looking tree.
After crossing the bridge, I passed straight through two fields, crossed a road, and then back into another field. As I walked around the edge of this one, the sun finally broke through the cloud, and for a moment the sky was the most incredible blue.
Nearing the far side of the field, I could hear two dogs barking furiously and impotently - They had obviously sensed me, but couldn't get at me, which must have been infuriating for them. When checking my map for directions, I did note that these dogs seemed to be living on Dog Lane. Actually, this part of the world seems to have some great road names - Tickbridge Lane, Tadpole Lane, and my favourite, Teapot Lane to name but a few.
Once out on the road again, I was to take a figure of eight route, with a slight diversion to meet the boundary. I went past the car auction place down towards Lawton Cross, where I note that instead of the horrible junction that was there, it now boasts a shiny new roundabout which must improve road safety no end. Turning towards Eardisland, and nearing the boundary, I found an old mile-post in a ditch. It would be impossible to see this from a car, and if I hadn't been walking, I would never have known it was there.
It features the archaic spelling of Leominster as 'Lemster' (which is, after all, how Leominster is pronounced), but I found it particularly interesting as it's marking 4 miles from Leominster, and that's the scope of my walking, so I found that quite compelling. And just a little further on, I came to the boundary, and the most western point in my imaginary circle of walks. Again, a main road, but I took a picture anyway.
As I headed back into Kingsland, the sun's rays were crepuscular (which is one of my two favourite words, along with palimpsest, just in case you were interested), so I couldn't resist taking yet another picture.
Heading mostly northward, I skirted up a track which was absolutely lined with abandoned or broken farm equipment, which you'd think would be worth a fortune in scrap alone. This brought me out at a road which seemed familiar, and for some reason I'm associating with walking in a late afternoon - I'm sure I could check when I was round this way before. Past the council depot that was filling up the lorries to go out gritting, I ended up back on the road into Kingsland, and three quarters of a mile later I was back at the car.
Music Played
Eleanor Rigby (Live) - Jellyfish
Eleanor Rigby (Live on Japanese TV) - Jellyfish
Eleanor Rigby / Julia (transition) - The Beatles
Electioneering - Radiohead
Electioneering - Cold War Kids
Electric Funeral - Black Sabbath
Electric Guitar - Talking Heads
Electric Mummy Daddy - Marillion
Electricity - Captain Beefheart
The Electonix King - Marillion
Elegance - Prefab Sprout
Elegie - Pattie Smith
Elegy - Mogul Thrash
Elektrobank - The Chemical Brothers
Elements - Lemon Jelly
Elenor (Live) - Me First & The Gimme Gimmes
Elenor - Me First & The Gimme Gimmes
The Elephant - Saint Saens
Elke - Die Arzte
Ella Guru - Captain Beefheart
Ellie's Love Theme - Isaac Hayes
Eloise - The Damned
Eloise - Barry Ryan
Eloise - Tino Casal
Elton June - Andrew Collins
Elvis Has Just Left The Building - Frank Zappa
Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier - Manic Street Preachers
Miles Walked Today - 5.6
Miles Walked In 2021 - 93.9