The sun was out and our spirits were high, just a nice walk along side the river counting the Windmills as we go…..Another section of the Weavers Way to complete, in fact some of the group have almost completed it all! Stalham to Halvergate.
You have just got to love your support crew, some will even walk with you, others, well lets just put it this way, we had to go to Tesco’s in Stalham to stock up with sandwiches and snacks for this one……
Country lanes at this time of year are just starting to show signs of life, most trees and bushes are starting to bud and with the warm temperature and clear skies it was a great morning for a spring walk. Once we hit Hickling Broad we meandered along side waterways stopping at Potter Heigham to sit and eat lunch near the medieval bridge crossing the River Thurne.
Following the river, by now we had seen enough windmills to be fair but much to our surprise the repetition was interrupted by Jocky as he diverted to the Lion Inn, Thurne, for an unplanned refreshment stop, see he does have a soft spot for us really!
Continuing on our way along, what to be honest, is some pretty flat terrain only excited by some traffic dodging on the Acle straight, we sauntered into Halvergate, with some little niggling injuries which made the last few hours uncomfortable, but all completed the latest training walk in good spirits, even if the red Lion pub was closed when we arrived.
Monday, 23 March 2009
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Water water everywhere...
Today, the weather has been kinder to us – we haven’t had yesterday’s persistent rain to contend with or the wind; we’ve only had hailstones and snow today!
We had always planned a shorter day’s walking as we were driving back to Norfolk this afternoon. After a huge breakfast prepared by our lovely support crew (!!), you have just got to LOVE your support crew, we left the cottage and started our walk – through a bleak but beautiful industrial landscape – the old Yarnbury lead mines above Grassington. We’ve walked by water all day – crossing streams, using stepping stones, suspension bridges, past the odd lake, fish farms, etc.
We had all cheered up too from yesterday – a lot of yesterday’s walk was done in silence except for the odd happy dance and sudden burst of singing to try and raise our spirits. Today was a totally different walk – lots of laughing, singing, talking nonsense, etc. Much nicer …..even if a little soft underfoot alongside the River Wharfe
The day was finished off by calling into the Woolly Sheep Public House in Skipton, where we will actually be staying on the weekend of the big walk – it was only right to call in and check out its potential as somewhere good enough for the Tears for Beers walking team. Oh and to try out the beer of course as well – and I think Rachel has even decided every meal from the menu! To be fair we did not talk too much during the walk about food so we can let her off with some planning.
A great weekend overall – bring on the next one!
We had always planned a shorter day’s walking as we were driving back to Norfolk this afternoon. After a huge breakfast prepared by our lovely support crew (!!), you have just got to LOVE your support crew, we left the cottage and started our walk – through a bleak but beautiful industrial landscape – the old Yarnbury lead mines above Grassington. We’ve walked by water all day – crossing streams, using stepping stones, suspension bridges, past the odd lake, fish farms, etc.
We had all cheered up too from yesterday – a lot of yesterday’s walk was done in silence except for the odd happy dance and sudden burst of singing to try and raise our spirits. Today was a totally different walk – lots of laughing, singing, talking nonsense, etc. Much nicer …..even if a little soft underfoot alongside the River Wharfe
The day was finished off by calling into the Woolly Sheep Public House in Skipton, where we will actually be staying on the weekend of the big walk – it was only right to call in and check out its potential as somewhere good enough for the Tears for Beers walking team. Oh and to try out the beer of course as well – and I think Rachel has even decided every meal from the menu! To be fair we did not talk too much during the walk about food so we can let her off with some planning.
A great weekend overall – bring on the next one!
What a lovely day for walking in the Pennines
So, another weekend in Yorkshire – this time with some members of our support crew in the shape of Jocky and Stella. This weekend away was planned to coincide with the Oxfam prep session in Skipton.
The prep session was pretty interesting and highlighted the fact that even though we are ahead as far as a training schedule was concerned however, it was obvious that we were still focusing on the wrong things so we came away thinking of ….. down jackets, magic map gadgets, and especially loving our support crew, etc, etc. Jocky and Stella wrote copious notes so we hope they’ve captured all the more important information …..Pink Champagne!
After our prep session and the highlight of having our photo taken for the Oxfam publicity machine, Jocky dropped us off at Malham national Park car park, and as we pulled our boots on, with perfect timing, it started to snow. The walking today has been amazing, and the scenery stunning (when we finally got to see it), although we did have to put up with a number of obstacles – giant limestone pavements; huge slippery steps; rampaging sheep; limited visibility; new boots with not much of a grip; clothes that turned out to be not as waterproof as we thought; a twisted ankle and knee strain; a couple of hangovers; etc, etc.
The prep session was pretty interesting and highlighted the fact that even though we are ahead as far as a training schedule was concerned however, it was obvious that we were still focusing on the wrong things so we came away thinking of ….. down jackets, magic map gadgets, and especially loving our support crew, etc, etc. Jocky and Stella wrote copious notes so we hope they’ve captured all the more important information …..Pink Champagne!
After our prep session and the highlight of having our photo taken for the Oxfam publicity machine, Jocky dropped us off at Malham national Park car park, and as we pulled our boots on, with perfect timing, it started to snow. The walking today has been amazing, and the scenery stunning (when we finally got to see it), although we did have to put up with a number of obstacles – giant limestone pavements; huge slippery steps; rampaging sheep; limited visibility; new boots with not much of a grip; clothes that turned out to be not as waterproof as we thought; a twisted ankle and knee strain; a couple of hangovers; etc, etc.
Rachel came out with some cracking quotes – but to save her dignity, we will not repeat them here. Suffice it to say, WE all remember what you said, missus! And Steve has two scorch marks in the back of his neck from that look, and we all know “that look”
And we have NEVER been so pleased to see Jocky as we were at the end of the day, as we came down the hill in darkness to the pub (well Rachel in particular) – one of the speakers this morning told us that we must treat our support crew like the stars that they are – as, during the walk itself, we will become complete divas and abuse them unashamedly. So, with that in mind, we’re sharing the love around in advance of needing them.
We love you Jocky!
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