An Evening with Peter Schmeichel - Northampton

It has been a long time coming, an evening I have had very mixed feelings about. I should explain further, something of an unwanted Christmas present. An expensive one at that too. Not being a fan of Manchester United it was quite a strange present to receive. I did try to offload the ticket at a much reduced price, to little avail. I then decided I wasn't going to bother even turning up. As time has got nearer to the event I felt duty bound to make an appearance. It is an early start too, a 6pm registration is required. A good thing I left early as car parking spaces were thin on the ground. Once inside the Mercure Hotel (formerly known as the Moat House) who should I bump into but Mr Schmeichel himself. Hurrying along with his travel case en route to his room. I showed remarkable restraint and let him go on his way. 

Assorted shirt memorabilia

There are plenty of opportunities to spend your money that is for sure. I am offered raffle tickets for just £10 , or the bargain of 7 strips for £40 . I politely decline, explaining that I'm not that keen on Man Utd in all truth. I purchase a small Diet Coke and take my seat in the auditorium. I am in Row I, not to bad, on the end by the aisle. The signed , framed shirts are being auctioned off to the highest bidder. The cheapest seemed to be somebody called 'Amad'  a current player I believe. There was a mere £200 reserve on that one. Perhaps a good investment if the player goes on to be a superstar. The compere is doing a lot of shouting trying to drum up support . Telling those interested that last time all the auction items are bound to be snapped up , based on previous experience. His advice was to go in high to avid disappointment. But then he would , wouldn't he. 

The 'Chirpy Chappie' Compere introduced himself as 'Pete Graves' of Sky Sports fame , as well as ITV Darts. He seems to think that Thursday is the start of the weekend? Back to the signed shirts and it seems that the 'Cristiano Ronaldo is the one everybody wants. Coming in with a reserve bid of £750 it will cost someone deep in the purse for sure. Not something I will be involving myself in though. Those of us who have the photograph with Peter (Schmeichel, not me) included are invited to start queuing up. I notice that a few people already had some mounts, in which to place the photo. I made some discreet enquiries and found out that these could be purchased for an additional £10. 

The queue moves fairly quickly thankfully. I would estimate that there are in excess of 500 people in attendance. Although not all will be having photos. When it gets to my turn there isn't much time for chatting. I do get to mention that I am a Leicester City supporter. Also that his son 'Kasper' was brilliant in his time with the club. As well as mentioning what a strong handshake he possessed  as we parted. The photo was printed out immediately, and it was pretty decent if I do say so myself. So much so that I decided to invest in one of the £10 mounts. Just need a frame now!

Sir Alex Ferguson

After a big build up 'The Great Dane' takes to the stage. Quite possibly the greatest goalkeeper of all time. In his 8 seasons at Man Utd he won 15 trophies, including 5 Premier League titles. There were also 3 FA Cups , and he was Captain when the club won the 1999 UEFA Champions League Trophy. He also played for Denmark when they won the 1992 UEFA European Championship. As well as a multitude of individual awards. In 2001 he received the MBE. Amazingly he has also scored 11 goals as well. The first half is very much about his early life in Denmark, how he always had a love for Man Utd and felt his destiny was to play for them. Lots of praise for his Manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and what a huge impact he had on his life. There are also a few stories about some of the big characters he played alongside such as; Roy Keane, Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson. Surprisingly not really an mentions of David Beckham. 

He talks a little about his son 'Kasper', saying that he has met a Leicester supporter earlier! I resist the urge to stand up an take a bow. After a short interview we 'kick off' again for the second half with a Question and session. I did submit a question but sadly it wasn't used. Our friend Mr Graves invited everyone to stand up if they wanted a signed Goalkeeper shirt. That seemed simple enough, at least until he then said sit down if you are not prepared to pay £200 for one. Strangely nobody seemed to be moving towards a siting position. Then he said ' sit down if you are not prepared to pay £250.. thankfully a few people around me sat down, I promptly followed suit. Once it had got to the £300 mark it turned out that there were in fact another 20 shirts available. They did seem to all go though. 

It has been a much better night  than I anticipated though. I felt that the speaker was quite reserved and played it fairly safe. There were some interesting thoughts for sure, but no revelations that I can't wait to share sadly.     

The John Bunyan Trail (15) Ridgmont & Bromborough

Starting on the Greensand Ridge

He's back! Been a low key start to 2026, the weather has been appalling , hardly stopping raining. Illness and injury to the poor old knee has also kept me out of action. I have been able to attend all of 'The Cobblers' home matches at Sixfields since Christmas. I might do a blog entry on a future game. 

Thankfully the rain has subsided and the Weather Wizards have promised a sunny, if a little chilly day. We are starting off from the small village of Ridgmont today. We are very close to Junction 3 on the M1' and the famous Woburn Abbey. The Ridgmont Brickworks were established in 1935. In 1979 as part of the London Brick Company it was one of the largest in the world, with 25 chimneys. The walk today will link up with the previous ones we ave done in this area. A good part of it will be on the 'Bunyan Trail'.

We cross a wooden Bridge over the A507. Behind us the traffic has been stopped on the M1 by the Police following an accident. Hopefully nothing too serious and the traffic will get moving.

 

Chinese Water Deer in the distance

We pass under the Iron Bride we went over on a previous walk. In the fields the Chinese Water Deer are massing. I counted 16 of them in one particular gathering. Quite unusual really as I always considered them as fairly solitary creatures. We continue in the direction of Brogborough close to the railway line. 

The lake at Brogborough looks beautiful in the Winter sun. We follow the brick towards Lidlington. It is an uphill climb once we get over the railway line. The recent rain has made it very difficult to get a decent foothold. There is a lot of pressure on my damaged knee. It is with a lot of relief that I make it to the top.

View from the top

We are still on the Bunyan Trail  and have passed 'Flying Horse' Farm. Although, perhaps 'Abandoned Vehicle' farm might be more appropriate. We continue past 'Hamcorner Spinney' where we spot the splendid Piggy pictured above. The most interesting part of the walk continues with the remains of All Saints Church (Segenhoe) Ridgmont. Segenhoe being the original name according to the Domesday book of 1086. 

Abandoned All Saints Church

The church was abandoned in 1855 when a larger church was built in Ridgmont. The earliest parts of the building are constructed from brown cobbles. Ironstone was used from the 12th century onwards and limestone for the internal columns, arches and mouldings.

 

The cemetery continues to be used for burials.The church was most likely built after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The building is designated a scheduled Ancient Monument. I noticed this particular gravestone in the cemetery. 'James Boon', who died aged 100 on August 13th 1845 . That would have been quite some age at that time! 

We continue back towards Ridgmont and the site of the 'new' church. Arriving back at the start point after some 8.5 miles of very muddy walking at times. Another section of the 'Bunyan Way' completed. Probably about 5 more legs to go. Talking of which it might be a close race with my poor old knee to get it finished....

The John Bunyan Trail (14) Cranfield & Wootton Green

We are back in Cranfield for this, the 14th 'circular' walk of the John Bunyan trail. We are walking in the direction of Wootton Wood and Wootton Green Farm. Wootton Green Farm was listed by English Heritage in August 1987 as Grade II, of special interest. It dates from the early 19th century. is built of a local mottled red brick with an old clay tiled roof. The dovecote was listed at the same time and dates from the 18th century. It is also built of red brick with an old clay tiled roof. We continue in a clockwise direction passing Shelton Farm. It will be quite a short stretch on the ''Bunyan''  trail in comparison to the overall length of the walk. It is going to be a walk to enjoy as the sun is shining bright on an otherwise cold day. Certainly the best day of the week by far. In terms of points of interest, I suspect that they will be fairly minimal today looking at the route. There should be some nice countryside to enjoy along the way though.

 

In the distance you can see the Power Station at Bromborough, and hopefully the net zero emissions belching out. Our walk hits a bit of a stumbling block. There seems to be some clearance work going on. As a result the footbridge is now not accessible.We make a slight detour and soon get back on track. A good thing really as the footpath exit was even more grown over than the other end. 

Footpath, what footpath?

We continue towards an area called 'Marston Thrift'. Marston Thrift is the remnant of a much larger area of woodland which has existed since the time of the Domesday Book. The 56 hectare woodland has traditionally been managed by coppicing, which continues on a smaller scale today. Unlike the complete 'butchering' witnessed previously. The wood is important for wildlife, attracting a variety of butterflies including the rare Black Hairstreak and birds such as the Black Cap and Chiff Chaff. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a designated Local Nature Reserve.

 

Looking across the valley

The site is ash and maple woodland on heavy clay, a habitat which has become scarce in lowland England. It also has areas of damp grassland, and a grassland valley. There are still visible patches of the overnight frost where the sun hasn't reached.

The wood amazingly survived brick-making which until recently made a moonscape of the Marston Vale, and is right next to land filled clay-pits. 

 

Having climbed steeply we progress through to Rectory Wood. a vast area of new woodland and scrub extending all the way to Cranfield.  This has a well-laid-out network of hard and soft paths, with seats and picnic tables and some wide views.  Marston Thrift and Rectory Wood are well worth a visit at any time of year. We leave the woodlands via 'Tartlett End'. Sadly no Tartletts of any variety were in evidence today. The walk back to Cranfield was mainly through a built up area , with little of interest in truth. We did though pass the Church of St Peter and St Paul which we saw on a previous walk.

 

The life of John Bunyan is paralleled by that of 'William Wheeler'. He was Pastor at the church before leaving due to a 'conflict of principles'. He became a 'dissenter', and then the first Minister of the Baptist Church in 1660. In late 1664 or early 1665 he was sent to the County Gaol at the same time 'Bunyan was there, and the same reason. 

Another lovely wander taking in the Bunyan Trail , coming in today at 8.6 miles (18,536 steps) I estimate another 6 possible legs remaining of the walk. 

Hollowell & Ravensthorpe Reservoir New Year Walk

From the giddy heights of 28 degrees in the Canaries to a temperature of just above freezing! This walk is is something of a rude awakening. It is a late start so will be fairly short , but nevertheless an interesting one I'm sure.

Starting point is the village of Hollowell. Very close to Hollowell Reservoir, a 140-acre (0.57 km²) reservoir between Northampton and Market Harborough and just north of the village. The villages name means 'hollow spring/stream'. We take a nice footpath around some well maintained paddocks and get back on the road towards Guilsborough.  Saint Ethelreda's Church is a good landmark. The oldest part of the current church is the tower which was built during the first half of the 13th century. 

 

Hollowell Reservoir in the distance

Blue skies, green fields

From the Church we take the road downhill towards Ravensthorpe. Passing the garden, nursery and cafe of Coton Manor Garden. Closed now until February when it open for 3 weekends for you to see Snowdrops and Hellebores. It was originally laid out in the 1920’s by the grandparents of the present owner. The garden has been developed and extended by successive generations capitalising on its natural setting, attractive views and abundant water. The 17th century manor house acts as a central focus for the garden, its walls supporting many roses and shrubs.

The end of January usually heralds the start of the snowdrop season, coinciding with the flowering of hellebores and crocus. All these flowers stand up gallantly to snow and icy conditions which frequently occur at this time of year.
From my experience a good time to visit is mid Spring , when Bluebell Wood is usually in full flower from about the last week of April until the middle of May.  Elsewhere tulips are in full bloom, the Water Garden becomes increasingly colourful and species and tree Paeonies reveal their exotic and ephemeral flowers.We continue towards Ravensthorpe Reservoir. 

It's always an enjoyable 'lap' around Ravensthorpe Reservoir, whatever the season. Known locally as 'Northamptonsire's  Hidden Gem' is a two mile circular track and perfect for a 45 minute relaxing stroll. The well-established rich woodland, which surrounds the reservoir, provides a haven for birds and wildlife so the chances of spotting nature in its natural setting while out on a stroll are high!During the winter months, be on the lookout for wildfowl species and if you are visiting in spring or autumn you might catch sight of ospreys and dragonflies.We complete the circuit and double back up the hill towards Coton. This time taking the right hand side road back towards Hollowell. 

There are some nice views looking back down towards the reservoir. At the top of the road we pick up the footpath that will take us into Hollowell via the back of the church and our starting point.

It has been a lovely little walk coming in at a total distance of 5.5 miles.