Wansford Station Nene Valley Walk

Wansford Station

Starting point for today's walk was Wansford Station, home of the Nene Valley Railway over the border in Cambridgeshire. The Station als has a claim to fame after being featured in the James Bond film 'Octopusssy'.

 It is also currently home to the LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado. Built in 2008 The first such locomotive built in the UK since 1960.

The Tornado

        We were  very close to Sibson Airfield and the skies was busy busy with parachutists making their descent.

But on with the walk ! A walk that would be on the Nene way, among the watermeadows  and pretty villages that lie close to the River Nene. In these parts the river tends to get called the 'Nene' but rhymes with Bean.

Largely easy flat walking but the weather looked a little unpredictable.

 

We started by going down the narrow path by the side of the signal box and followed the railway line with the river on our right. 

Old railway carriages

Cloudy skies

 The first village we come to is the picturesque Water Newton. Lying approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of Peterborough with a population of just 88 at the last census. The church is visible on the other side of the river.

Water Newton

Swans on the Nene

Our walk takes us to the village of Castor , until 1888 considered to be part of Northamptonshire.

St Kyneburgha's Church Castor

Steam Train passing

Plenty of wildlife including the ever present Red Kites, Buzzards,  Kestrels  and numerous Dragonflies. It is a very peaceful setting and we see cows grazing along with horses. The hedgerows are laded with a rich crop of Blackberries , Elderberries and Sloes. There is even strangely enough a small clump of what I take to be hops?

Blackberries

Hops?

Car Train

Dragonfly

  We are walking a circular route today and the weather takes a turn for the worse . Although it is raining heavily the sun isn't far way and creates a very unique light0 The following photos were all taken back at Wansford Railway Station.

Train in the distance

Signal Box

           

Skid Row - Nottingham Rock City

Thirty two years on and Skid Row are going as strong as ever , certainly gauged in the performance tonight. This leg of the 'World Rebellion Tour' should have taken place in March but was cancelled when flu struck the band. The new date was coincidentally my Birthday so all's well that ends well.

We got there about an hour before opening and found a dozen or so already in the queue. We managed to get down on the barriers without any problem.

Two support bands and first up was former Heavens Basement vocalist Aaron Buchanan's new band. They were OK but not really  my cup of tea. The next band  'Bad Touch' were much more my thing though. They must be the coolest thing to come out of Dereham in Norfolk for a long time. They did what any good support band are supposed to do , whip up the crowd.

Bad Touch

Formed in 2010 when still at College the band have gone from strength to strength. Playing many of the big festivals as well as some big support slots.

They put together a great set and look destined for a very bright future indeed.

The venue had swelled considerably and it was getting a bit hot and sweaty down at the business end of proceedings I have to say.

 It's been a long time since I've been to Rock City but there is no doubt that it is an important venue on the circuit. I remember seeing 'Dio'  here back in 2000. Its a no frills type of place but the sound is good and so is the atmosphere. The only issue is the lighting which makes getting a decent photo nigh on impossible.

Skid Row take to the stage at 9;30 to the strains of 'The Ramones' 'Blitzkreig Bop'. Original members 'Rachel Bolan' and Dave ‘The Snake’ Sabo    are alongside 'Scotti Hill', 'Rob Hammersmith' and the former Dragonforce vocalist 'ZP Theart'.

Dave 'The Snake' Sabo

Rachel Bolan

The tempo is set immediately with 'Slave to the Grind' . Sabo along with fellow Lead Guitarist 'Scotti Hill' make a formidable pairing , and certainly up there with the best of em.  At one point they take it in turns to try and 'outshred' each other.

Frontman 'Theart' is the 5th singer to take the mic in the bands history. He is a natural to the role and never happier than when spraying the crowd with water. Talking of water, I was grateful to gulp down some handed out by the stewards. Things certainly got even more livelier when the band launched into a version of 'The Ramones' 'Psycho Therapy' with Rachel Bolan taking over the vocals.  The majority of the songs are taken from the first two albums.

ZP Theart

There are also the odd touches of subtlety in the form of ballads 'Quicksand Jesus' and 'I Remember You' . I even excelled myself by plucking a plectrum out of the air one handed no less ! I got an impressed  thumbs up from guitarist and flicker of said plectrum 'Scotti Hill'

Scotti Hill


                                                                                                                          

The majority of the set is made up of songs from the first two albums

Please link to the article at; https://invernessgigs.co.uk/2018/03/07/live-review-skid-row-inverness/

The majority of the set is made up of songs from the first two albums

Please link to the article at; https://invernessgigs.co.uk/2018/03/07/live-review-skid-row-inverness/

The majority of the set is made up of songs from the first two albums

Please link to the article at; https://invernessgigs.co.uk/2018/03/07/live-review-skid-row-inverness/

The majority of the set is made up of songs from the first two albums

Please link to the article at; https://invernessgigs.co.uk/2018/03/07/live-review-skid-row-inverness/

Last song of the night is the  
slightly ironic 'Youth Gone Wild'.
That is considering the average age of all those attending and not least the band themselves.. But it's Rock 'n' Roll and anything goes.

It's been a long overdue catch up with Skid Row but a very enjoyable one just the same !

Full Set List

• Slave to the Grind
• Sweet Little Sister
• Piece of Me
• Livin' on a Chain Gang
• Big Guns
• 18 and Life
• Makin' a Mess
• Rattlesnake Shake
• Psycho Therapy (Ramones cover)
• Quicksand Jesus
• Monkey Business (Jam)

Encore

•  I Remember  You
• We are the Damned
• Youth Gone Wild

Hallaton-Blaston- Nevill Holt- Medbourne-Slawston walk

 Another sizzling Saturday for this southeast Leicestershire walk. Surrounded by beautiful, if  a little parched rolling countryside.

Our starting point was the village green at Hallaton. A peaceful part of the world except on Easter Monday when all hell breaks loose. It is one of those old English customs 'Bottle Kicking'. A competition with neighbouring village Medbourne with little or no rules.
Each team tries a bottle (actually a a small wooden barrel)
over a pre-defined boundary.

It isn't long before we are crossing open fields.
Some inquisitive cows and then horses pay us close attention. We arrive at Blaston and go past a charming little church.

Church at Blaston

Our next port of call is Nevill Holt. Rather than carry on down the lane we take a detour around this strange hamlet.

The Hall is a Grade I listed building and quite spectacular. It is now owned by the billionaire Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross. Dating back to the 1300's it was once owned by the Cunard shipping family.  Nowadays it houses a theatre holding 350 people. But has previously been a private residence and a Prep School.

I don't think we saw one other person as we made our way back to the planned route away from the Hall.

 Moving on again we headed for the next port of call 'Medbourne'. On arrival we walk through the beautifully maintained churchyard in the heart of the village.Dating from the 12th Century there is also a brook crossed by a medieval packhorse bridge.The bridge connects the churchyard to a path alongside the brook to 'The Nevill Arms'. Just the place to enjoy a refreshing pint (Adnams Ghost Ship 4.5%) by the gently flowing water.

Something you don't see everyday is a 'Grass Snake' swimming in the brook.It was going to be a day for unusual sightings.

Church at Medbourne

View from the Bridge

View across the Welland Valley

It was on the return part of the walk somewhere  between Slawston and Hallaton that we came across a very distressed sheep that was hyper-ventilating. It had collapsed from heat exhaustion and in a poor state. I gave it the bottle of water I had left and then we found a drinking trough and soaked the poor animal with buckets of water. It did seem to help and with the help of a passer by the three of us managed to lift it to a shadier place. Hopefully it will recover ?

Heat exhausted Sheep

 

Morecambe a Brief Encounter

Yours truly under the famous clock 

Time to pack up our cases and leave our base at the Marina and head home. But there would be a couple of interesting stop-offs en route !

                                     Brief Encounter

Carnforth Railway Station has a major claim to fame. In 1945 it was the location for part of the filming of possibly the greatest romance film of all time ' Brief Encounter'. The station clock became a powerful icon through repeated use in the film.

On the 17th October 2003 the station opened a Heritage Centre.It took three years to renovate the existing derelict buildings. Carnforth Railway Station was opened in 1846 by the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Company and was originally just a single platform.  In 1856, a small station was built following the connection of the Furness and Midland Railway lines. A year later a new station  and small engine shed were constructed. On 1st August, 1880, the station was rebuilt at a cost of £40,000.

Heritage Centre

Cases

A short journey of less than six miles takes us to Morecambe Bay.  Morecambe seems to be one of the old fashioned seaside resorts that have fallen out of fashion from its 1930's heyday.

In fact back then,  it was known as the 'Naples of the North'.

On arrival we are treated to clear blue skies. We are treated to views of Grange Over Sands across the water and the beauty of the lakeland fells.

Tide has gone out

Surprisingly the beach is virtually deserted , no doubt the weather forecast has been studied.  

The seafront is a pleasant surprise actually  and been tastefully maintained. The jetty has no gharish amusement arcades or shoddy fairground rides. Instead their are various bird sculptures which make it a pleasant and relaxing experience.

I get the impression that Morecambe is the place to wander aimlessly until you find a suitable perch , and just idle away a few hours gazing across the bay.

Unfortunately the clouds begin to gather and the blue skies are gradually swallowed up by the grey variety. Typical really we left the East Midlands absolutely parched , not having seen a drop of rain in over 6 weeks. It's rained and been overcast most of the time we have been here!

No visit to Morecambe would be complete without paying homage to the the slightly larger than life-sized statue of Eric Morecambe. Captured in one of his characteristic poses with a pair of binoculars around his neck. It was unveiled on the very day we visited coincidentally back in 1999.

Of course Eric's real name was 'John Eric Bartholomew. One half of the legendary 'Morecambe and Wise' comedy partnership.
The statue is surrounded by inscriptions of many of his favourite catchphrases and an exhaustive list of guest stars who appeared on the show. It really is worth a visit.

Walking in the Lake District

Another heavy nights sleep, it looked very overcast through the curtains so decided it wasn't the morning to walk the canal.

After a leisurely breakfast and a trip to the farm shop over the road we set off for the Lakes.

 First stop off point was a place called Hawkshead. Not a lot going on really but I was pleased to discover the 'Hawkshead Brewery'. It would have been rude not to pop in a
 and sample their wares wouldn't it ? It was getting close to 12 PM so no shame there. The Windermere Pale Ale(3.5%) was extremely hoppy and tasted stronger than the 3.5% claimed.  Hawkshead is home to the Beatrix Potter Gallery.

Claife Viewing Station

 On the west shore of Windermere we discovered  Claife Viewing Station. Less than a five-minute walk from the ferry, the viewing platform provides panoramic views of Windermere through coloured panels.
Built in the 1790s it was most fashionable with tourists in the 1830s and 40s.It has now been restored an re-opened by the National Trust.

Spectacular views

 












Moving on our destination was Tarn Hows. We had been given a tip that it would be well worth the short journey.

A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in an amphitheatre type valley excavated by a glacier. It is one of the most visited places in Lakeland. The attraction is its sheer beauty, surrounded by thick woodland, and views towards Wetherlam, the Helvellyn range and the Langdale Pikes.There is a 1.5 mile path round the tarn that is fairly level which we walked.

In 1929 Beatrix Potter bought the Tarns and sold the Tarn Hows part to the National Trust. The rest was left to them in her will.

Tarn Hows

Stunning Views