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Where better to start than in the middle and the village of Wolston. Famous for giving it's name to the internationally recognised connection to the Ice Age in the Midlands. The Wolstonian Stage apparently includes three periods of glaciation.We are going back over 450,000 million years ago when ice sheets covered the area for about 50,000 years. When the ice retreated it fragments of rock were picked up and deposited them in the clay. Fragments from this time have been found in Wolston along with flint tools. Thankfully no chance of any Woolly Mammoths or such like today.
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| The Parish Church of St Margaret's |
Close to the River Avon are the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle (Brandon Castle). Dating back to the 12th century only low earthworks are visible these days.
It was the seat of the 'Verdon' family. During the Civil War of 1263 it was captured and burnt by the soldiers of Kenilworth Castle.
There is a lovely bridge too, where I take the photo from. We gain our first proper sighting of the River Avon.
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That's the top of the 'figure of eight completed at least! We continue to Ryton on Dunsmore.
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To further confuse the matter the original route has been diverted to the one we are following. It is also at this point that it started to rain heavily. Taking shelter in a bush was the only option. After about 15 minutes the downpour has turned into a trickle and we can continue.
It's a nice part of the walk with some nice ponds and of course the River Avon.
Despite all the scaremongering about food shortages due to the 'Pingdemic' we have no worries about Sweetcorn. The fields around here are full of the stuff. We walk through fields where it up to our heads. Rest assured if all else fails we have Sweetcorn.
It was opposite here we had a sighting of a rare creature! A 'Smooth Snake' one of only three snakes found in the UK. It's very rare and can only be found on sandy heaths in a few counties of England. Strangely enough Warwickshire is not one of them .....However we are both adamant that it wasn't a Grass Snake or an Adder. Unfortunately the snake wasn't having any of it any slid off before we could take a picture. The sighting has been logged though with the local reptile society.
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We encounter a lot of stiles on our walks, and some are more difficult than others to get over. Then you get the ones that are just ridiculous and don't go anywhere.....
After a frantic dash over the A45 we are back amongst open fields.
There is something very special about walking through a field of uncut corn. Maybe it reminds me of the film Gladiator? It feels even more appropriate as tomorrow is Lammas Day. I suppose you could say it is Lammas Eve? Also known as ' Loaf Mass Day' with reference to the making of bread.
It marks the blessing of the first fruits of harvest in the liturgical or Christian calendar. As such a loaf is taken to church for a blessing from the new crop. Timing is critical and should fall at an equal distance between Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox.
Dark clouds are once again gathering in the distance as we head back towards Wolston.
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The rain holds off and we arrive back in Wolston halfway between Rugby and Coventry. There is a charming well looked after Brook running through the village. Next to it is a a monument featuring an old mill stone. A real link back to it's past.
The Brook gently meanders past the stone cottages, through the Church field before joining up with the River Avon.
There is still a functioning old Red Telephone Box, it still has all it's 'bits and pieces' at least.This is definitely a village with character. That is the walk completed and another leg of the journey in the bag so to speak. Very enjoyable as always and a total of 11.72 miles on the clock.
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