Amidst the sunny weather, I've enjoyed walking over the last three days, starting with rural areas of Nottinghamshire, where I picked up my walk on Wednesday morning at Southwell Minster, after taking time for morning prayers in one of the side chapels there, and taking a fuller look around. I went on a school trip there in the 1970s but can't remember whether I've been since. Either way, amongst plenty of other features, the windows above the west door caught my eye. Installed in the 1990s, they depict angels, the lower seven showing acts of creation, above which are smaller pairs of worshipping angels holding books, trumpets, a heart, a pipe organ, and stringed instruments.
Having left Southwell mid-morning, the rest of the day also set the scene the two days which followed, continuing to walk through the farmland in the Trent Valley, mostly arable but with some pasture.
A highlight of Wednesday was a period walking with sailing friends and partners alongside the Trent, before heading towards Bingham where we enjoyed afternoon tea at the end of a warm afternoon before heading off for a long evening of conversation over our evening meal.
Thursday morning allowed time for a quick look around Bingham's market before heading south into Leicestershire and the Wolds which lie to the north of Melton Mowbray, my destination for the day, once again being warmly hosted by a Methodist Church colleague.
I was surprised to find a stretch of disused and overgrown canal en route to Melton: it turns out that its part of the Grantham canal, which ran 33 miles from Grantham through 18 locks to West Bridgford, where it joined the Trent, built primarily for the transportation of coal.
Having left Melton Mowbray first thing on Friday, I thoroughly enjoyed the route to Uppingham, crossing into Rutland in the early afternoon. The Wolds provide gentle rolling hills, interwoven with both arable and grazing land, forming a lovely environment for walking, complemented with bright conditions with a welcome cooling breeze.
Not everything was quite perfect, with a further encounter of the bovine kind once, thankfully both farmer and vet were on hand to help move this herd onwards to allow me through the gate!
Shortly thereafter, Uppingham came into view: in common with Sedbergh a couple of weeks ago, a town influenced by the school whose buildings take up a significant part of the centre.
With just two weeks planned walking left now, it's difficult not to think ahead a bit, but I hope that I don't forget that there's almost 200miles still to go, substantial enough despite the distance already covered.
Talking of weight
Before leaving friends in Inverness, way back at the end of April, I weighed myself. Having done the same yesterday, I'm still the same weight, testament to either following the advice 'Drink plenty, eat plenty, look after your feet' or the excellent hospitality of friends and colleagues alike!
On a related note, since dropping off the tent and other camping items (stove, gas, pan, sleeping mat), my rucksack weighs 15kg or so, including packed lunch and sufficient water for a day's walk, plus waterproofs, spare clothing, toiletries/towel, maps, phones/tracker/charger and maps for a few days ahead. I was therefore carrying around 23kg when in Scotland, not only the camping gear extra but also food for evening and breakfast. I'm certainly pleased not to be carrying that in the current spell of hotter weather.
Talking of which, just to assure you that I am keeping a close eye on the forecast, and thinking that I will set off much earlier than usual on the forecast hotter days to avoid as much of the heat as possible.
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