Canine leader
| Walk leader | George |
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Route |
Lanehead – Tarset Burn – Boughthill Farm – Thorneyburn – Sidwood – Slaty Ford – Lanehead |
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| Weather | Cloudless sky, very sunny, but cold in the strong wind. Warm in sheltered spots. |
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| Walkers | George, Ron, Sandy, Ken. |
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| Excuses | Michael and Michelle - preparing to go to Corfu Bernie - having repairs to her conservatory roof Ashley - at the Alwinton Show Diane - too much walking on her calendar Richard - injured |
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Comments |
The path up the side of Tarset Burn was wet and muddy. We passed several fairy doors at tree bases and also a spherical Santa. The going was slow, partly due to navigation. We talked to a very pleasant and helpful lady at Thorneyburn Lodge, who told us about the history of the parish church. We spent some time in St Aidan's Church at Thorneyburn. It was established in 1818 to provide a living for a former naval chaplain, who had been at Trafalgar but had been laid off after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. There were information sheets on the pews, including one about the occasion when the organist exclaimed during the Christmas Day service that she had forgotten to put the turkey in the oven. We had lunch in the churchyard, which was out of the wind and warm. Ken and George sat on a bench commemorating the coronation of King Charles III, while Ron and Sandy sat on the steps. Sandy went off to explore some yurts. We were unable to go from Sidwood to Black Middens Bastle because of damage due to Storm Arwen. It was a difficult trudge uphill from Sidwood towards Slaty Ford through heather and woodland along a poorly-defined path. Ruby was put on the lead as there was a warning notice about adders at Sidwood. Ken offered to buy us all cream teas, if we found a café en route. Wildlife: Buzzards, bluetits, great tits and a pheasant. Black and white spotted cow. Flora: Lots of bracket fungi on the trees. |
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| Meal | ||||
The Badger, Ponteland. Joined by Evelyn. Excellent service but the prices had gone up considerably since our last visit.
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| Photo Gallery |
Green landscape |
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Long tree shadows |
St Aidan's Church |
Road to the Church |
Along the lane |
Autumn begins |
Rolling countryside |
