Autumn Footprints - Week Two
w/e 12 October 2008
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
During the second week of the Autumn Footprints Walking
Festival in Amber Valley and Erewash, we participated in another
five of the guided walks and below are a couple of images from
each of those walks. The weather remained fine for almost all
of the rest of the festival but there were one or two misty days
and a light drizzle on the final morning that soon gave way to
a pleasant afternoon.
Our Monday walk took us into familiar territory (see the Miller-Mundy
Memories) up Shipley Hill from Mapperley Reservoir but our
leader, a local Historian and Natural History Lecturer, shared
some snippets of information that were new to us and also identified
a number of trees and birds that had previously gone unnoticed.
How many people know there is a Turkey Oak tree in the park for
example - although it's nowhere near the Derby Lodge pictured
above that is now showing its Autumn colours?
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Sadly many of the old beech trees in Shipley Country Park have
had to be felled for health and safety reasons or because they
have become diseased. This one appeared sound enough but the
experts had thought otherwise and down it had come. The stump
has since benefited from some excellent carvings by a talented
artist who has left his mark in several places on the remaining
stumps. Our walking colleagues christened this one "The
Old Man of the Woods".
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Another day and another walk, this time with the West Park Walkers
around Toton Washlands. Part of the three and a half mile route
was along the Erewash Canal in Long Eaton and as it was with
a Walking for Health group the whole walk was mostly on the level
with no stiles to climb over.
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As the front runners in the group reached Sandiacre Lock they
paused for a while to allow the back markers to catch up. For
me it was just another photo opportunity.
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During the first week of the festival we had walked with another
Walking for Health group at Sawley through Orchid Walk to St.
Chad's Water. We had previously visited St. Chad's Water in 2004 and walked around
the lake but the church had been closed then. This time though
we forsook another walk around the lake and were able to inspect
the Flemish stained glass windows inside the church of which
this is one.
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This walk started at Breaston and followed the Coffin Walk, so
called because the churchyard in Breaston was not consecrated
until 1824 and prior to that funerals for Breaston villagers
were carried out at St. Chad's in Church Wilne. The coffins had
to be carried across the fields between the two along a footpath
that became known as the Corpse Way or Coffin Walk. In those
days of course the distant power station at Ratcliffe on Soar
and the towers holding the power lines would not have been seen
striding across to landscape.
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Our next walk, the Sandiacre to Stanton Gate Loop (via Stapleford)
was with the Sandiacre Strollers and as we neared the end of
the festival, the autumn colours were starting to make themselves
known. Also the misty morning added to that autumnal feeling
although walking conditions were still very pleasant. The route
of this walk crossed the Erewash Canal and followed the waterway
towpath northwards before branching off into Stapleford.
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The route regained the canal at Stanton Gate and then followed
the towpath south again to conclude back in Sandiacre. From this vantage point as we
neared the end of the walk, the mist had not cleared but St Giles'
Church was still prominent in the distance.
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The Sandiacre walk was on Friday and by Saturday I had developed
a nasty cold. I had planned and hoped to complete the Pinxton
Push, a six mile walk along the route of the old Cromford Canal
from Langley Mill to Pinxton on the Sunday morning but the fact
that I still felt unwell and also that a steady drizzle was falling
persuaded me that it was not the best idea to be out in such
conditions. I was still struggling to breathe easily but fully
dosed with paracetamol and a restful morning at home in the warm
meant that I felt much better after lunch and so decided to join
the final event of the festival, the Kirk Hallam Wildlife Walk.
This was just a gentle stroll around Kirk Hallam Lake and in
the nearby meadows where this small frog was just one of the
wildlife specimens found.
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 To the uninitiated
the meadows area looks to be covered by grass, but closer inspection
by one of the leaders of the walk found numerous varieties of
wildflowers, plants, reeds, grasses and sedges to name just a
few. The Friends of Kirk Hallam Lake & Meadows
are busy working to maintain and protect the lake and meadows
site and are actively encouraging the involvement of youngsters
who live in the area with a "Young Rangers" scheme.
This walk brought to a conclusion the Autumn Footprints Walking
Festival for 2008 and whilst next year's programme has still
to be arranged, the dates have already been fixed. The festival
will run between Saturday 12th and Sunday 27th September 2009
- but we aren't going to wait until then to enjoy more of the
scenery in Amber Valley and Erewash.
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