Friday, November 22, 2024

This England: Rick Takes a Hike -- A Guest Post

While I was admiring the magnificent architecture and glorious peace of Wells Cathedral, Rick took advantage of a beautiful day to do a hike.

 

Here's another guest post by Rick (actually, his Facebook post of that day) to give you an idea of the beautiful countryside as seen on foot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Those of you who are following our trip already know that Jeanie and I split up yesterday. She went to Wells and I went on a hike. When we compared notes at the end of the day, each of us were envious of the other so I guess it was a good move.
 
There are trails all over England and several right outside our door. Some are abandoned railroads and others are just walking trails that go over the countryside. I know the rail trails are well used as I have seen MANY people on them. I didn't go on any of the trekking trails so I don't know how well used they are. But I can say they are not overgrown so that tells you something.
 
 

My hike was in two legs. The first was on the two tunnels rail-trail to Wellow. It's the same trail that goes to Bath and links up to the trail to Bristol but in the other direction. It was a cloudy but dry day but unlike in Michigan where people say that if you don't like the weather, it will change in five minutes. Here, it really does change! It goes from cloudy to sunny to rainy all the time. There is no predicting it!
 

 
The sign said Wellow was 2 away. I don't know if they are miles or kilometers. Most everything here is metric but I have seen "miles" on a few signs. Given the travel time, I would say they are miles but who knows. And who cares? (Note: Later we learned that these are miles.) 
 
The trail itself varied from tree-canopied to wide open. It sports a gentle, but very noticeable grade and it was all up hill to Wellow. At one point the trees cleared and revealed a most magnificent vista. A cycling couple were enjoying the view on the bench and I asked if I could use them as a prop with the beauty in the background. The clever gent corrected me and said the beauty was in the foreground. 
 

 
To cover, I said I get foreground and background mixed up all the time! A very friendly pheasant walked along with me for a while. He must like chatting with foreigners.
 

 
The moral of this story is to keep walking! I reached Wellow and thought it was nothing but a horse stable and cyclists' cafe. Had I done my homework, I would have known it is a charming little village with a pub and all the assets of any thriving small community. I only learned this when I was showing Jeanie my route on Google Maps.
 
The second leg of the trip was from Morgan's Forge to Limpley Stoke on the Avon River and the twin waterway, the coal canal. Most of this trip was on "roads", meaning that they are designed for cars. But only small cars and one car at a time. Two cars cannot pass in opposite directions - one has to find a passing point, pull over and allow the other to pass before proceeding. My one car driveway is wider than most of the local country lanes. They are made even narrower by the shrubs that line and overhang them all.
 

 
I reached the canal and followed it for a mile or so to the Dundas Aqueduct. That's the one I took the lousy picture of the other day saying it is an overpass of the Avon River. 
 
My last leg was back to Midford via Monkton Combe. I have done this leg several times and I always enjoy it. Monkton Combe is home to a boarding school and more famously, the final resting place of Harry Patch, the oldest WW I soldier when he died. I had hoped to snap a picture of his grave but another five minutes had passed and it was raining pretty hard at that point (so here is one Jeanie took a different day). It was not ever supposed to rain yesterday.
 
 
Jeanie got back at around 6:30 and we wandered a hundred yards down the hill to the Hope and Anchor Pub for dinner. They were very happy to see us again and we are now best friends with the proprietors who happen to be Canadian. 
 

 
They even have poutine on the menu but I understand they don't sell much of it.
 
(Our time in Midford/Bath is nearing an end, but we have another lovely walk for you next time!)

39 comments:

Tom said...

...thanks for taking me along on your adventure. When I first heard of poutine I was skeptical and then I try it.😀 My cardiologist might let me have each year on my birthday!

eileeninmd said...

Hello Jeanie,
I enjoyed Rick's report on his hike and the photos. Pretty views of the countryside, the Pheasant and the canal trail. Nice shot of you and Rick at the pub. Take care, enjoy your day and have a great weekend.

Rita said...

Lovely to see the countryside and the canal. They have the narrowest country roads! Goodness! :)

gz said...

A good walk..and yes, practically all distances will be in miles.
I wonder if you saw the narrow boat " Eve" on the canal...an artist friend lives on her. She will be at the Floating Fair at Bradford on Avon (I think I have the venue correct) on 30 November..but it sounds like you may not be around by that time.

Debbie said...

rick has wonderful writing skills, with great descriptions of the trails and countryside. i love a walk with a canopy of trees overhead and the company of a pheasant. you are lucky to be able to walk such a distance. that is a lovely picture of the 2 of you, you both look so happy!!

ashok said...

Wonderful post

Sandi said...

This looks like such a wonderful vacation.

I would try poutine!

My name is Erika. said...

Thanks for the walking info Rick. I would love to do some walking trails in England. The scenery looks amazing. And I had to smile that the pub has poutine on the menu. Even if they don't sell a lot of it. I hope you do some more guest posts too. It's fun to see what you both do on your adventures. hugs-Erika

Anvilcloud said...

As I have told Jeanie, I think you guys do this travel/vacation thing very well.

Bill said...

Excellent post and photos.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

A first class walk, Rick. I enjoyed every step of the way with you, and I am very happy that Canadians were taking good care of you.

acorn hollow said...

What a wonderful day you had! It is so beautiful there maybe someday I will get there.
cathy

Susan Kane said...

That was a great day's trip! So green. Here in Calif we are a crunchy brown grass with some green speeches.

roentare said...

Rick writes well. A good day's diary here. Love the scenery

Anonymous said...

England might not be the safest place to be now. Their fool government just gave Ukraine the go ahead to use their supplied long range missiles on Russia, and Putin has been threatening to basically flatten London. The problem with this scenario is that the airports might close, making getting out impossible.

Jenny said...

I enjoyed reading this piece again Rick....how summery it all looks too. It changes so fast at this time of year. It's a pleasure to read a ride written with all these little details.

La Table De Nana said...

A lovely countryside walk🌟

Veronica Lee said...

Loved reading about your hike, Rick! Sounds like you got a real taste of the English countryside—gorgeous views, charming villages, and the classic unpredictable weather! The pheasant buddy and the friendly cyclists add such a nice touch to the day.

Marilyn Miller said...

I love that first picture at the start of the post. I would be beside myself with glee if that pheasant walked with me and chatted awhile. What a treat! And what a lovely walk. Thanks for sharing your walk with us, Rick!

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

Looks like a lovely hike for Rick. The English countryside is charming and seeing the pheasant is a bonus. So nice to hear about your new Canadian friends.

Steve Reed said...

I'm surprised that pheasant was so friendly. Doesn't he know there are plenty of people who would shoot him? I guess he could tell you were not a risk. :)

Anonymous said...

Looks as though both of you had lovely days in vastly different ways thanks Rick for sharing yours. I truly enjoyed your journeys.

Judee said...

I have really enjoyed all the post that you and Jeanie shared on your adventures in England. Rick, your hike really took you into the countryside to see some unique things. Thanks for sharing it.

Sherry's Pickings said...

gorgeous countryside. that fella was being funny of course about the beauty in the foreground. English humour for you :=)

Arti said...

A Canadian opening a pub in Midford serving poutine? That’s quite a story. I’ve enjoyed all your stories of your trip, Jeanie and Rick. :)

gigi-hawaii said...

I didn't know what poutine was so I googled it. Sounds gross, but I imagine I could enjoy it eventually. Nice walk.

Jenn Jilks said...

You two sure have adventures! I enjoy them.

Anonymous said...

This seriously has been the trip of a lifetime...so lovely, and getting off the beaten track is always the best. Thanks so much for sharing with us! Sandi

Sandi Magle said...

Hi, Jeanie and Rick. What a trip of a lifetime...I love how you get off the beaten track and explore on your own. I know that there are so many walking paths, everywhere in the UK...How FUN, and thank you for sharing all of your fun finds! Sandi!

anno said...

The two of you are such companionable adventurers! And so wise to know when it's best for each of you to go your own way.

This looks like a wonderful hike! And you were so fortunate to enjoy the companionship of that gorgeous pheasant! Must be a characteristic of the British variety. Around here, they are definitely skittish birds...

Pam Richardson said...

Rick, I enjoyed your hike. The countryside is truly beautiful as was the pheasant. You and Jeanie both had a fabulous day. Thanks for taking us along.

Barwitzki said...

Great post, had a lot of fun touring with it.
The pheasant was truly enchanted... a transformed fairy :-))
Poutine seems very filling, I was shown the recipe online.
I can well imagine how lovely your meeting was that evening in the pub.
Thank you.
And many greetings to you.
Viola

Lowcarb team member said...

My thanks to Rick for an interesting report on his hike, I enjoyed his photographs too.

All the best Jan

Anonymous said...

You can never predict the weather, especially in England, but you made the most of it on your hike.

Sandra Cox said...

What a lovely trek. Sandra sandracox.blogspot.com

Lisa's Yarns said...

Rick's trek sounded really lovely! It's nice that you were able to split up and do things of interest to yourselves! You get the best of both worlds - time to do our thing and then company at the end of the day!

crackercrumblife said...

What a lovely day!

Anca said...

Biking is great in UK, there are so many routes to take. It's not for me, but I've noticed how many options there are all around the country. It seems that he had an interesting day. What a shame that he didn't see the village.

DeniseinVA said...

Thank you Jeanie and Rick for another splendid post. I am bookmarking them and will be coming back. I absolutely love all your photos :) Happy Thanksgiving to you both!

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