Edge of Autumn

In October our friend Ian was back in the UK from Spain so we decided to pay another visit to Creswell Crags. This time round, we opted to explore one of the walking tracks away from the gorge itself and were rewarded with pleasant views of the surrounding countryside. With autumn's influence starting to be felt it made for a pleasant couple of hours in the cool sunshine.

Sunday Ramble

Back in September we paid another visit to Treswell Woods, which is only a short distance away from where we live. What I like about the woods is that other than an occasional dog walker the place is deserted.  This time around with better weather the proceeding week the paths that were always water logged and muddy on previous visits had dried out so we where able to take a more meandering route than normal.

On a clear day, you can see for miles.  Below, in the distance is Lincoln Cathedral.

And the not so far away Cottam power station.

A Comma Butterfly.

The trail we followed skirted around the edge of the wood, giving us decent views of the rolling fields and countryside beyond.

Here be Dragons

Back in August we stopped by Doddington Hall on our way to Lincoln with Ian, our Ex-Pat friend from Spain. There's a decent coffee shop and farm shop that sells good local produce.  There is also an incredible cycle shop (the biggest in Lincolnshire) which has its own coffee shop as well.   During the summer it also staged a sculpture exhibition.  The dragon stands outside the hall, and visitors are invited to hang strips of brightly coloured cloth on the sculpture.

Ian and the Dragon

Behind the hall is a small lake complete with arched bridge.

There was also a very elegant sculpture on the water.

Of course, if you have a decent sized body of water, then you'll also have ducks and the Doddington ducklings seemed to have learnt very quickly that humans can be a great source of food.

There are also several walks around the local area that you can follow. There are worse ways to spend a couple of hours.

The windmill of your mind

 We've not had much free time of late, what with working during the week and plenty of jobs to claim our time and attention at the new house.  A couple of Sundays ago we made a concious effort to forget about all of the stresses and jobs to be done and get out into the June sunshine for a stroll.

I've posted pictures of the North Leverton windmill before, but they revolved around the annual open day that takes place each September.  Without the crowds and the cars the narrow lane that runs past the windmill is quiet and peaceful and we never saw another soul.  This working antique compliments the landscape beautifully.

We returned home feeling refreshed and relaxed.  I think its important to try and make time to get out and just enjoy the outdoors.  It's very easy to get bogged down with tasks and responsibilities.  Even a short walk can do wonders for your state of mind.