This seemed to be the case today as the drab weather soon cleared up and got better as the day went on.
Thirty of us met at the church and were briefed by Jeremy. We were told to expect 10.5 miles on fairly flat paths across fields and farmland with just a little road walking and a stretch of canal bank at the end.
There would be a coffee stop in North Wheatley and a lunch break ( with a pub ) in Hayton. It all sounded great and so we set off down the lane behind the church and into the adjacent countryside.
The going was easy and we made good time through the green and pleasant farmland and were in North Wheatley by about 11.30. where we made good use of the tables in the recreation area.
Much the same in the second half of the morning.
The walk was broken and varied with small wooden bridges and streams to cross and some siles to get over and all the time the scenery was good and the weather improving. Jeremy was setting just the right pace for us to enjoy it all.
The Boat Inn at Hayton is alongside The Chesterfield Canal. We ate in the small area by the water before going into the pub for refreshments. From there it was all along the canal bank back to Clayworth.
I think we were all surprised by the number of barges moored up there and wondered what it would be like to adopt that lifestyle. One barge was for sale at £50k. So cheaper than a house but a long way from the shops.
Later on we had to take a wide berth around a swan that was reluctant to move off the towpath as it kept watch on it's partner sitting on a large nest on the opposite bank.
We left the canal at the junction of Meadow Lane and St Peter's Lane and returned to our cars in the village.
Thanks very much to Jeremy for leading a lovely walk.
To Peter for back marking and to Steve as ever for the photos.
The Traquair Murals were painted by Pheobe Ann Traquair in 1906 when she was visiting the area . More on Wikipedia .
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