Photograph Gallery Stage 52 Lichfield to Nether Whitaker
Photograph Gallery Stage 52 Lichfield to Nether Whitaker, Friday 15th July 2011
The Story:
This was a stunning stage of the 1000 mile walk, no doubt about it. Despite not having hills, after all it is in the middle of England, the walk along the Heart of England way had much to offer.
The start was typical of the day ahead as Strolling Steve and I walked from our hotel through the centre of Lichfield. Within 400 metres of setting off we were at Lichfields magnificent gothic cathedral with the whole front face of the cathedral covered in intricate stone figures including many historic kings of England including Offa, Ethelred, Alfred and Edward I the Hammer of the Scots. There were further historical connections to Lichfield and statues of some notable citizens as we made our way through the town centre. Strolling Steve notes some of them in his daily statistics later. From Lichfield we made our way south over open countryside on very well marked and maintained tracks. It was so good that before we knew it six miles were covered before we took a short break beside a huge wheat field just short of crossing the A453 near Buck’s Head Farm. After our break and on the section between Buck’s Head Farm and Rookery Farm we had our regular encounter with ‘Bull in a field’ Inevitably and most wisely we went round the field and not on the track which he sat on. He didn’t get up from his sit down but he did turn his head to watch us all the way round the field.
After our bull episode we walked along Brockhurst Lane to Brockhurst Farm, enjoying some lovely fresh plums and apples from trackside trees before taking another break at Great Bangley Farm which is now a magnificent manor house surrounded by barn conversions. After the break came our only mundane section of the walk as we followed a road two miles into Drayton Bassett. There was nothing mundane about what followed. Immediately after passing through the village we reached a canal which we thoroughly enjoyed walking along in super afternoon sunshine, occasionally watching narrow boats pass by while we walked past more stationary boats being given a clean or fresh lick of paint.
The canal walk was nearly three miles long but, as with earlier in the day, it seemed to pass in no time and then the canal was behind us to be replaced by the magnificent lakes of Kingsbury Water Park. Our walk through was stunning, extremely well managed paths, each lake different, lots of wildlife including many different breeds of geese, ducks, moorhens, coots and more. It was brilliant and as before soon we were through the park and on our final stage of the walk to Nether Whitaker. We missed the intended path out and had to follow more road than I had planned but it did not deter our marvellous day out walking. The Heart of England Way is well recommended.
Strolling Steves Daily Statistics:
Scenery: 8/10 – A fine variety of rolling hills, woodland, canal and lakes.
History: 9/10 – Lichfield has it all. A magnificent cathedral, Dr Johnson, Boswell and Darwin.
Interest: 8/10 – Stimulating.
Track: 9/10 – Easy walking, excellent signage.
The Photographs:
Lichfield Cathedral is a wonderful gothic building
Lichfield Museum
Lichfield Water
Boswell
We're following the Heart of England Way today
Following the Heart of England Way at Bailey's Beating
Great sky indicating a good day
Good track near Ingleyhill Farm
Good information
Hawthorn Jumble
Interesting shape of dead tree
On the Heart of England Way at Gorsey Hill
Cows on the skyline, and amongst them a bull
He kept a close eye on us as we skirted round the edge of the field
Brockhurst at Brockhurst Park Farm
Brock at Brock Cottage
Brockhurst on Brockhurst Lane
Sheep sheltering from the hot sun
A row of Sunflowers at Great Bangley Farm
Where did that one spring up from?
Hanging on
Longboat cruising on the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
Colour by the canal
Fisher's Mill Bridge
Nearly every moored longboat was being attended to
High reeds blocked out the canal in some places
Kingsbury Water Park, an idyllic setting for water birds
We left the canal at Curdworth Bottom Lock to enter Kingsbury Water Park
Beautiful scenery in Kingsbury Water Park
Woodland trail in Kingsbury Water Park
Railway for little ones in Kingsbury Water Park
Strolling Steve and hungry geese
My turn
Thankfully we have not come across the bear
Birch coppice in Kingsbury Water Park
Track alongside the A4097 in Kingsbury Water Park
The River Tame at Kingsbury
Yet another lovely trail to follow
Across the fields to Nether Whitaker
Couldn’t let you get away with this error but don’t take my word for it…………………..
“It is also incorrect (or at least incongruous) to refer to a narrowboat as a longboat, although this name was sometimes used in the Midlands in working-boat days.”
quote from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowboat
Or from http://www.viking-afloat.co.uk/longboat.htm
“Welcome to Viking Afloat Longboat Holidays. In truth, there are actually no such things as longboat holidays. The boats that cruise on the canals in England are often mistakenly refered to as long boats, but the correct term is narrowboats!” And they should know!
What was I thinking, it must have been a subliminal thought about the Long Ships with Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier! Of course I meant narrowboats and not longboats.