Walking East Stoke's Lanes: August 2024

October 3, 2024

It’s still later than I hoped, but much less late than last month’s post - the photos in this post are from a couple of walks, one to the pub in Elston on our way to steak night, and the second later in the month further along our usual walking route of Moor Lane.

I don’t remember seeing teasels in flower before, though I’m sure I must have, but seeing these only just in flower made me think how such a delicately coloured flower can conceal such a prickly inner!

Along the bridleway/path to Elston there were clear signs that summer was soon be done - the sloes, or are they damsons, the blackberries - we never did get back to pick any this year, and most of all the rosehips with their jewel-like berries being restrained by the fencing.

It’s lovely to watch the changing of the seasons, but it seems a little early this year - and I’m still in denial today!

As we left the path and walked along the lane to Elston I was pleased to see what is I think one of my favourite views in our new area - and I was even more pleased when I saw how I’d symmetrically captured this shot.

A few days later we headed back along Moor Lane again, this time it was the seed heads of these cow parsley which caught my attention, getting ready to disperse their seeds far and wide I’m sure.

The newly laid hedgerows had been growing well all summer, and it’s easy to see how well in the photo below.

It wasn’t long before we reached our turning point of the bridge, and after a few moments to see how the view had changed this month - a freshly ploughed field and a mown edge - we turned and headed back towards East Stoke.

It really is a glorious place to live, and to observe how the seasons and farming and the local landscape change throughout the year.

Thanks for joining me this month, hopefully I’ll be back to sharing the next instalment around the third week of the month, but in the meantime if you enjoyed this post you may also like some previous series where I revisit the same place - there’s my year in Greenwich Park and remember that time when I followed a tree?

Walking East Stoke's lanes: July 2024

September 12, 2024

I’m still half chuckling about the newly tarmac-ed verges from my June update, but only half chuckling in despair more than anything. However, my July update is here - and later than usual, and for no good reason I can think of right now, other than it just never happened before now.

The hedgerows and verges were alive with colour as you’d expect from a summer month - I need to identify some of the plants I’ve included here, and while my phone suggests this might be lesser burdock, I’m not sure and I don’t trust what it’s telling me for the second photo at all. However both had great form and structure and the camera has captured these well.

It was great to walk alongside the crops whilst walking across the Red Gutter path, though I suspect they had some more growing to do after these photos was taken.

For the first time we walked further along the river to find the weir having heard of its existence on a local Facebook group - and it wasn’t that far from where we’d walked on previous outings, just along rather than up. It was suitably signposted and behind barbed wire, as it should be.

Retracing our steps, again we decided on another first for us as the weather was so good. Instead of heading up towards the Fosse Road we double backed on ourselves along the river path and past where the Red Gutter path brings us out. It looked as if we would be able to walk all the way along the river, up to Church Lane which is also one of our regular walks from home. And if we couldn’t then we’d turn back and work it out which of our usual routes we’d take if we needed to.

As it turned out we didn’t need to, though as we entered this wooded area we were less sure, but soon enough the path opened up into a field of golden crops.

The haw berries were already making their presence felt, alongside the poppies growing in the golden crops.

Next we walked past masses of these pretty and almost orchid-like flowers - it’s another one that I’m not sure I’m trusting my phone on, but the phone says it’s a Policeman’s Helmet, which is an invasive species. I’m not sure, but if you know I’d be pleased if you could share.

And then we were back at the end of Church Lane, the small wooden jetty which we’d first spotted last month was out of sight again, but now we know it’s there we knew where to look.

This view as we headed back to the village is one that never fails to make my heart sing, well in the dry weather anyway!

Thanks for joining me this month, I’ll be back to sharing the next instalment around the third week of the month, but in the meantime if you enjoyed this post you may also like some previous series where I revisit the same place - there’s my year in Greenwich Park and remember that time when I followed a tree?

Walking East Stoke's lanes: June 2024

July 30, 2024

Following on from last month’s update I was right to think that the cow parsley would be more of a thing, and along with the elderflowers the hedgerows around our local lanes have been full of white ‘frothy’ flowers, and so much more besides.

The wild roses and oxeye daisies were a particular favourite of mine, and still seems unusual to see these growing so well on the side of the road - but that’s the Londoner in me I guess!

The big news for Moor Lane this month is less pot holes - which is no mean feat. A complete resurfacing would have been preferable, as it is for many country roads around here, but patching the pot holes is a close second - especially when it’s whole sections like this. That’s a much better approach to the literal patching holes approach, as that never seems to last very long, and must be more expensive in the longer term.

That said while it was good to have the pot holes tackled, tarmac-ing the edge of the verge seemed less than ideal.

A patch of tarmac filling the (many) pot holes — MOOR LANE

Tarmac on the edge of the verge too — MOOR LANE

For the first time in this series I bumped into a tractor along my walk - and a tall one at that. I was glad to be able to stand on the verge and watch this one pass with a friendly wave from the farmer.

While a walk down Moor Lane and back again may not be the most interesting of walks, I do enjoy seeing the walk in reverse. Somehow the same scenes take on a different feel, and the trees and the pylons against the sky are always a favourite.

The pylon against a large blue sky - with wild roses in the foreground — MOOR LANE

There were more elderflower bushes - and large ones at that - along Church Lane. We didn’t pick any this year, but have previously made elderflower ‘champagne’ with mixed success, and thankfully no exploding bottles - though it came close!

When we reached the banks of the river we were able to get much closer than previously, and the grass paths were looking especially verdant. As we looked over to the pub and buildings on the opposite bank for the first time we saw the glimpse of a wooden pier, though this was as close as we got as wading through comfrey and nettles wasn’t going to happen.

A verdant green grassed path heading towards the River Trent

A glimpse of a wooden pier in the distance looking through the overgrown pathway

And how pretty are those comfrey flowers?