Tuesday, May 11, 2010
It's Cold!!!
I usually love May- it's usually warm and sunny, with pink and white blossom and bright yellow fields of rape seed everywhere... so why is it so bloody cold and wet!?!
Still annoyed with myself for not doing the Valleys and Views, it's time I got tough on myself and knuckled down to some serious training- especially as one of this year's goals is the Bullock Smithy. I have set my sights on the Baslow Boot Bash on June 12th.
I went ot the gym last night and flogged myself on the free weights and treadmill, and have been out for a couple of runs. The latest walk I did was a 13 miler- I intended to start at Cotgrave, follow the canal to Kinoulton and cross the fields to the A46 before returning to Cotgrave through Clipston woods.
The first sign that things may not go according to plan was just before reaching the A46 via the canal... and finding metal gates across the path with a sign saying 'path closed'. I should have thought of this before really- the A46 is going through a widening scheme meaning years of roadworks and disruption. Looking at the barriers, I realised it was possible to slip round them and walk along the top of the old lock on the other side of a wooden fence. The canal is dry at this point, and beyond this had been obliterated (temporarily) by the road works, so I ran over ridges and mounds of earth and under the A46.
There were more barriers the other side- but it is possible to scramble up the other side of the canal, climb a wooden fence and join up with the path from a little car park on the A46.
Blocked Path...
Things were uneventful after this... until I reached Kinoulton and walked through the village to the footpath towards the A46. It was then I saw the large notice on the stile, announcing that the path- plus all the surrounding ones leading to the A46- were all closed...
I was so glad I put my map in my bag cos I nearly didn't! So, with much cursing against the powers to be who decided that the A46 should be a dual carriageway between Bingham and Newark, I retraced my steps and picked up a footpath along the other side of the canal. My intention was to join a bridleway which led to the road between Owthorpe and Cotgrave as there was a useful looking byway running parrallel to the road.
However, when I reached it there was the familiar notice saying it was shut- in fact every single footpath, bridleway and byway either reaching or crossing the A46 is shut- not very useful! I ended up following the road back... at one point I didn't know how I was going to cross the A46!!
I just hope they reroute at least some of the paths when the work is done...
Still annoyed with myself for not doing the Valleys and Views, it's time I got tough on myself and knuckled down to some serious training- especially as one of this year's goals is the Bullock Smithy. I have set my sights on the Baslow Boot Bash on June 12th.
I went ot the gym last night and flogged myself on the free weights and treadmill, and have been out for a couple of runs. The latest walk I did was a 13 miler- I intended to start at Cotgrave, follow the canal to Kinoulton and cross the fields to the A46 before returning to Cotgrave through Clipston woods.
The first sign that things may not go according to plan was just before reaching the A46 via the canal... and finding metal gates across the path with a sign saying 'path closed'. I should have thought of this before really- the A46 is going through a widening scheme meaning years of roadworks and disruption. Looking at the barriers, I realised it was possible to slip round them and walk along the top of the old lock on the other side of a wooden fence. The canal is dry at this point, and beyond this had been obliterated (temporarily) by the road works, so I ran over ridges and mounds of earth and under the A46.
There were more barriers the other side- but it is possible to scramble up the other side of the canal, climb a wooden fence and join up with the path from a little car park on the A46.
Things were uneventful after this... until I reached Kinoulton and walked through the village to the footpath towards the A46. It was then I saw the large notice on the stile, announcing that the path- plus all the surrounding ones leading to the A46- were all closed...
I was so glad I put my map in my bag cos I nearly didn't! So, with much cursing against the powers to be who decided that the A46 should be a dual carriageway between Bingham and Newark, I retraced my steps and picked up a footpath along the other side of the canal. My intention was to join a bridleway which led to the road between Owthorpe and Cotgrave as there was a useful looking byway running parrallel to the road.
However, when I reached it there was the familiar notice saying it was shut- in fact every single footpath, bridleway and byway either reaching or crossing the A46 is shut- not very useful! I ended up following the road back... at one point I didn't know how I was going to cross the A46!!
I just hope they reroute at least some of the paths when the work is done...
Labels: baslow boot bash
