The Hart-Montague Trail is primarily a bike trail and it follows a disused railway track between Hart and Montague, two small towns in Oceana and Muskegon Counties in West Michigan just east of the Lake. The trail was the first designated Linear State Park in the US. It’s 24 miles in total and primarily used by cyclists but any non-motorised vehicles may use it and walkers too, of course. No horse riding is allowed, though.
The latest walk by Weekday Wanderers was the Boston Spa Circular. My first thought whenever I hear mention of Boston Spa is of the British Library Lending Division which is actually based at Thorp Arch Trading Estate just across the River Wharfe from Boston Spa itself.
Just south of Jedburgh, Scotland, beside the main A68 road is the ‘heritage’ Capon Tree. We walked along the road, pavement all the way luckily, to look at this famous tree. Several books feature Heritage Trees in this country and in Ireland including Thomas Pakenham’s Meetings with Remarkable Trees; The Heritage Trees of Britain and Northern Ireland; Heritage Trees of Ireland; Heritage Trees of Scotland and Heritage Trees Wales.
When it came to deciding last autumn which of the ATG programme of Footloose independent walks to choose for this summer’s expedition we found that we are running out of level 2/3 walks in places that we thought would be interesting. We also considered a return to Northumberland where we spent 4 self-catering holidays (before taking up this hotel-to-hotel walking lark) and where there is still so much to see and do. In the end I came up with the idea that we should do the 5 Day Scottish Borders Walk and follow this with a 3 night recovery period in a cottage in Northumberland. So this was what we did the last week in June. Our cottage was right on the Border just outside Cornhill-on-Tweed.
Lightpipe Cottage near Cornhill-on-Tweed
On our last day together in Ireland Monique and I were staying at Howth Harbour overlooking Dublin Bay. We had decided to take a walk round the Head following the Bog of Frogs Loop and Purple Arrows. Here is adapted the website description interspersed with my own photos. And here is a map of the route taken.
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Two recent trips followed hot on the heels of each other. I seem to have made several forays into our Celtic fringe so far this year. Two visits to Wales – The Gower and the Ffestiniog Railway and now a couple of weeks in Ireland – North and South – and my second visit to Scotland – Walking The Scottish Borders. I mentioned my forthcoming visit to Ireland last month and referred to the fact that I was opening up My Irish Times again.
My friend Keith, one of the Weekday Wanderers, recently joined The Canal and River Trust the charity that recently replaced the British Waterways Board to take charge of the canals and waterways and are ‘entrusted to care for 2,000 miles of waterways in England and Wales’. As part of his membership he received a free copy of a bespoke Canal & River Trust edition of ‘Cool Canals’ Walks book.
Petworth Park and Pleasure Grounds offer a wealth of possibilities for short strolls, a long walk with, or without, the dog or just a promenade around the the gardens. Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (1716-17830, the renowned landscape designer of the 18th century whose 300th anniversary happens to be this year, transformed the 700 acre estate at Petworth into the one we see, and can walk in, today. As we stepped out from the small formal area behind the house into the larger, grander landscape Diana exclaimed with delight that it was like stepping into Brown’s landscape.
John at The Signal Box
Saturday 7 May : Armathwaite Signal Box visit & short walk, 7 miles Moderate
Visit the restored signal box and optional short circular walk. Coombs Wood – Longdales – Ainstable – Armathwaite. Alight (11.15 connects with 08.49 train from Leeds) & return Armathwaite (16.32 train to Leeds). (For signal box visit only return on 14.40 train). (J&TJ) [John and Tracey Johnson]
Ride2Stride is the annual walking festival organised around the Settle-Carlisle railway. The week of events includes walks, talks and music.
“ride2stride is a festival of walks, talks and music along the fabulous Settle-Carlisle railway line.
miladysboudoir 