It’s slow going with the walking so far this year – life is just too busy at the moment!
Never mind, the kitchen is nearly finished at least and I’m hopeful the weather is going to improve. I’m reliably informed that daffodils are blooming in Cornwall – surely it can’t be too long before we see them up here too! However, although the snow has all gone for now – the rain is back!
Last weekend whilst the snow was still lying in parts, Mr RR and I took a 6 mile ramble along the Teviot accompanied by middle son. It was very icy underfoot and hard going in parts, but despite the need to constantly watch where my feet were going I did enjoy it.
We’ve also managed a couple of short local walks in between storms and floods but I’m itching to get out and about a bit more now. Sadly its not going to happen this week…..but watch this space, there are some keen walkers around and about and I’m hoping to join them for some exercise very soon. Continue reading →
For those who don’t already know, the best news is that Mr RR and I have become Nanna and Papa RR whilst we’ve been away! A gorgeous little boy, born between Christmas and New Year and doing very well on his journey to becoming the Littlest RR.
Littlest RR has, of course, become my favourite subject of conversation but…..on to the walking – of which there has been very little in the last couple of months. Here I am though, determined to get fit (again) and starting over with the rambles. I’m not promising any great milage this year – there’s a lot of work to do on our new house and any walking will have to be fitted in around that – but hopefully I’ll be able to inspire you with a few ramblings around The Scottish Borders and Northumberland and later in the year we might be able to go further afield and see more of Scotland. Continue reading →
…but today we took a short walk around town and just a little way along the river accompanied by the younger Mr RR. You might remember we walked alongside The Teviot back in August (Scotland walks) before the BIG move. Today we just went to get some fresh air and strolled alongside The Tweed before crossing the bridge and having a quick look at the Teviot again.
I think we’ll be back to do some more walking here very soon and hopefully some rambling further afield as well – just as soon as it gets less busy in the Rickety household!
Things are warming up around here in more ways than one! The sun has decided to shine and for the last couple of days its been just like Summer. Also, we’re hoping to move to Scotland before the end of October so it’s going to get a little too busy for walking and blogging.
Sadly I have to concede defeat and admit that I’m not going to make it to 1000 miles this year.
Never mind, there’s a whole new world of walking out there just waiting for me and Mr RR! As soon as we’ve got ourselves settled in, I daresay we’ll be off on some lovely new walkabouts.
Meanwhile, it’s going to get a little quiet on the blog…..but here are a few miles to keep you going until I get back to it all again.
See you in Scotland!
The (Notso) Wee Ricketyrambler
The Lost Gardens of Heligan (3 miles) and The Penrose Estate (6 miles)
We took ourselves up to the Lost Gardens last week and had a wander amongst the vegetable gardens and the dahlias:
I love the Italianate Garden:
but my favourite thing is the Potting Shed!
I want one!
Beautiful fungi:
Marvellous marigolds:
Fantastic flower gardens still:
Simply stunning!
They’ve got a new family of Tamworths who could squeal extremely loudly:
And a pair of Ostrich:
Mr RR did the rope bridge walk……but I’ve don’t it before and once is enough!
Then today we took the top path around Penrose, descending for coffee at the Stables Cafe and then returning alongside the lake and Loe Bar. We saw sparrows – flocks of them – A Quarrel of Sparrows! Five Great Crested Grebe – A Waterdance of Grebe, a Swim of Cormorants and a Posse of Herons! Quite a good morning for birds on the whole:
We debated whether they might be Tree Sparrows – but no, I don’t think so – just House SparrowsA Swim of Cormorants
The views across to Helston were unusually clear:
These are Oak apples – a soft spongy ball found on the end of Oak tree twigs. Inside the apple is divided into cells and in each cell lives a grub, destined to become gall-wasps or flies very soon!
On the way back along the coast path from Loe Bar we noticed hundreds of tiny holes in the bank:
They went on for quite a way and there were wasps hovering all around. Despite many tries I was completely unable to get a picture of a wasp! Except this one:
Can you see it? On the left hand side – just emerging from it’s hole.
I think these must be Bee-killer wasps! These insects are voracious predators of Honey Bees – they capture and paralyse them and then carry them back to their nests before laying eggs on them. The developing larvae then feed on the bee. Twenty years ago this insect was rare but it is now colonising new habitats throughout England.
We left bonny Scotland today and travelled down the M6 towards our overnight stop in Cheshire. On the way we avoided the motorway service stations and instead made our way to Acorn Bank, about 6 miles from Penrith for a lunch break and a stroll around the gardens. This is a National Trust property described in their blurb as a ‘tranquil haven with a fascinating industrial past’ (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/acorn-bank/ ). They are right – it’s an interesting property which not only provided us with a much need coffee break and a tasty lunch, but a chance to walk in their gardens, orchards and acres of ‘wild garden’ – mostly woodland with a pretty river flowing through it. Continue reading →
After nearly a week of driving around Perthshire, Fife and The Scottish Borders we’ve finally found the one! So….fingers crossed all will go well and I’ll be blogging from Scotland by Christmas!
It’s been exhausting and stressful and we were desperately in need of a good walk by Friday. We started with a visit to the Lodge Forest Visitor Centre (scotland.forestry.gov.uk/forest-parks/queen-elizabeth-forest-park/the-lodge-forest-visitor-centre ) for an early lunch and then made our way along one of their clearly marked trails to the Red Squirrel Hide before driving the short distance to Loch Ard for a walk with views.
Lodge Forest Visitor Centre
Enjoy! – especially the Red Squirrels – they are so adorable! Continue reading →
After a sluggish start I suddenly found some get up and go and announced a local ramble to Loe Pool. Mr RR remembered being told about a path to some woods on the far side of the pool where, at dusk, badgers can be seen. Despite it being 9.30 in the morning we decided to hunt out said woods, so that if we felt so inclined we could go back and spot badgers at nightfall one day! Continue reading →
Ironically, given that the thistle is the heraldic emblem of Scotland, it’s this plant that entertains us on our first walk back in Cornwall. Thistles are an important food source for a variety of birds and just now, many are coming to the end of their season and producing those lovely cotton wool covered seed heads.
Our walk today begins at Manaccan, a pretty little village mentioned in the Charter of King Eadgar from 967. Here Manaccan is called Lesmanoc – Place of the Monks. The village is in the Parish of Manaccan, which, together with St Anthony and others, forms part of the Lizard Peninsula known as Meneage – Monkish Land. Continue reading →
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