A Walk at Penton

Today's Thursday walk took the 3 of us to Penton for a 4.5-mile walk as shown below. It was a nice day and the Beach hedges were looking great all along the roads we walked along.

This is a nice walk and in the summer you can probably take paths across the fields, but today we stuck to the roads as the tracks across the fields looked very muddy.

The first mile of the walk we passed loads of Crab Apple trees, mostly with the apples on the ground, but on this one there are still a few lovely red Apples still on the tree.

Loads of Crab Apples on the ground

Plenty of Fungi as well

Lovely Beach hedges

Many of the hedges have just been allowed to grow into trees

The War memorial at Nicholforest Church

A very old Church

The entrance into a small estate

Many of the fields have just been left fallow and over the years they have become full of reeds

Pentonbridge Inn and a fine place for dining, but a little bit expensive

A commercial crop of Willow

Near the end of our walk we met this family of Pigs. It was a most enjoyable walk and we only once had a few drops of rain and as soon as Charlie and I put on our waterproof coats it stopped, much to the amusement of Mike. We finished our walk with a Coffee at The Buccleuch Centre where we were served without even giving our order as they are so used to our Thursday visit.

Graham Boys Go Fishing

Fraser has taken Thomas up to the Snake River in Idaho for a fishing weekend and this was their first session this morning. They are about 5000ft up in the mountains close to Yellowstone National Park

Thomas loves the great outdoors and will be in his element on this fishing trip.

This was the first fish caught this morning. One very happy Grandson. I should add that all the Trout caught were returned to the river. His Great Grandfather also called Thomas was a very keen fisherman so it's nice to see the sport carried on through the generations. My father never returned the fish to the river and they were enjoyed by the family for dinner.

 

The Snake river.

Another stretch of the Snake river.

A good time was had by all.

A Walk in Two Valleys

 

This morning my Wednesday walk with Tom and Niall was to start at Ewes Hall and followed the Meikledale Burn going up on the left hand side and coming back down on the right hand side. David unfortunately had to give this walk a miss as he had double booked with an important meeting. We were very fortunate that the rain had gone and even at times the sun appeared. There are signs of new tree planting in various parts of the walk. The official Meikledale walk (No 14) in the Langholm Walks Booklet is about 9 miles but we were only doing the lower 3 miles part of it up and down the burn. Age and Infirmity has reduced our Wednesday walk from an average of 8 miles 10 and more years ago to an average of about 4 miles these days. I also think in that time the hills have got steeper. 

This was an old barn or shelter from many years ago.

More new planting and the quarry used to provide stone for the improved forestry road.

This bridge at Burngrains is not very safe but adequate for the job of crossing the Meikledale Burn if you go carefully. If this had been a part of Langholm Walks network it would have had to be wider, and have handrails, but it has no part to play in the official Meikledale Walk.

Tom and Niall cross the Meikledale Burn very carefully

A good view of the Meikledale Burn.

The improved forestry road going up the valley.

Gaining in height on the way up the valley.

After lunch in the Buccleuch Centre I had to take Gaye up to Bentpath to see a friend so I took the opportunity to complete a walk I had started a few weeks ago on the same visitation. This is the track beyond Glendinning on the way to the Bothy at Greensykes. 

The bridge half a mile above Glendinning and it has certainly seen better days.

It has been patched up since I was last here over 6 years ago and must occasionally take the odd quad bike over it but I doubt if anything bigger can go over these days.

There is a house up the road that crosses this bridge, but I don't think anybody lives in that house now.

I have walked up this old road and track on a circular walk to Greensykes Bothy many times over the years, but it's a bit too far nowadays.

I only walked a mile in the afternoon but it reminded me of many enjoyable walks in past years. I went back down the road that follows the Meggat water and enjoyed a lovely afternoon cup of tea with Gaye and Wilma at Bentpath.

Fungi Near The Duchess Bridge

I like Fungi and these are some photos taken round the Lodge walks in the last week or so and most of them are within a hundred yards of the Duchess Bridge. I have no idea what any of them are called and I don't think there is an App that will identify them yet unlike my I-Phones ability to recognise flowers.

These trees blew down during Storm Arwen in November 2021 and they have lain untouched since then.

Most of the trees are also covered in Moss.

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