[New post] Walking the Tennyson Twenty in the Lincolnshire Wolds
clarejk2014 posted: " Looking for a walk challenge that didn't have complicated logistics of where and when to stay over or would require a week off work, I came across The Tennyson Twenty on the Long Distance Walkers Association website. There was a pdf of directions for" Dreams and Adventures at Cosy Cottage
Looking for a walk challenge that didn't have complicated logistics of where and when to stay over or would require a week off work, I came across The Tennyson Twenty on the Long Distance Walkers Association website. There was a pdf of directions for the Lincolnshire Wolds walk that can be downloaded or sent away for.
This walk takes in various villages circling Tennyson's birthplace, Somersby. We aimed to have a wander in the poet's home at the end of the day. That was the intention anyway. But first, the walk.
It was a 20 mile hike which would be extremely challenging for me and fairly challenging for Simon and although it may have been possible to divide it into two 10 mile rambles, stopping off half way at a b&b (although I didn't see any signs for accommodation), it was decided that a day walk would be more of a challenge.
In practical terms, this would be the easiest solution. We would leave from Simon's house, drive an hour to park at Hagworthingham, bring a bottle of water and a packed lunch, and make our way back to the car at the end of the circular route.
Of course 20 miles is not the easiest solution for the legs! So I had two weeks to train, not enough time to become super fit, or even fit, but by aiming for 3 to 5 miles most days, including walking the family jack russells, participating in Leslie Sansome's Walk A Mile YouTube fitness videos, walking to meet up with a friend, walking to the library, supermarket, hairdressers... I did become slightly fitter. The longest I walked in one day was 8 miles, but the Lancashire weather didn't help me to get outdoors for long spells.
On a Friday morning, we woke and set off early, arriving at the small village of Hagworthingham about 9am. Surprisingly, considering the rainy, cold weather in the North West, the sun was shining and it was mild. Carrying the directions and a map, we embarked on our adventure in the Lincolnshire Wolds.
Passing a house with the aptly named sign 'Eggholme' (where Simon paid for some eggs), we walked along a path into a field with ivy and hawthorn hedges lining the left hand side, they were packed with insect biodiversity - flies, wasps, butterflies, especially red admirals. Ivy is particularly important for insects in early autumn when there are fewer flowers. Further on, Simon could smell the scent of fox and we noticed fox or deer prints.
The blackberries were still out, but rapidly nearing their cut-off date for this season. After all, the devil will be out spitting on them on (although I have also heard he pees on them too). Not something I want in my jar of jam! September 29 is apparently 'Devil Spits Day' when it comes to fruit folklore and although this may be an old wife's tale, blackberries are certainly past their best-before date by this time.
Lincolnshire chalk stream - tributary of Tennyson's Brook Picture by Simon Hunter
Tennyson wrote a famous poem about a brook and we came across what the directions call, 'a tributary of Tennyson's Brook'. The brook is one of Lincolnshire's chalk streams which are internationally rare habitats and vital for wildlife - one of the reasons why Lincolnshire Wolds is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Along the walk we saw gentle rolling hills and fields, including one with potatoes growing. A healthy ash tree was a happy sight, and we rambled past crab apple trees, soapwort, sycamores, and small-leaved lime trees - Britain's largest lime wood is situated in the Wolds. A call of a kestrel was heard and later the cry of buzzards resonated through the air.
Simon was pleasantly surprised how the Lincolnshire Wolds were more biodiverse and interesting than he assumed, thinking it would just be boring fields.
Lincolnshire Wolds Picture by Simon Hunter
Our first main village was Tetford, where we paid a visit to the church which sold Tennyson bookmarks for a donation. Leaving Tetford, a hill (the only one on the walk although there were inclines further on) beckoned us onwards. I realised that a 20-mile hill walk would be too testing for me as I plodded up the hill. Why are hill walks so difficult? Thank goodness the rest of the trek would be flatter! But the views over the Wolds at the top was worth the climb, the sea at Skegness could just about be seen as the sky was very clear. And two buzzards circled the air, a pair presumably as they didn't seem to be fighting?
On a path, we crossed a farmyard with a strange church-like building on its grounds. Whether it was once a church, is a church or was something that looked like a church I still do not know.
Past fishing lakes and our route now took us to the tiny St Olave's Church in Ruckland - the smallest in Lincolnshire. There had been an older church there but this was rebuilt in 1880. There was a grave which had two branches tied together on top. An ancient local custom?
The busiest section of the walk was crossing the A16 at the village of Burwell. According to the directions, there was a pub here but if there was, it certainly wasn't The Stags Head, now a private house by the look of it. The most interesting building was an octagonal building called The Buttercross Hall. I looked up this unusual site on Wikipedia and it read: "Burwell buttercross was converted into a dovecote and is now the village hall. Dating from the beginning of the seventeenth century with later alterations, it is a Grade II listed building."
We took a lunch break around 12 or so, by lucky coincidence we found a bench en route. At this stage we were near the site of Burwell Hall, it looked like there had been once a walled garden but the manor house had been demolished in 1958.
All in all, it was a very quiet walk with a grand total of three dog walkers encountered. It was a Friday rather than a Saturday or Sunday and maybe this was why.
The one who we met in Swaby was very chatty and asked where we were from, we showed her the map and told her where we were heading.
"Oh, gosh! That is far."
But she was even more impressed with how far we had come since this morning. (Maybe she would go back to her husband and tell him of the two strange masochistic ramblers she met that day).
Wishing us good weather (it was starting to rain) and good luck for the rest of the journey, she went along her way.
Before I knew it, we had entered and exited Swaby. Much smaller than I expected, some of these villages were more like hamlets. At times, public footpaths took us through gardens and now a route through someone's (large) garden continued alongside a stream and into Swaby Nature Reserve. There wasn't much to see in this secluded valley at the moment but I could imagine it being busy with wildlife at other times of the year. From the reserve into a woodland then a field and that was where we ran into an intimidating gang who didn't want us to cross the - their - field.
I got the feeling they didn't want us there...
"You can't come in here." I imagined their leader saying.
I like cows but their size and weight makes me feel apprehensive while walking past them. Simon led the way through the herd, I followed, avoiding eye contact. Once we got to the other side of the gate, we sheltered under the trees from the rain. The cows came over and watched us from the other side, maybe out of curiosity?
Simon took this photo of the cattle, I was more concerned about getting across the field!
Calceby - ruined church at deserted medieval village Picture by Simon Hunter
South Thoresby was our next village, one with a church and a nature reserve. We didn't have the time or energy to look around either so we pressed on. The directions and a sign alerted us to Calceby, a deserted medieval village. We couldn't see anything except the ruined church which can still be seen.
In the distance, a beautiful rainbow broke out.
According to Simon's map, the last three villages were fairly close to together. Maybe we took the scenic route as the alleged three or five miles felt much, much longer. Or perhaps it was three miles to each individual village rather than a total of three miles? Whatever the case, the route to Driby, Brinkhill and Bag Enderby (which sounded very much like somewhere Bilbo Baggins may have lived), became increasingly monotonous and a slog. There were times when I wondered if we were actually on the right track...
The last five miles felt like a trudge along a never-ending bridalway bordering a field which went on and on and on... Simon spotted a hare and a bullfinch but unfortunately I missed both.
At Bag Enderby we saw a sign to Somersby, Tennyson's birthplace which we meant to visit later today. It would only be a mile from where we were but it was a detour and neither of us had the energy for such things. So we delayed our trip to Tennyson's home village for after the hike.
When we finally reached Hagworthingham about 5pm, The George and Dragon Pub beckoned us in with temptations of a sit down, lemonade and crisps. Just what was needed after a long walk.
Our intention was to pay a visit to Somersby, Tennyson's village, at the finale of the trek. At a more optimistic, idealistic point earlier, we had pondered about walking to it (a mere mile) at the end, during the slow trudge this had changed to driving to it on the way home, but by the time we got back to the car, all thoughts of Tennyson, Somersby and poetical endeavours had gone out of mind. All we wanted was a sit down and something to eat (and a cup of tea). I'd like to go back to Somersby one day, but without the 20 miles of walking!
I would recommend the walk but make sure you have a map as well. The directions could be vague at times if landmarks aren't mentioned and if you miss a left or a right turn, it can get confusing. We debated whether it would have been better to have gone the other way round as the first two thirds is the more interesting of the walk. But then maybe there wouldn't have been as much wildlife to see after the rain or we would have been too tired to notice anyway?
If you fancy a 20-mile challenge, here's the link...
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