Our usual walking members were delighted to have our friend Florence with us at Witham On The Hill in Lincolnshire this month. She is a lovely [French] friend to many in the NWR Deepings Group through her regular contributions at the quarterly Book Group and is a frequent Folk Club attendee. She was looking fabulous, despite recent serious illness and treatment. We’re hoping she will regularly join our spin-off walking group: she proved a tonic to us as well as herself.
Getting out into nature together, talking, walking, experiencing new local places, sharing news and information is what our monthly outings have become. There are few ‘hills‘ in Lincolnshire, so to enjoy some broad rolling vistas on the edge of the Wolds is always a treat. I found an ideal 3 mile circuit that commences from the Witham On The Hill village green along the western perimeter of the churchyard wall down and across the meadows between lovely Barnack Stone dwellings. We stayed on broad tracks and a former railway line crossing empty farmland dotted with copses and woodland. We sniffed Autumn in the air today and Jo rambled with the brambles that shouted out to be picked as we slowly walked full circle.
We hope we enabled a shrew to rescue itself from drowning – having spotted it swimming in circles in a very full drain – we left him with branches to climb up. Otherwise, a slow day for bird spotting and not one deer crossing our path.
We were intrigued by a sizeable patch of SET-ASIDE farmland for its Crimson Clover, Buckwheat, Vetches, Maize, and purple Phaecilia. (Grown for bumblebees and insects. Likely part of SFI ( sustainable farming incentive) government environmental schemes that lots of farmers have signed up to provide food and look after nature and the environment.) It’s where we spotted this very agile Devil’s Coach Horse Beetle.
We are lucky to have a Michelin Guide pub in this village, situated between Bourne and Stamford. The Six Bells welcomed us to a cosy nook beside the bar where we squeezed in (all 7 of us) for coffees and delightful starters. Quite a splash from our usual café snacks.
https://www.sixbellswitham.co.uk/
We intend to revisit the village to explore the Medieval Church, Stocks and Victorian school house, taking a shorter route next time (and perhaps more starters on the pub menu…).