The Deepings annual summer walk (organised by Ali) was short on walkers this year but big on event joiners later in the pub. Possibly a sign of the times as a few of our number are less robust walkers than in former times… or possibly the holiday season had already claimed them.
Ali selected the charming village of Bainton, somewhat off the beaten track of the A15 route between Deepings and Bourne in Lincolnshire. A ‘hidden gem’ as the tourist office might advertise.
I can’t describe how balmy the evening was and somehow special as it marked the summer solstice and came as a sudden gorgeous evening after a beautiful long awaited summer day. To be in John Clare Country on such a day was very meaningful.
We listened to birdsong and interpreted the birds very accurately with the Wildlife Trust recommended mobile application. Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Our gentle stroll took in gardens, historical buildings – some repurposed; thatch cottages; narrow wooded lanes, an ancient sheep wash ( in use until the 1970s) and evidence of local action for nature in the form of wildflower verges and meadows.
