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December 22, 2022

Orkney – Rousay and Egilsay

We’ve been to Orkney several times, but haven’t really done many of the Outer Islands. On Tuesday 28 June I ambled down to the Ferry office and a couple of staff sorted me out for a trip to Rousay and Egilsay the following day (we were the standby car on the final leg which could have meant we were unable to travel – they weren’t having that, so phoned the ferry’s captain to ensure there would be space for us). The following morning the question was “which idiot booked us on the 0820 boat from Tingwall to Rousay? When...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Scotland Comments: 0
December 22, 2022

Orkney – a little bit of the St Magnus Way

I have been keeping an eye on the St Magnus Way website – https://www.stmagnusway.com/ -a 55 mile route across Orkney from the Broch of Gurness to Kirkwall, via Birsay and Orphir. 31 miles of it is on road, so I had wondered how much Julie and I could do together (she uses a powerchair). In the end we did very little. We had a lovely walk together on Sunday 26 June along the shoreline from the Broch of Gurness, and I did a bit more the following day, but I found it was harder walking than I had expected,...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Scotland Comments: 0
December 22, 2022

northernvicarwalks – June 2022

June started with Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and a four day weekend. We decorated both churches – flowers and memories at St Edmund’s Allestree and Jubilee Birds (made by our local schools) at St Matthew’s Darley Abbey. There are a lot more photos at https://www.stedsandstmatts.co.uk/jubilee I had two railway jaunts round the Midlands and a trip to London for a wedding and to ride the new Elizabeth Line.
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Railway History Comments: 0
December 26, 2021

northernvicarwalks – November 2021

This was the month we finally managed to restart our Toddler Group, and that was a huge pleasure. Remembrance Sunday was busy too – I felt mixed emotions, pleased that the place was full, but worried about the number of people who were there. I managed two train trips – a day to Hull and a morning up the Joint Line. An almost-daily Facebook Ramble. We had two lovely days out. Sadly Bourneville church was locked, though the bookshop was open. Kenilworth church was open, but there was a wedding in progress (how dare they be busy when northernvicar...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/Railway History Comments: 0
December 26, 2021

northernvicarwalks – September 2021

I don’t know if anyone reads these monthly summaries, but if – in the future – I want to know what railways I did, what walking I didn’t do, or my thoughts on facebook, at least I will know where to find them. There was a railway jaunt based on Sheffield. As well as the London churches I blogged about, I did the Docklands Light Railway and the whole of the Circle line. A ride on the Tyne and Wear Metro while up North with Harry and Sarah. And a couple of journeys while we had a week’s holiday...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Railway History Comment: 1
September 1, 2021

northernvicarwalks – August 2021

I should entitle these monthly summaries “northernvicardoesn’twalk” or “northernvicarridestherails”. I only walked 20 miles this month. I rode lots of trains. The Wrexham Bidston line, Sheffield trams (though I had to walk the final mile when they took my tram out of service!), the Apedale Railway, two days in Bristol (including a ride through St Philip’s Marsh Depot), Edinburgh and the tram, Birmingham (with two freight lines), and Bedford/Leighton Buzzard. I can feel your excitement! There was a lot of work done – an email from On High “hoping I was having a quiet summer” got a resounding raspberry....
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Railway History/Yorkshire Comments: 2
August 26, 2021

northernvicarwalks – July 2021

Northern Vicar is not very good at walking. I only managed 17 miles this month, partly because of an ingrowing toenail. I did manage railway trips to Marple, the tram curve in the middle of Sheffield, the early morning curves used in Toton yard, the line at Amerton, and the East Coast Main line from Doncaster down to Peterborough and back via Pyewipe Junction in Lincoln. Here are the railway records – part of my campaign to do all British Rail track for a third time. I did manage to do some work. We have 10 am services in...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Northumberland/Railway History/Roman Britain Comments: 0
August 26, 2021

northernvicarwalks – June 2021

Most of June was spent on Orkney, and I’ll blog a couple of churches from there shortly. No railway trips at all that month, and facebook ramblings were a bit erratic. Here they are for posterity. In the week we came home we had a lovely walk along the Chesterfield Canal from the Hollingwood Hub, plus three weddings (including a bus), a baptism, a couple of memorial services, and an Annual Parochial Church meeting (or was it two?). We had a morning out hoping to explore churches, but Fenny Bentley, Bradbourne and Brassington were all locked. The month only...
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August 26, 2021

northernvicarwalks – May 2021

Lotherton Hall in Yorkshire, my second railway jaunt (Sheffield across to Lincoln), and Darley Abbey Day (mainly on line, but with a decorated “moment” in the churchyard – have a look at the church website (www.stedsandstmatts.co.uk > News > 2021 January to July) to see more. Renishaw Hall again, with stunning bluebells and bulbs, and an afternoon chasing trains in Liverpool. A trip to the Black Country Museum in Dudley, a trip to the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway, and a few days “up north”. 18 miles walked, but facebook ramblings done almost every day.
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Railway History Comments: 0