northernvicar walks – February 2017

My idea was to walk 1,000 miles in 2017 (after Harry ran 1,000 in 2016). I managed 11 miles in London on 3 February, and got a useful sermon for the Queen’s Accession out of it – there are a lot of royal connections between Euston and the V&A. I also spotted these two plaques on the wall of the Norwegian Embassy and are made of Coade Stone. Coade Stone is an artificial stone and we had the most northerly piece of it in St Mary’s, Ponteland (or so I was once told). This National Trust website will answer every question you ever had about it.

The next day I managed a 7 mile walk down the Derwent from the City Centre by the Silk Mill to Alvaston Park, along the Derby Canal, and back past the owl on the statue of Florence Nightingale which stood outside the old London Road hospital.

4 miles through Markeaton Park to the centre of Derby and back on 8 February. This is the remains of the narrow gauge railway which ran round the Park until last summer. How could they close it just before I arrived?

On Saturday 11 February I was on the first train of the season from Duffield to Wirksworth on the Ecclesbourne Valley Line – website – their dmus bring back my childhood chasing trains round East Anglia. Then I walked up to the Cromford and High Peak Trail – website – and down to High Peak Junction. Then bus back to Duffield. A fun three hours, but only 4 miles of walking.

Add 2 miles past Friargate on Monday 13, and 4 miles to Chapter at the University on 16th. 3 in Sheffield on 24th, plus another 6 – so that makes a monthly total of 41. Slightly more than in January (when I did 34), but I’m still 36 miles down this month on where I should be if aiming for 1,000 miles. I should have done 162 miles, I have done 75. At this rate I won’t even be a Proclaimer. Still, the days are getting longer.