A New Adventure - A Run to Thorpe Village

Today I determined, would be a run into new territory. But where to go go? At my current level of fitness, I've pretty much reached the extreme of my running range with my runs to North Muskham lake, and there aren't many other places I've not visited that are in range.

However, I remembered that although I've cycled through Thorpe village often enough, I've never run there, so I decided that was the way to go. Especially as I had previously noted that there was a footpath leading out of the village that I could explore and thus avoid having to retrace my route back, something very very OCD brain hates me doing. 

I hadn't even got to the village when on arriving at the Farndon A46 flyover, I had the joy of spotting a lapwing engaging in a tumbling courtship flight, although I couldn't spot who he was trying to impress; and then as I got nearer, a small flock of swallows swooped above, seemingly heading for Thorpe as well while a group of their cousins sat rather more lazily on a telegraph wire. 

I wished as I was sat up there with them. The journey seemed so much shorter on a bicycle.

Thorpe is a tiny hamlet, with a population of less than 100, but it's been around a long time. Henry Tudor raised his standard here to prior to the War of the Roses battle at East Stoke about a mile to the south-west, and supposedly there were Roman artefacts and a fortress named "Ad Pontem" nearby (Ad Pontem = To the Bridge???). The Fosseway would have passed through the area, and there have been many such finds around Newark. 

The church of Saint Laurence stands within the settlement, behind a somewhat intimidating horsey type residence. All around are houses I could never afford in a thousand lifetimes, and no matter how pretty a place it is - and the old houses are not so old on closer inspection - there's no pub, and no shop and a very long hike to either.

Speaking of hiking, so many public paths are incredibly badly marked in the Newark area it's untrue. As I ran out of the village, figuring I would be able to get home through the fields as a path was indicated, I found myself running along the edge of farmer's fields thinking I was perhaps technically trespassing. And then I would come across a yellow arrow in the middle of nowhere, and you would follow where it pointed for a bit until you came to the edge of a field, then nothing! Had the same problem when running to Southwell last autumn.

Thus I found myself running underneath a 300 foot wind turbine, probably not recommended. 

I didn't get chopped up like ham by a stray blade however, and made it home safe after covering 9 miles. Now I know why those Tour de France cyclists have massages all the time.

Si

Suppose this will be Thorpe village, then

Yours for more money than you'll ever have

Private pond, complete with squabbling canada geese and goslings

St Laurence Church

The Manor House, now a posh B and B I think

White house

Still plenty of blossom here

Busy blossom customer

For some reason I always like to see these village info boards

Dragons

Rabbit hole

Quo Vadis? across the empty fields

Wind turbine

Oil seed rape

Steps not for tired legs

Found near home, clumps of this speedwell like stuff

Hello! It's a tawny mining bee!

Love these colours