The Walkers and Strollers met at Stoke Bruerne in April but as you see, the Strollers were rather thin on the ground!
However, Tim, Margaret, Angela and myself really enjoyed our gentle amble along the canal to the entrance of the Blisworth tunnel and then up through the woods. Weather wise it was a perfect day and at 12.30 p.m. we joined the Walkers for lunch in the Boat Inn.
Thanks to Tim Smith for organising.
On a lovely morning twenty five members of the Rambling Group set out on their latest four mile walk from The Boat Inn at Stoke Bruerne. Starting off along the canal towpath we soon came to the tunnel entrance where we shared a short potted history (Tunnel started in 1793, collapsed in 1796, abandoned, and after seven years excavation finally opened in 1805).
We then walked on towards the dismantled railway line and turned onto open fields heading towards the village of Shutlanger. The remainder of the walk turned into the most scenic as it skirted Stoke Park estate with most of the fields full of sheep and their lambs. Stoke Park was once a 400 acre deer park owned by Henry V111 but is now owned privately and used as a wedding venue.
One of the pleasures of this walk was the fact that there was no traffic noise along the whole of the route. We arrived back at Boat Inn just in time to sit down and enjoy a very welcome and tasty lunch.