We’ve spent most of the past fortnight emptying boxes and hosting family in our new house - and it’s been fun, even emptying the boxes (mostly). We knew we were setting ourselves a challenge doing both so close together, but we really wouldn’t have had it any other way. We’ve shown them our house, and our new area (or some of it at least) and it’s been great.

But it wasn’t until yesterday that I finally got around to leaving our new house on foot to explore some of the footpaths right on our doorstep. And it was so good to do that. When looking at the area we’d walked a direct route and a more scenic route to and from the pub in the next village - priorities right?! - but we hadn’t explored things closer to home.

We knew that just around the corner was a lane which led towards the River Trent, so we headed down there following the old brick wall as it wound its way round and under the brick bridge - it looks like a railway bridge, but if it is (and we don’t think it is) it isn’t a line that’s active, and onto an ornate entrance ‘for deliveries'.

From there on the wall ended and the views really opened up, and we followed the lane as it weaved its way around fields until we spotted the yellow topped wooden marker for the public bridleway, when we turned onto a narrow, verdant path.

A view of fields and open countryside with a tree or two on the horizon on the right of the picture

A yellow topped wooden post marking the public bridleway

A narrow trail through trees, bushes and nettles

Dodging the nettles, me more successfully than MOH it wasn’t long before the path opened out and the red haze of the (most likely) weeds caught my eye, as did the pink flowering clover along the pathway.

a sea of red most likely weeds in front of trees as the path opened up

pink flowering clover in the grass of the path

We could soon hear the River Trent and it wasn’t too long before we were on its banks, along with a few anglers from the local piscatorial society. To our left was a recently harvested field of barley rising up to where we’d started from.

a view of the River Trent from the pathway

Along the way there were plenty of thistles, resplendent in purple and complete with fluff and I also noted the potential for some blackberrying later in the summer!

Brambles and scope for blackberrying later in the summer

Reaching a junction we turned back on ourselves, so walking parallel to the river but back on ourselves alongside fields of barley, this time with a poppy or two for a pop of colour. A view that’s really quite different to those we’re used to in South London, even Greenwich Park can’t quite offer this solitude and peacefulness.

Two red poppies growing alongside a field of barley, with a tree in the distance and a cloudy sky

Thistle flowers about to burst into flower

As we ended our walk I spotted this thistle which seemed a bit behind the rest we’d seen on our walk, which also handily seemed to be better positioned for a snap - I’m quite pleased with how it turned out, and the detail that my iPhone was able to pick out.

An hour outside, three miles walked and so much more headspace regained. For us the move was a lot about space, and maximising that - already it feels like home here, and there’s so much more to explore. I’m hoping that our next venture out on foot is that one we’ve tried before, to the pub in the next village - we really should double check it, shouldn’t we?!