The Adventures of even-star and Stella Dave

Show Calendar Update

2011-06-21T21:52:00.000+01:00

Yes indeed! Check out the show calendar for events up to second weekend in July.

More to follow in the next couple of days...

Ess Car Go! Social Networking for Snails

2011-06-10T14:55:00.001+01:00

Exerpt of an actual conversation I had today with SD

e-s: On my walk today all the snails were out. It was like Moo-Book*. But for snails. SnailBook

SD: Did you say hello to them?

e-s: Yes but they were too busy SnailBooking

SD: Were you asking them where it was at?

e-s: No, I said "Hello Mr. Snail"**

*You think cows all end up in the same place at the same time by accident? Think again my friends.
** I actually did say this to the snails. I also sing in the grocery store. You wanna make something of it?

Review: Tabley Game and Country Fair

2011-06-06T07:49:00.001+01:00

Saturday took us to the Tabley Game and Country Fair. It was out in Knutsford in Cheshire set in the grounds of Tabley House. Once a great manor it is now a retirement care home and the fair was held in the fields surrounding the house.

It was a bit of a shaky start. What can only be described as scantily clad pirate wenches manned the entrance and took our admission money. We got there mid morning and there was barely anyone there. From across the parking area the whole affair looked small and unpromising.

We wandered the stalls for about an hour and, rather down hearted, almost headed back to the car.

Dave suggested we grab a bite before hitting the road. He had venison sausages and I had a delicious venison burger and after receiving our food we turned our attention to huge centre display area.

We then spent the four hours being immensely entertained by all manner of displays of dogs, birds, classic cars, and country pursuits.

Far from ending in disappointment we realised we had pulled a blinder. It was a fantastic day out full of entertainment, fresh air, puppies, and country characters.

Number 1 Events are the same organisers who did the Astle Park Steam Rally we went to last year. They have lots more events happening this season and we are hoping to get to one or two more of them.

Details

Show: Tabley Game and Country Fair
Organiser: Number 1 Events
Date: June 4th and 5th 2011
Location: Tabley House, Knutsford, Cheshire
Admission: £8

Overall Rating

6 Pairs of Hunters

After the disappointment of the SEAS Spring Leisure Show I have to admit Dave and I did not have high hopes for Tabley. And it was a bit of a slow burner. BUT... It came good. Great in fact. We arrived at about 11:00 and had enough to keep us occupied and entertained until nearly 5:00 in the afternoon.

I am being a wee bit conservative on the rating. Mostly because the website oversold it ever so slightly. For example they promised heavy horses and rare breeds. The reality was two heavy horses, which were actually lovely in their bells and brasses, and not any rare breeds. Unless you lump the horses into that category as well.

All I'm saying is if you went expecting to see lots of different animals you would have been disappointed.

Country craft demonstrations were also on the website list of features and there weren't really any as such. But as there were lots of country sports demos going on I will let that one go as semantics.

The categories below are judged accordingly based on the price of admission and over all quality of what is on offer. A value for money index so to speak.

Location: Good
Good location. Easy to find out in Knutsford and well sign posted. .
Tabley House is a huge manor house on an extensive estate. The house itself in now a retirement care home and you can't go in.

The show was held in the fields out in front of the house. It has a pretty private lake and it was very pleasant to walk around.

Parking: Good
Good and free. No hassle in or out. Organised and sane. We weren't sure what to make of the whorish wenches tending the gates though.

I hypothesised that perhaps Tabley House was a GENTLEMEN'S care home and the girls on the gate were like from the house. Drafted in to help out with the fair.

Dave didn't really know what to make of this theory. Or rather he didn't know what to make of the fact that it was MY theory.

Facilities: Good
The toilets were in good trailers and were real flushing ones with running water. Basic but clean and miles better than the horrible blue chemical ones you get most of the time.

Dave and myself are lucky enough to be able bodied and are not the best judges of accessibility. The show was held in a field but the ground was pretty good being dry and level. We did see people in wheel chairs etc and they did not appear to be having any difficulties.

Layout and Size: Fair
The show had a nucleus of sorts. It was the show ring and around that were vendors and stalls. Further out they had the clay pigeon shooting, which kept that noise away from the main ground, and fly fishing by the lake.

It was not a hooge area but it was a good walk around. And it was laid out well.

Exhibitor Variety: Fair
Even though there were not many exhibitors, there was some variety. Not the usual 7-3 junk jewelry to fudge ratio.

There was also a brilliant variety of non-vendors. Owls, birds of prey, gun dogs, shooting, and classic cars were on offer.

There was one brilliant stall selling old tools to which we returned twice. Dave got a couple of bargoons there. It was neat actually because they (the tool stall holders) are a charity who refurbish old tools and send them to developing countries to be given to people who can't afford decent tools. What they were selling were the ones not worth saving and the money went to the charity.

The web site promised heavy horses, rare breeds, and rural craft demonstrations. There were two magnificent horses but no rare breeds or crafts demos. Which is a shame because it kind of oversold something that didn't need it. And probably lead to some disappointment.

But I am rating this fair because there was a good variety in what was actually there.

Exhibitor Quality: Fair
This is an overall average. The vendors were offering pretty poor stuff really but the animal and country pursuits exhibitors were excellent.

Food (catering): Good
Relatively speaking it was reasonably priced and of a good variety. Dave and I had venison for lunch and got some venison burgers to take home to BBQ for dinner.

All in all it was the usual stuff: fish and chips, sausages, ice cream, beer.

I think the food was good mostly because we were there long enough and walking around enough to work up a good appetite. We even had ice cream!

Food (exhibitors): Poor
Almost non-existent and the same old fare: fudge, sausages, jam, cheese, and cupcakes. Nothing outstanding or from farms and producers in the area.

In terms of food I will admit that, having been to Chatsworth last year, Dave and I have been spoiled. Nothing even comes close. Even so the selection at Tabley was rather dire. They didn't even had enough of them to fill a marquee on their own. They had to share with the arts and crafts.

Arts and Crafts: Fair
I have graded this fair because due the the overall sparsity of vendors we were not over loaded with tat.

There was not a lot there that could be classified as art or craft in the sense of being handmade by an artist. All the same there wasn't really anyone trying to pass off Made in China crap as crafts.

Events and Attractions:Excellent
From the minute we got there until after we left the displays in the centre ring did not stop. Dog agility, sheep dog and gun dog training demos, an hilarious trio of trained owls, and lure races. All either hunting or dog or country sport related. And all very good.

Almost all of them tried to involve kids from the spectators in some way and people with dogs were able to have a go at lure running.Or at least their dogs were.

Animals: Good
I really should rate this excellent but I am giving it a good because the show didn't exactly deliver on the website's promises. Technically there were heavy horseS. But there were only two. And no rare breeds. Other than the horses.

So it is the promised variety with which I have a bone to pick. The animals and the people promoting them (especially the dogs and I am NOT a dog person) were excellent.

Demonstrations and Activities:Fair
As well as all the entertainment in the ring there was fly fishing, clay pigeon shooting, archery, a mini dog show, helicopter rides, tons of bouncy castles, and a few crazy doods with small traction engines.

There was also a chef doing demos in the food/craft tent but Dave and I preferred to be out in the sunshine.

Nothing out of the ordinary but still a good variety.

Atmosphere: Good
For the size of the fair there was a good number of people. The day was warm and mostly sunny and everyone looked like they were having fun. It was great to have so much going on in which spectators could participate.

Value for Money: Good
Just the entertainment and demos were worth the price of admission. It definitely made up for the small number of vendors. Because there were not a lot of vendors we didn't feel overwhelmed by the same old crap.

We had a great day out.

Welcome to the Show Season!

2011-05-03T15:33:00.000+01:00

A strange thing occurred to me the other day while reviewing our weekends over the last couple of months. Actually since Christmas.

You see, it appears that if it is -10C, snowing, and both of us are in real danger of slipping off the side of a mountain we simply cannot wait to get outside and haul our crazy asses around the English countryside.

But as soon as the sun comes out and the temperature goes up we cannot seem to bring ourselves to leave the backyard let alone trek around the Peak District or Thames Estuary in gaiters and gortex.

I mentioned this to Dave. His insight was, uh, insightful.

One cannot sit out in the backyard, tend the garden, BBQ, or amble about in the freezing cold and driving rain. We both love getting outside whenever we can and in the dark of the year the only way to endure the outdoors is to march.

I think I said "hmph" in response to this more thoughtful than usual analysis from the bear. And there is indeed so much ambling to be done between April and October in Britain. This is Show season.

An insight of my own I will add here:

The life of the British countryside, as it was before the industrial revolution, holds a mythical and romantic place in the British heart. Hardly anyone here lives or works or even understands the agricultural life of their own country. Thoroughbred horses, tweed, sherry, and Hunters are what the English like to think is the part and parcel of the life of the countryside.

And they celebrate it. This idealised and idyllic lifestyle of gentle fields, bleating lambs, steam powered threshing machines, and country houses full of hounds and family plate.

And thank goodness they do or Dave and I would have nothing to do on weekends.

From April to October there is hardly a week goes by without at least one Game Show, Country Fair (or Fayre if you prefeyer), Food Festival, or Rally. North and South people flock to these outdoor events the soul purpose of which is to promote the British countryside, agricultural life, and utterly unattainable lord-of-the-manor lifestyle that we plebs would like to think all farmers and landed gentry live.

This is utterly removed from my experience of country life. Being of Canadian farming stock and growing up with people who were hardly more than one or two generations removed from the same, I am very aware of the harshness of farming life. Dirt, pest, disease, weather, and endless hard graft do not figure in the English imagination of agricultural existence. In Canada this life in itself is not cause for celebration. In the autumn communities celebrate the harvest and show off the best of their produce at district fairs. It does not include the flogging of luxury goods. Canadians don't hunt moose for fun. They do it because it means they will have meat for the winter.

So much for insight.

You would think that it would be fairly easy to find out what is going on for the season but it takes quite a lot of research. Unless you live local to where the event is taking place you would never hear of it or think to look for it. This is especially true for the food festivals. These are usually limited to an item produced very locally by a particular county or even particular town or village.

There is a lot of relentless googling of terms like "showground", "country show", and "game fair" but even the big ones don't have official sites that figure high in the SE rankings.

There are a number of events organisers around and if you go to one show take note of the organiser. They are bound to have a website publicising other events. This is how I filled up the majority of our calendar. Another good way to find events is to look for exhibitor stall availability.

If you are out and about in the English countryside take note of the (often) bright yellow PVC signs cable tied to telephone poles and crash barriers. This is the best method for finding these events and you can end up with a gem. This is how we knew about the Steam Rally at Astle Park last year.

I will be posting on one of my pages here the best sites for finding shows and fairs and I will also be rating the ones we attend this year.

Our first show of the season was the South of England Agricultural Society Spring Garden and Leisure Show.

Click HERE to see how we faired (ha ha ha. Oh come on now. Admit it. It is a BIT funny)

Review: South of England Agricultural Society Spring Garden and Leisure Show

2011-05-03T15:31:00.001+01:00

The SEAS (South of England Agricultural Society) Spring Garden and Leisure Show was our first show of the season and a rather accidental one. My 'rents had to get to Gatwick Sunday morning so I thought why waste the journey and why not see if there is anything going on 'tother side of the bridge.

Details

Show: South of England Agricultural Society Spring Garden and Leisure Show
Organiser: SEAS
Date: May 1st, 2011
Location: SEAS showground, Ardingly, East Sussex
Admission: £9 (per adult)

Overall Rating:

Three Pairs of Hunters

We have not been to an SEAS show before (The SEAS has a hooge ground at Ardingly and holds several fairs a year) and based on this initial experience I don't know as we will be attending another.

The Spring Garden and Leisure Show is their first show of year and they do a lot of good promoting the English countryside and agriculture. Or at least they are meant to. But Dave and I were disappointed.

It was a lovely sunny day and the drive out to Ardingly was very pleasant. When we got there the show had just opened. Standing in line for tickets a lady came up to us and asked us if we wanted to buy a double admission ticket for a fiver. Something to do with showing her dogs.

Well, we were sure glad we did. £2.50 each was about right for what was on offer! This was barely a step up from a village fete.

The categories below are judged accordingly based on the price of admission and over all quality of what is on offer. A value for money index so to speak.

Location: Good

Good location. Easy to find in Ardingly and well sign posted as the South of England Agricultural Society show ground.

I would advise them to put the postal code on their location web page for the benefit of the now ubiquitous satnav.

It is just a show ground. No gardens, great house etc there but the surroundings were quite pleasant and clean if not particularly spectacular.

Parking: Good

Good and free. No hassle in or out. Organised and sane.

Facilities: Excellent

The SEAS owns the showground. It is purpose built rather than just playing host to events periodically. As such the facilities were brilliant. Real permanent toilet blocks and running water. Never too busy and they were clean.

Dave and myself are lucky enough to be able bodied so could not really judge accessibility. There were paved paths and all the buildings appeared to have wheel chair access. That made this show a bit friendlier than others we have been to.

Layout and Size: Fair

The showground was too big for what was on offer. Too much space with too little in it. But the craft marquee was crammed. They would have done better to allocate more space to that area. There was lots to spare!

The showground is hooge but that being said the show itself was not very big. Not a lot there. There was quite a lot of empty space and the space used was not used particularly efficiently or effectively.

Exhibitor Variety: Dreadful

There were people selling shoes, people selling junk jewellery, people selling plants and lawn ornaments, and very little else.

There was a “Craft” marquee but it was the same old made in China crap you get at most shows but without anything interesting or of superior quality to balance it out.

There were two that made an impression: The Pepperpot herb farm had an amazing variety of herbs to take home and there was a French company selling ratcheted secateurs.

One thing I cannot get my head around is the apparent demand for FUDGE at these shows. There must have been ten people selling fudge. Fudge that obviously all came from the same factory.

Same goes for most of the clothing and footwear.

Exhibitor Quality: Poor

Also very poor was the quality of goods on offer. Nothing you would not find down Romford market on a Saturday. This includes most of the food retailers and catering as well.

Food (catering): Poor

Dave and I have learned not to eat out at these things. It is always VERY expensive and generally disappointing.

Here there was the usual variety of fast food: sausages, fish and chips, burgers, and beer. Nothing out of the ordinary or tempting to our tummies.

I have graded this Poor because Dave, who usually cannot resist having something that smells good, did not have an appetite for anything.

Food (exhibitors): Poor

Nothing unusual or interesting. In fact there was some stuff there that seemed out of place like the bulk sweets sellers. Someone else had obviously raided a Greggs earlier that morning and was hocking pretty ghastly looking cakes and doughnuts.

The familiar selection of sausages, standard cheeses, flavoured vinegars, honey, preserves, and curry sauces. No artisan producers or farm shops. Which was disappointing considering it was the Agricultural Society show.

Arts and Crafts: Dreadful

The amount of tat that passes for art and craft at these things always amazes me. Hardly any of it was actually genuinely handmade by the person at the stall. Mostly fair trade type goods “handmade” in cottage industries in Malaysia and the like. There is always someone selling magnetic bracelets.

Anyways there was nothing that I absolutely HAD To HAVE which would indicate an overall lack of originality and quality.

Events and Attractions: Poor

Not a great selection there being but two choices:

If you were a dog person you would have been there for the dog show. Not a huge event but interesting if you were into that kind of thing. We did see some lovely beasts.

There was also a low budget gardener’s question time. We did not attend being there at the wrong sort of time and preferring to be outdoors in the sunshine.

Animals: Good

As well as the dog show there were poultry, rabbits, llamas, and alpacas. There was actually llama and alpaca judging which was interesting and Dave and I stayed to see one of the classes awarded. The kink needs to go ALL the way down but I still contend that 12 was the best one.

Not as good as some shows I have been to like Hatfield but most shows don’t do the animal husbandry or demonstrations at all so being that there was some and that it was that little bit different this made it worth while.

Demonstrations and Activities: Dreadful

There were bouncy castles and such for the children and a medieval archery club was giving lessons.

There weren’t any demonstrations as such except for the woollen guild who were hanging out and knitting and spinning with the llamas.

Note: The super chamois guy does not count as a demonstration.

Atmosphere: Fair

Not particularly festive though the crowd did bulk out toward the afternoon. For a bright sunny day I would have hoped for more energy. But we were also quite tired having been up at the crap o’ dawn so Fair is a reserved judgement.

Value for Money: Poor

Very poor. At £9 per person on the door we would have been VERY disappointed.

For what was on offer, the quality and quantity of goods, exhibitors, events, and attractions it was more like a £5 show. The few things that made it worth while were the llamas and alpacas, the giant bunnies, and the variety of herbs on offer from Pepperpot.

Sucker for a Good Pun: Throne Up Sick Bag

2011-04-15T10:22:00.000+01:00

Can puns ever be “good”.

Still, I thought that Throne Up was funny. AND as a good (and out numbered here in the UK) republican this is a royal wedding artefact actually worth having from the genius brain of Lydia Leith via Crafty Crafty

To be honest it is already to late for me. I lost it in a garden centre two weeks ago on a rack of tea towels.

Fourtune of the Week

2010-11-25T10:08:00.000Z

This week's fourtune is brought to you by:

The China Phoenix

"Happiness will bring good fourtune"

The Endless Sea Wall of Essex Estuary: A 14 Mile Circular Walk in East Essex Through Great Stambridge, Canewdon, and Paglesham

2010-11-23T14:27:00.000Z

These are directions for a 14.5 mile circular walk in south east Essex. It covers the farmland and marshes of the Roch and Crouch estuaries with the majority of the route being sea wall. It passes through the charming village of Canewdon and the mad boat yard at Paglesham. It was quite challenging and not just because of the length. Although it was mostly on the flat (as is most of Essex) the terrain was quite difficult being very muddy field paths, open paddocks, and knobbly sea wall. The idea for the walk originated at the Essex Walks website but I have rewritten the directions based on personal experience and included information that it would have been helpful to have known before we set out.

This weekend David and I thought we would test our stamina. Having done a couple ten milers we wanted to push it a bit and see how we would do at something closer to fifteen. This walk came out to 14.5 miles and it was perhaps just that little bit too much too soon. This was mostly due to the difficulty of the terrain. Flat out on the street it would have been no problem but cross country in very muddy conditions meant we were working twice as hard. It is like walking in sand.

The salt marshes and wind swept fields of south east Essex is a bleak landscape but envigorating in its own way. It is remote, rugged, and beautiful.I was struck in particular by how much colour was to be seen on a grey and chilly November day.

Parking
The walk starts in the village of Great Stambridge. Free parking is to be had in Ash Tree Court. This is on street parking in a residential area and there is not a lot of it. Please be considerate of the locals. If you plan on being a customer later you could park at the Royal Oak pub which is just across the street.

We parked in Ash Tree Court with no problems.

For your satnav reference the postal code is SS4 2AX.

Ammenities
At the start you have the Royal Oak pub, about 45 minutes in you pass through the village of Canewdon where there are two pubs and a village store, four or five miles from the end you can take a mile detour (1/2 mile there and back) to the pub near the boat yard.

In other words few and far between. Take water and food. Over half the walk is out on the sea wall where there is nothing but sky, sea, and the odd concrete bunker left from the second world war.

Directions
Coming out of Ash Tree Court cross the street and turn right. Walk up the street past the Royal Oak pub to Stewards Elm Farm Lane. Turn left up the lane and go until you get to the silly gates. At the gates turn left onto an footpath that runs along paddocks on your right. You might remember the Royal Oak from our Rochford hike. Indeed some of this route covers the same territory.

Take this path all the way to the end where it opens out on to a field. There used to be a footpath at this point but it no longer exists so instead turn right and walk along the field edge path. The path will turn left to follow the edge of the field and run along side a ditch on your right.

Following the edge of the field you will come to another set of fenced paddocks. Follow the path straight on with the paddocks on your left.

The path will end and you will come to a concrete farm bridge on your right and a farm track on your left. Straight ahead are more paddocks.

Enter the first paddock by going over the stile in the corner of the paddock straight ahead of you. Once in the paddock walk ahead bearing right-ish to a second stile which is in the middle of the fence. Go over this second stile and head in the same direction to a third stile. Go over this stile and exit the paddocks by the gate onto a farm track. If you choose to open the gate instead of climbing over please make sure you shut it behind you. Also be careful navigating the paddock fences and stiles. There is electric fencing.

From the gate turn right and head north down the farm track. This turns into a footpath and there should be more fenced fields on the right. Keep heading in this direction (north) until you reach a gate onto a paved road. This is Apton Hall Road but there isn’t a sign at this point. You may need to navigate some wire fencing in a couple of fields to get to the gate.

I spotted these gorgeous sloes and had to take a picture. They just glowed with blue and purple and black. Wonderful juicy bruises of colour in the bare headge. I think David sometimes gets fed up with my snaps!

Cross the road and take the track directly opposite into a field. You should still be heading north. You will pass several abandoned farm buildings on your right.

Some of the farms have seen better days with a few being abandonned all together. I am not sure if this is sad or not. Nature takes back its own.

After these there will be a farmyard on the right. Turn right into the farmyard. There will be a three story high pile of hay bales straight ahead of you and on your right will be more rather derelict farm buildings. Just before you come to the huge tower of hay bales (just after the last farm building) there will be a path on your left. Turn left onto this field path so you are heading north again with the hedge on your right.

The best view in my opinion!

Continue along this field edge straight on into the next field. Head north until you come to a hedge that is at right angles to the path you are on. Turn right to follow the hedge keeping it on your left until you come to a gate which takes you on to a bridleway.

Fall colours abounded!

I am not sure what these are but what an amazing colour. Bright pink berries. They are almost tropical.

Turn left on the bridleway and follow it until you reach a paved road. This is Lark Hill road but is not sign posted.

Turn left up the road (heading north again) until you come to a sharp left bend. At this sharp left there is a farm road heading straight ahead north. It is sign posted Woodford Meats Farm Shop. Head up this road which takes you up a slight hill. On your right there will be a break in the hedge. Turn right to go through the break out onto a cross field foot path. Head straight across the field to the church.

Coming off the field go towards the church and through the church gate. Walk past the church, through the churchyard, and out the gate on the opposite side. This takes you past the village lock up and on to Canewdon High Street. Walk through Canewdon village and continue straight along the paved road until you come to a sign for New Hall on the left.

After passing New Hall look out for a footpath on your left. Turn left on to this footpath. The sign is over grown but there are few other options. If you find you have gone five minutes past New Hall and haven’t seen it you have probably gone too far.

On this path you will pass some gates to a fishing lake on your right. Continue on the path with the lake on your right until the lake ends. Turn right at the end of the lake (the path naturally ends here) to walk behind the lake (still on your right).

A lingering bullrush surveys a field of winter wheat

Once again you will get to the end of the lake on your right. On your left will be open fields and farms. Where the lake ends look diagonally left across the field and you will see a footbridge. Head diagonally across the field to the footbridge and cross it.

You will now be on a field edge path. Walk straight ahead on the edge of this field until you get to the opposite side. Turn left and walk down the field edge until you come to another foot bridge. Head East-ish across the fields towards the farm buildings across the valley and keep crossing the foot bridges until you come to a farm track.

Away in the distance a sail boat navigates the Crouch

Cross the farm track and head diagonally right towards the line of trees just ahead. At the trees turn right to follow the line until you get to the farm. The trees should be on your left.

At the farm you will see a set of paddocks ahead and sort of on the left. Go through the kissing gate and follow the path between the paddocks and exit through the kissing gate straight ahead of you. From this gate you will see a large farm gate that exits onto a paved road. Go over the stile and on to the road. This is Creaksea Ferry Road and is not sign posted at this point.

At the road turn left. Follow the road as it winds a bit and you will come out of farmland and into estuary and salt marsh. At a sharp left bend there will be a footbridge on your right (or it could be straight ahead depending on how you look at it). Cross this bridge which takes you onto the Roach Valley Way.

Follow the path through the marshes. From the footbridge it will go straight ahead and then turn right. The path ends at a wood fence. The start of the sea wall will be fairly obvious from here.

At the wood fence turn left onto the sea wall path. It isn’t really a wall. It is more of a levee or dyke the top of which you can walk along.

David and I enjoyed this view while we had our sammiches. This was before we started out on the sea wall. David made (and carried!) the sammiches (ham,chorizo, and tomato) and we almost had to share them with a dog named Marlow. It was a FREEZING picnic but the food tasted great. And we really needed it to get through the rest of the walk

Stay on this levee/wall path for one million miles. Seriously. There isn't anything else. It goes on For.Ev.Er.

After a million miles you will come to a boat yard. Can’t miss it. You will think you are never going to get there but keep walking.

This was not even the craziest thing we saw at Paglesham boat yard. David and I diverted to go to the Plough and Sail. I really needed to pee and just could not bring myself to do it out on the sea wall in view of goodness knows who. It is a lovely village pub and they had a fire going. Very cozy. I could have stayed there all afternoon!

At the boat yard continue straight ahead or You can divert here for a walk to the Plough and Sail which is about a mile round trip.

Sea wall sea wall sea wall

From this point on it got too dark to take pictures

Go past the lake-y bit where you will see geese and stuff.

Sea wall sea wall sea wall

Eventually you will come to a rather obvious little wood. Go past the wood following the path and keeping the wood on your right. Where the sea wall path becomes un-walkable continue straight to a white shell lane. Turn left onto this lane and follow it west until you get to a farm (Barton Hall also not sign posted)

Turn right up by the farm (so the buildings are on your left and the fields are on your right until you get to a paved track.

Turn left on to the track and follow it, passing a line of evergreens on your right, until you see a way maker on your left pointing to the sea wall and a fingerpost on your right. The paved road goes straight ahead. Follow the road!

You will go past some houses. At the point where the road bears markedly left there will be an old barn in front of you and a grassy track. Take the track straight ahead keeping the old barn on your right. Follow this track to the field at which point there will be a field edge path going straight ahead. You will be able to see Great Stambridge where you started by now. Take the field edge path straight ahead and you will emerge beside Ash Tree Court.

Thoughts and Recommendations

I love our walks. It is fantastic to get outside all day and get all that fresh air and sun light. Especially at this time of year! But I have to be honest here and say this was not one of our more enjoy able outings.

In fact, it was down right unpleasant at times. Not only was the ground poor but the weather very unpleasant. Heavy grey cloud and mist. Freezing wind. It didn’t actually rain but the ground was sodden any where we were not on actual road.

We were also lucky to make it back to the car before it was completely dark. So eager were we to try our strength that we totally forgot about the shortening days. Something that will make longer walks difficult until around February.

As always this was a learning experience. We learned our current limits but I also learned that I could push that limit if I had to. I didn’t want to be out there on the sea wall, or anywhere for that matter, in the pitch dark so when I would have liked to have stopped or slowed down I kept the pace.

So I also learned another valuable lesson in planning. Knowing your daylight hours are important. Check when sunset will be on the day you are planning a long hike and build in some contingency for side tracks, misdirections, pit stops, and photo opportunities.

I think David and I will try this one again in late spring or in the summer. It would be gorgeous to be out on the sea wall in the sun and have a picnic.

Holly Hill and Coldrum Longbarrow: A Short Challenging Hike in Kent Woodland and Farmland

2010-11-09T15:33:00.000Z

This circular walk in Kent, taking in Holly Hill and the Coldrum Longbarrow, was short at 6 miles/8 KM but it was challenging. It was a brilliant little trek in quiet woods and fields with the added bonus of Coldrum Longbarrow (a Neolithic tomb). Not only were there some good hills but the terrain was also quite rough in places. This was partly due to the heavy rain of the night before. I was very glad of my new boots! It was inspired by the good walker and hiker resource site Walking Britain but we found some of the directions and trails used in their walk description to be confusing. We just down right gave up trying to find the footpath from the top of Holly Hill down to Whitehorse Road. We eventually got ourselves on the right track though and it was fairly easy to navigate once past the first little bit.

Have you ever given up on a trail and taken and easier and more obvious route? Why? Bad directions? Poor map? Missing trial?

The following is an adaptation of that Walking Britain walk. I have found that directions and descriptions done by other people are generally woefully inadequate. Probably because they have been doing this longer than Dave and I. And where the configuration of track/footpath/road could confuse a beginner there isn’t enough information given as to landmarks or geography. What looks straight on a map may actually be a turn left or right. Even though we had a meticulously plotted OS map from the Magic website we just could not get our bearings at the start. There were plenty of landmarks (including a ma-hoosive beech tree) but none were provided in the description to let us know we were on the right track. We preferred to take a more obvious route than waste any more time with it.

This is a ma-hoosive beech tree. If you see this tree you are probably going the wrong way. Or the right way. Either way it would have been nice to know which way.

Parking/Start Point

The walk starts at the Holly Hill public space parking lot. It is free to park there and pretty much deserted on a Saturday morning. The Walking Britain site gives grid references but if you want to find it with SatNav the postal code is DA13 0UB. BTW if you need to convert a grid reference or longitude/latitude Streetmap has a pretty accurate conversion tool though I imagine there are all sorts of phone apps that can do it now as well.

Directions/Description

This map was generated using the MAGIC website. Click here for all sizes on flickr including the big print version

At the parking lot entrance/exit turn right and walk along the paved road until you come to the T junction with White Horse Road.

At the T junction there are all sorts of footpath signs and a kissing gate. Ignore all these and turn right to walk west along White Horse Road. After a while, on your right, you will pass a wood fence, a paddock with some goats, and a house with a brick wall right on the road.

Keep on along White Horse Road. There will be fields on your right and woods on your left. After about 600 metres you are looking for the first Restricted Byway sign on your left.

When you come to the restricted byway take it to your left. It is fairly obvious with lots of 4x4 tracks. It will be quite muddy if there has been rain. You should start going down hill quite steeply fairly soon. It is more a rutted gully than a path in some parts. I found a walking stick to be a very handy accoutrement at this stage. Dave thought it was funny. Then I reminded him that I was, in fact, holding a large pointed stick. He thought that was even funnier.

There are lots of other tracks coming off the restricted byway on the way down the hill but just ignore these. Follow the track all the way down to the bottom where it ends at a T junction of paths. There will be an old sort of brick pump house on the left and lots of little arrow signs but they don’t really relate to this particular walk. The sign you are interested in is the big stone marker that says North Downs Way.

At this T junction turn right and follow North Downs Way along a sort of ridge heading west again. On your right the ground will slope away up the hill into woods and on your left, through over hanging branches, will be wonderful views across the rolling farmland of Kent and the Medway. The skies here are huge and go all the way to the sea in the east.

Big skies in Kent

You will pass several path junctions on this way but keep heading west along North Downs Way (which turns into Pilgrims Way) until you come to a paved road.

At the egress on to the road turn left and a few steps ahead will be the path to Coldrum Longbarrow. It is well sign posted. Go over the tall stile (after I insisted that that my stick could save me Dave had to give me a hand down!) and along the field edge. This turns into a paved path called (but not signposted that we could see) Pinesfield Lane.

Going along this paved path you will come to the barrow on your right. There are signs and stuff. I would have taken a picture of the whole sign with all the info on it but sadly it had been vandalized.(don’t understand. What is wrong with people?)

The bit of the sign that was not spray painted.

I would ask, as a favour to other hikers and future generations to please have some respect for this ancient monument. There is a fence around it for a reason. Do not go climbing over it or taking bits of rock for souvenirs. This is a grave site. Perhaps consider how you would like your own final resting place treated and act accordingly.

The sarsens marking the entrance still stand at the top of the barrow

There were a few people there coming and going. A mountain biker had stopped to have his sammiches seated on one of the great felled sarsens. I found that the place had a beautiful and atmospheric stillness in the dusky November light. It was preternaturally quiet. People have tied wishing/prayer ribbons to a couple of the trees, and while a charming custom that makes for good photos, it is not particularly appropriate. This isn’t a druid temple. It is just a burial chamber and not imbued or sanctified with any particular magic. Then again, perhaps death is its own kind of magic and to see a monument of death out last millennia of civilization is an affirmation of life and the determination of humans to conquer their final enemy in any way possible.

Inappropriate pagan offerings and blessings

Ribbons tied to branches over hanging the ancient grave. Wishes and prayers.

Dave and I spent about ten minutes there before moving on.

View from the top of the barrow over looking the weald of Kent

The barrow entrance from the bottom of the hill

Pinesfield Lane curves around to the right. Do not follow this. Instead take the first muddy over grown path on your left and then left again when this meets up with another track. We are talking 30 yards at most. And the bear rightish. Ahead will be a kissing gate (you have to kiss at the kissing gate otherwise it won’t work) which you go through and into a field. At the opposite end of the field is another kissing gate to go through. And once you are the path it will take you through Ryarsh Woods to Park Farm Road. There are several other footpaths that come off left and right on the trail through the woods but keep going east. Park Farm Road is paved and sign posted and there is a little group of houses there.

Wild cyclamen on Park Farm Road

At the egress on to Park Farm Road turn left and follow the road up to the end where it ends at Park Farm (on the left). Here there will be three very obvious tracks. The middle one is most obvious of all and this is the one you need to take. It takes you gently back up hill.

The first cross roads you come to will be with North Downs Way (marked with a stone). Turn left here and after a very short while you will come to the first North Downs Way junction you met coming down the hill at the beginning. The old brick pump house is now on the right side of the track. Turn right up the hill going back the way you came all the way to White Horse Road.

Turn right onto White Horse Road and follow it to the road you came down from the parking lot which is Holly Hill.

Turn left on to Holly Hill and walk up the road back to the parking lot.

Recommendations

Though it was short the variable terrain (and a bad head cold) made this hike a good challenge. Don’t go in your trainers. You will ruin them! The walk back up the hill was a great workout and I was glad I had my stick to push me along.

There are not toilets or pubs or any other kind of pit stop on this route so make sure you fill up with water before you go. You will be glad of it when you get to the top of the hill out of Whitehorse Wood.

David and I both agreed that this was one of our best walks to date. There was no where near the amount of litter we usually see. The trails were almost pristine and the views were fantastic. We hardly met a soul.

Even though we didn't take the route through the woods on Holly Hill it is worth walking up to the top of the hill for view out over Kent and Essex all the way to London. Just take the steps at the back of the parking lot at Holly Hill and follow the trail up to the picnic table.

Planning a Walk or Hike: 7 Tips to Help You Make Sure You Find Your Way and Be Safe When Enjoying the Countryside

2010-11-01T21:56:00.000Z

Last Saturday David and I went for a circular walk around Brentwood, South Weald, and Navestock out in Essex. It was 10 miles. Which was a little more than we bargained for. Which was eight miles. I would not say that we got lost exactly. Getting lost involves knowing where you are going and then going some other way.

I certainly learned a lot and I was grateful that I could learn this early on and in a relatively safe environment. The experience inspired this list of very basic tips that you might find useful if you are getting into walking and hiking as a serious past time. They will make your experience more enjoyable which will mean you are more likely to stick with it.

The problem was that we were not all that sure of our route. It really brought home to me how important good planning is to a good hike and that if you neglect to plan well you could be seriously neglecting your own safety.

I am no expert but I do learn from my mistakes so hopefully if I tell you what they were you can avoid them!

The lack of knowledge about the route was my fault. As the organiser and finder of walks in Essex it was up to me to dig up a hike for the weekend but I kind of ran out of time. I wanted something fairly close to home so we wouldn’t have to drive a long way and something fairly tame as I was breaking in my new boots.

So when I found this walk on the Brentwood council website all I really took in was that it involved a good deal of the country park (meaning good trails) and that there was a ready made map. I didn’t really read through what I thought were the directions or look too closely at the quality of the map.

The map was terrible but even where a map is terrible you can muddle through with good directions. But what I thought were directions (because what else could they possibly be? This is about a WALK for goodness sake) turned out to be a whole lot of useless information about species of horned beetles and pygmy gophers and other such mythical creatures and fungi that are supposed to inhabit the area but no one actually ever sees let alone kills and eats.

But in the end the map was only terrible because I prepared badly. And as I have said before preparation and planning are key to having an enjoyable, safe, and grump free hike.

What I should have done was take the website map home with me, read what it said, and then got out my OS map and figured out what the actual route was. I left too much up to some half assed civil servant who obviously had no idea what sort of information people actually need when trying to navigate the English countryside. The website map was OK but only if you knew the area or had familiarised yourself with the area using a good map.

Apart from the fact that we didn’t really know where we were for about an hour it was a very good walk.

We were in a rural/suburban environment with roads and people around. It was sunny. We were wearing clothing and shoes appropriate to the weather and terrain. David was able to use his cel phone to triangulate our position so we had a vague idea of where we were in relation to several major roads. We were never in any danger except for an almost fatal sense of humour failure at mile 9. But I learned some very valuable lessons for our future adventures where the terrain will be less friendly and more remote.

If you are considering expanding your hiking horizons here are some handy tips to make your own adventures enjoyable, safe, and grump free.

Don't
Don’t leave anything up to someone you don’t know or trust. And this is exactly what I did when I trusted a complete stranger, and a civil servant at that, to provide me with a good map and clear directions.

Don’t assume familiarity will save you. We were out in an area I know fairly well though I have never walked that particular route. I let the fact that I thought I knew the area dictate the amount of time I thought I needed to spend planning. Which was not enough.

Don’t rely solely on technology. The internet is a great and vast resource for hikers but don’t assume that everything it tells you is accurate or well researched and produced to the standard required for your safety and comfort. The person who put together the map and directions for our walk obviously had no idea what is involved in a hike across the English countryside. Always check the facts the facts yourself.

Do
Do take your OS map with you. This seems like a pain but it may save you a lot of pain as well.

Do take water. If your walk is even that little bit longer than you planned you will be glad you did. We took water and were VERY glad of it.

Do work together. Although I organise a lot of our walks David is by far the better navigator. His sense of direction is better so while we are walking I let him take charge of the map. But sometimes his direction reading and map reading don’t quite match up. When this happens I will have a look and we help each other figure it out. This is why I have forbidden SatNav on our walks. Half of the fun is reading a map and navigating and bickering about landmarks. David might disagree with this.

Do take your phone. I was resistant to this idea at first. One of the reasons why I love getting out and hiking is the absence of technology. After all we all used to cope without having a phone with us 24/7. But I will concede that having the phone does make us safer and has helped us by triangulating our position when we were unsure of the route. David and I are not the sort of people who like talking on the phone or checking our messages so really the phone is there only for emergencies. So if you do decide to take your phone please consider other countryside users and switch it off until you actually need it. FYI you do not NEED to update your twitter every 100 metres.

Review Your Route
If you find that you have gone wrong some where it is always useful to review the route you should have taken with the route you did take. By looking at the route against another map source it helps to hone one's map reading skills. Like athletes who watch videos of themselves you can see not only WHERE you went wrong but HOW you might have taken the wrong turn in the first place.

Below I have mapped out the original route in Google Maps using the Google distance measuring tool and my OS map.

I then figured out the route we actually walked.

I compared both of them against the woefully inadequate instructions and map illustration we had and I saw almost at once where we went wrong and why. And found that the website map was not quite so bad as we thought. We assumed that is was too poor to represent any landmarks accurately and so did not watch out for those landmarks closely enough. When actually the feature that would have told us the right direction was right there in front of us.

The Mapped Route

The Route We Walked

A view across the Weald in Brentwood

The bitterness of misdirection can sometimes yield tasty fruits. If we had not gone astray we would not have seen this totally mad house on the footpath leading from the junction of Tan House Lane, Horseman Side and Dytchleys Road. It was so bizarre. Italianate nude sculpture garden and a duck pond with up turned gypsy wagons, Chinese ducks, and black swans. We didn't know what to make of it.

Of course, no matter where we go, I am always guaranteed the best view of all. Unless he wears that long coat of his.

New Boots!: In Which Traffic Crappiness Results in a Bargain for Your Heroine

2010-10-29T11:18:00.000+01:00

Berghaus. Gore-Tex. £37

You can't beat that with a stick.

ooooh! Look at all the knobblies!

Free Online Resources for Finding and Planning Walks in Great Britain (England, Wales, Scotland, and Norther Ireland)

2010-10-28T16:44:00.000+01:00

Finding and planning a walk or hike is almost as enjoyable a pastime as actually doing the trek. And there are some great free resources online that can help you both find a route, plot a route, calculate the mileage, and gauge the difficulty of your hike. Planning is one of the most important factors in having an enjoyable outdoor experience. If you know your route and the terrain you can ensure that you have the appropriate clothing, footwear, and other essential equipment. It all starts here!

This list is by no means exhaustive and it will grow as our own adventures get more advanced but it is a good start. Also bear in mind that since we walk in the UK some of these websites will be UK specific while others could be applied any where.

No one resource is a one stop shop but by combining two or three you will get a good result for both inspiration and planning.

Global

Google Maps and Distance Measurement

It seems rather obvious but until recently Google Maps was not of much help to walkers. You can map a walking route between two points but it might not be the route you actually want. Google Maps IS a great tool for 3 things

Planning for the Terrain
If you click on the Map button and then click on the More... button and tick the box next to Terrain you will see the various elevations of your walk. This is important if you want to avoid too many hills or steep climbs

Clicking on Satellite will give you a rough idea of the environment you will be dealing with. Is is rocky? Marshy? Forested?

Measuring the Distance
Although previously of limited use there is a great new feature from Google Labs for Maps that you can use to plot YOUR route (not Maps calculated route) and calculate an approximate distance.

This tool is great if you know what you want your route to be and have it figured out on your OS map. If you choose to see the satellite imagery you can usually see the foot and bridle paths which means your mileage will be more accurate than it would if you got your compass out and tried measuring it on your paper map.

Go to the Google Maps home page

At the top of the screen on the right there is a New! link that has a little green blob next to it. Click on this

A little screen will come up called Google Maps Labs

Find Distance Measurement Tool in the list of features and click the Enable radio button

Click save

In the map area of the screen at the very bottom left there is a little white square with a blue ruler thing in it. Click on this

Then click on the map to set a start point

Once the start point is set you can keep clicking along your proposed route to the end and it will tell you how long your route will be in the unit of your choice

Creating a Reference
By using the steps above you can create a mapped overview of your route to print out on paper. You don't have to mark up your expensive OS map or atlas with a highlighter. It also cuts down on the time spent labouriously detailing the directions and landmarks.

United Kingdom (Including England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland)

The OS (Ordnance Survey) Explore Website

The Ordnance Survey people are responsible for compiling and producing the most comprehensive maps of properties, roads, foot paths, bridle paths, and rights of way in the UK. They have a main site and several child sites all of which are useful to the walker in different ways.

OS Explore
It is useful for calculating a rough mileage and finding walks.

Route Planner/Distance Calculator
You have to sign up and sign in to be able to use the route creator and distance calculator.

The route planner is not very useful because the map does not have enough detail to print out and see. Which is understandable. If you could do that then you would not need to buy their maps.

The same tool where you plot a route will give you a rough mileage but in order to get your mileage.

If you do choose to sign up and become a member (it is free) you can save your walk routes and other people can view them.

Route Finder
This does not require a sign in and is great for inspiration if you have a particular place you would like your walk to include but don't know the area. Or vice versa. Maybe you are going to be in a particular county and just want to see what is on off. Put the name in the search box and a list of walks contributed by site members gets returned that includes the distance from your desired point as well as the distance of the walk.

As with the planner the maps returned with the searches are very high level and the level of detail and direction can also be poor because the routes are not moderated or required to be of any particular quality or purpose.

However you can get a few gems with a great amount of detail as well as points of interest.

OS Blog
Lots of great info here in a friendly format. Including a Walk of the Week. It is well worth having in your feed reader for news and walking inspiration. OS isn't ALL about walking but they do contribute quite a lot to the sport (if it is a sport? I think it is!)

Walking In England
A directory site full of ready made walks complete with directions and maps for all of England. It is organised by county and each county has its own site.

This is a good resource if you are feeling too lazy to plot out a walk. If you are not familiar with an area or county you might need to do some more research to figure out where exactly the walk is as there isn't much a of search facility.

There is a good variety of town and country as well as distance.

Essex Walks
A small selection of ready made walks in the county of Essex. They do add new ones occasionally and they are of a good quality. Our Tilbury walk came from this site.

The AA
The go to resource for drivers is also great for pedestrians with a whole area of their site dedicated to ready made walks in Britain. Just put in a postal code or place name, select your preferred level of difficulty, and you will get a list of walks in the immediate vicinity. The walk we did around Rochford and the Roch estuary salt marshes was an AA walk.

This might actually move to the Global section of this post if we discover that the other AA sites offer the same great application.

Fortune of the Week!

2010-10-28T09:17:00.000+01:00

This week's fortune is brought to you by

The China Phoenix

"You will make many changes before settling satisfactory"

A Grand Day Out in Manchester: In Which Your Heroes Take the Train and Stock Up On Sticky Rice

2010-10-23T14:02:00.000+01:00

Day out in Manchester: China Town, The Wing Fat Cash and Carry, Afleck's Palace, The Printworks, Selfridges, Manchester Cathedral, and The Old Wellington.

This was my first visit to Manchester and I really liked it. It is a small city that you can easily wander around in a day and not get too tired. London is horrible. Too big. You have to go underground and get on a train just to get from one Starbucks to another. Manchester is more like Vancouver. Or maybe it was just the rain that made it seem that way!

David was still getting over a bad cold so we didn't fancy dragging our asses up Mam Tor that Saturday. It was cold and rainy and perfect for a day out in town.

Loved the Wing Fat and stocked up on all my Asian food staples. Afleck's Palace was hilarious. Full of mad parrots dripping with teen angst and piercings in unspeakable places. They really should charge admission to that place. It is better than any zoo. It's like Camden only crammed into one city block and four floors. We stood appalled at the £25 bottle of water for sale in Selfridges. If I am going to pay £25 for a litre of anything it had better make me drunk. The cathedral was not really worth seeing as far as cathedrals go.

I am not sure if I would recommend it as a tourist destination. There wasn't much in the down town core that isn't sported by any other large UK town but if you are kicking around for something to do on a rainy day in the west midlands of England then it is definitely worth the train fare. Lots of places to lunch and have a good beer (the Old Wellington had a great selection of Real Ale). Not crowded. Hardly any traffic. But a good buzz to it none the less. I have it on good authority that you can have a great night out there as well.

They Didn't Have Any Cards Appropriate to the Occasion: In Which it Was a Year Ago Today and Your Heroine Makes a Decision

2010-10-20T13:47:00.000+01:00

Took the car in for a service today. I really hate it. It is one of the few areas of my life where I feel I have absolutely no control. Some guy says you need such and such and you pretty much have to buy it. Especially if you have to drive 400 miles this weekend.

As well as the service it needs new break pads and a new tire. They wanted to try to sell me a whole new wheel but I said I wanted a second opinion. Apparently the one where they need to replace the tire is “damaged” but they could not be more specific. David will have a look at it this weekend and maybe take it in to his mechanic to see what they say.

Will come to about £450 all told. Its first MOT is due in January so the breaks and tire would have needed to have been done anyways. Still. What a drag eh?

I guess I just don’t trust the mechanics. I have never really had a good mechanic experience. I always feel like I am being ripped off. It is very frustrating. Instead of being honest and saying look your wheel looks a bit damaged. It is totally fine to drive on, no need to worry, but if you want a new one we can do that for you. They try to scare you into buying something that you don’t actually need. It’s like buying a whole new coat because a button has come off.

Anyways, ranty rant over. At least I got a courtesy car for no extra charge which makes the whole thing a little less painful. It is a new ford focus which is actually quite nice. A lot bigger than mine. Wouldn’t fancy having to parallel park it but I guess you get used to it. All the bells and whistles. Almost too many buttons!

Oh and in other news I fired some stuff in my kiln. None of it exploded. I will have to try a glaze firing next week.

I am feeling a little discouraged again with my blog and cross stitch and things but I think it is more to do with the dark. I will be glad when the clocks go back. Then I might be able to get up earlier and do stuff. Poor excuse I know but I really just find it horrible to get up in the dark. Dark is for night time. Not mid morning. Gym helps.

Today is the first anniversary of the day that David and I first interacted in a social situation. A whole year. You know, it has taken me a very long time, my whole life to date in fact, to realise that happiness is a decision that you make rather than something you find or have. And you have to make that decision every day. To be happy.

You realise that someone isn’t perfect and they never will fulfil all of your “dreams”. But you also realise that the person who is and who will does not exist. Even if you knew what sort of person that would be which I don’t. I am not even sure what dreams I would expect that person to fulfil.

I have to decide to be happy with what I have now. I could be unhappy. I could be miserable but there isn’t actually anything to be unhappy about. I have a job that pays a mortgage and for car repairs and even holidays! I have a good, decent, kind man who, goodness knows why, I make ecstatically happy by just existing. No he aint perfect. I am not perfect. There are times when we fail each other and frustrate each other and we will never be rich or jet set or whatever. I could be horribly depressed and unhappy about that but what is the point? How can I expect someone to fulfil my nebulous notions of perfection when I am so flawed myself.

Love seems to be about wanting to be with a person even when you have seen all their imperfections and drive-you-craziness. And I find that I actually do want to be with David. If you asked me a year ago or six months ago if I would rather have a weekend with him or on my own doing my own thing I might said I would have preferred the break. But last weekend, when I thought I would have all this wonderful free time, was really not very wonderful at all. I would rather we had been together.

I used to think that being happy and content was like giving up. Or settling for second or third best. I understand now that isn’t the case. I will still write my blog and work at my cross stitch and ceramics and if they don’t make me wealthy or famous I won’t be unhappy. I am doomed to obscurity. So are 6 billion other people. Maybe I deserve it. Maybe what I make is crap. I still like making it. David can be grumpy and frustrating sometimes. He does not do it on purpose. That is just the way he is. I still love being with him.

I sent a card and wrote him a letter for our “anniversary”. More of an excuse to voice my concerns about his present state of mind than to mark the date. I think we will try have a talk this weekend about his work/life balance. He can be so stubborn. I said he needs something other than work to do and he says he has us but I think I need to clarify that a relationship is not something that you “do” outside of work. He needs something else that will give him a sense of achievement and perspective so that what ever happens at work does not seem so dire. I think he is afraid it will mean we will spend less time together but if it makes him happier then that is worth it.

So I gave him a task to organize a ten mile walk for us this weekend. I am usually the organizer and if that is the role I take on in the relationship then that is something else I need to decide to be happy about. I organise and he builds the deck, buys the Chinese food, and cooks the prawns. Can’t complain really. He has said though that he really enjoys our walking outings so I figure start with something we do now together that he can contribute to. It IS something for him to do and work at that is not work related.

Baby steps.

Tilbury 10km: A Circular Walk in East Tilbury Taking in Coalhouse Fort, Bata-ville, and the Thames Estuary

2010-10-16T17:31:00.000+01:00

This is an easy 10k (6.5 mile) circular walk around east Tilbury and along the Thames in Essex. There are many sites of interest (The Coalhouse Fort and Bata shoe facotry and village) as well as the flat farmland typical of the Thames estuary. The Thames is a working river and the section of the walk along the sea wall provides a great variety of entertainment with boats and freighters coming and going. About half the route is on paved paths or sea wall. The rest is on good foot and bridle paths with some small sections of rougher field paths.

Of special note is the abandoned Bata-ville. A shoe factory and model village this is one of the remnants of Tomas Bata's utopian dream for a worker's community. I remember Bata shoes in Canada where they are still a going concern but SD had never heard of them. And if it is about shoes he should know! I have never seen them for sale in the UK.

Parking

There is a big free parking lot at the Coalhouse Fort. There are also toilets there and there is a picnic and play area.

The fort is at the very end of Pricess Margaret Road in Tilbury. There is an informatin centre there and the fort sometimes has special events and tours.

Because of the parking and facilities we decied to start the walk at this point instead of the point suggested by the route below.

Directions

The text below comes from the Essex Walks site and I have included some of our suggestions. It starts at H because the fort is actually in the middle of the walk.

We did this walk mid-September. I can't say as it was a beautiful day. The sun played hide and seek but there was no rain. In the fields around the estuary the silage harvest was mostly in, leaving a jumble of stalks and straws for crows and gulls to glean as best they could.

It was Sunday which must have been hunting day. The sound of buckshot came to us out of the sky and over the flat but the only hunters we met that day, like us, were bagging wild autumn fruits. I could taste all of the sweet summer just past in the sun warm blackberries.

From the parking lot at the fort:

H. Head back north up the road until you come to St Catherine’s Church (8). Opposite the church is public footpath 200 heading west across a field (9).

I. Follow this path until you come to a slight rise, where the footpath is crossed by a farmtrack. Go straight across the farmtrack, heading slightly downhill towards a tall concrete wall you can see in the distance (10). The terrain is more overgrown here although the path is still clear.

The paths start out well but soon become obscure.

J. From here until you reach Station Road (M.), the signage is either missing or plain confusing. Follow these instructions and you’ll find the way through.

K. Just before you reach the wall the path turns right up the slope, circuiting the end of the wall and then descends back onto valley floor. After about 50 yards the valley opens out into a field; follow the field edge on the left (11).

L. At the far corner of the field is a gap in the hedge and a ditch. Cross the ditch and you will find a well maintained path between hedges: continue along this for about half a mile until you come to a track ahead of you (12). Follow this track as it curves to the right, goes up a hill and comes to some gates. Go around the gates on the right hand side and continue to Station Road.

This is where you might get confused. Right after coming out of the bush there is a dirt track up to the right but there is also a dirt track straight ahead that goes up to the right after several yards.

SD and I never did agree which was correct because in both cases the landmarks are the same. There is a track and some gates. However, if you go straight and around instead of immediately right the landmarks are a better match.

We took the immidiate right and ended up in a weird abbandoned little industrial park which was not described in the instructions. Another reason why I believe this is the wrong way. Such a distinctive area would have been used as a landmark. A strange dead place. Remote in the midst of suburbia.

So when we got to the "gates" the directions no longer made sense because the gates we came to required us to turn right and the right turn was not on the map.

Taking the correct way: Go through/around the gates and go straight ahead down the paved road to the intersection with Station Road.

Station Road is not sign posted at this intersection.

M. Turn right along Station Road for about 500 yards to the junction with Love Lane, Just before this junction there is a bridleway (No. 58) on the left, adjacent to a house: follow this (13).

Station Road is not sign posted (another reason we got a bit confused here) when you come to it but Love Lane is and so is the bridle way

N. This bridleway starts off as a green lane called Coal Road then becomes field side track: follow the signs across a field and then along the field edge with the hedge on your left, until you come to the level crossing. You will see the abandoned Bata factory on the right (14), and Tilbury Power Station on the left.

There were lots of bunnies here! And a man training his hunting dog.

O. Once across the railway line, follow the bridleway signs across the field towards the electricity pylons. As you go under the second line of wires you will pass right by the pylon. The bridleway turns left here but there is a permissive path straight on (north) towards a small hedge, with a white house in the distance; take this (15).

What they mean here is that you are TO the right of the pylon. In other words the pylon will be on YOUR left! And there is indeed a small hedge and a white house.

P. When you reach the start of the hedge turn right on FP 61, going under the overhead power lines, following the line between two fields towards a gap between the houses (16).

There were onions. Lots and lots of onions. SD advised that the onions were not public domain. The smell from the field was amazing. I rather think the onions would have been very hot.

Q. This gap takes you into Beechroft Avenue: cross the road and bear right into Stenning Avenue and continue until you see an alleyway on your right (17) which takes you to East Tilbury Station entrance. Turn left away from the station to the automated crossing gates on Princess Margaret Road, cross over the crossing.

Tilbury is often thought of as a low income out-lier of the London commuter belt and there are parts of it that are less than salubrious. However the neat and tidy homes in this particular area indicate a hard working and prosperious populace.

I am always a bit jealous when I spend any amount of time as an observer (read tourist) in areas like this. Normal people with normal lives. Lives lived together in a home. Small troubles. Small and achievable dreams. I find myself wishing how nice it would be...

This is where the walk starts and ends on the Essex Walks website but we were only half way at this point.

A. Head north up towards the station and turn right on the footpath alongside Gobions Park, going through a kissing gate onto the grassy track that runs between the playing fields and the houses (1).

B. At the end of the houses, the track bends left then right around a small copse before continuing east through a shrubby area (2). After crossing a small stream the track turns right in front of the landfill site boundary fence.

It does and it doesn't. Bend left. Also all the area is shrubby so this landmark is not particularly useful. Just keep to the path and you will find the boundary fence.

England is full of these contradictions. It is a small land mass with a relatively huge population. You will find pristine farmland next to the land fill, a busy working river will feed a protected wet land. There is litter every where generally but on this walk it was not too bad.

C. The path continues southwards between the fence and the stream for about 400 yards before bearing left. From this point on you begin to get good views across the marshes to the sea wall. Continue heading east until you reach the sea wall

Can't say as there was much of a view of anything until we got to the sea wall.

D. Cross the sea wall using the ladder provided (3) (or there is an easier crossing point about 50 yards to the left of the ladder) and take in the views across the mud flats to Coryton oil refinery. Despite the industrialisation of this part of the coast, the mud flats are an important resource for indigenous and migratory birds.

We used the easy crossing point which was actually closer to where the path came out than the ladder. It certainly was not 50 yards.

The view of the flats and river were fantastic once we got there. You could see to the edge of the world even. The big ships dropping off into the abyss.

E. Turn right, away from the oil refinery, and walk along the sea wall (4). You have wonderful views of the mud flats to your left, the busy Thames, and the hills of Kent in the distance.

F. After about a mile the sea wall turns inland leaving a larger marshy area between the wall and the river (5). Stay on the sea wall.

G. Head straight across over the ramp continuing on the sea wall until you come to the grounds of the Coalhouse Fort itself (6). The grounds are open and you can walk through as you choose

Recommendations

The walk is on the flat (as is most of Essex!) and the terrain was easy to moderate most of it being sea wall, road, and bridle path. There were some field paths so if there has been rain you will want sturdy shoes.

The sea wall and some of the fields are rather exposed so you will want a fleece in the Fall or Winter.

There are no pubs or anything in the way of facilities on this walk except for the fort.

The fort has toilets but no drinking water so make sure you fill up before you go.

At just over six miles (10km) this was an easy walk for a Sunday afternoon and took us about two hours.

There were lots of people at the fort. There is a play ground and a picnic area. We had egg salad croissammiches for our lunch and picked blackberries.

Welcome to The Adventures! Whoever You Are

2010-10-15T15:59:00.000+01:00

So I have been poking about in my feedburner stats and this blog went from 0-5 subscribers over night.

Literally.

Who ARE you?

I have a feeling that I may know who some of you are. Thanks for stopping by and all. Leave comments. Let me know what made you subscribe. I will do more of that.

Also please check out my other stuff that I do when Stella Dave and I are not adventuring (or working):

Hancock's House of Happy and The Dinner For Two Project.

I am just starting out here and I am hoping to make improvements. Gussy it up a bit.

Stick around for more awesome adventures. Staring me (even-star) and Stella Dave.

Rochford 8 Miler: A Circular Walk in Essex Farmland and Estuary

2010-10-14T10:13:00.000+01:00

We did this eight mile circular walk last Saturday. It takes in the town of Rochford in south east Essex county as well as the surrounding farms and a good piece of the Roach estuary.

It was a very rewarding walk. About 1/3 to a 1/2 is along the estuary of the Roach river and a great variety of water fowl and raptors were to be seen including cranes, ducks, and kestrals. There were several interesting sites including a modern abandoned ~~crack den~~ mill, a marina, and old farms.

It is on the flat but the terrain is a bit difficult with most of the walk being on field paths and river side tracks.

The route was found at the AA website which is a great resource for walks all over the country but it was somewhat out of date. I have included the original directions from that site below and added some updates and recommendations.

Parking

We came from the direction of London and parked in the car park recommended by the AA. Indeed there are few other options.

If you are using sat nav follow it to the begining of West Street but then when it would tell you bear left ignore it or it will take you to the EXIT of the parking lot which has a barrier and West Street turns into a one way (going the wrong way) at that point.

Instead, bear right to follow Bradley Way. At the roundabout take a left onto South Street and then take a left on to Locks Hill.This will take you to the entrance of the car park.

It is pay and display but it only goes to 1pm on a Saturday and is free on Sunday. It was about 1.50 for two hours.

There are free toilets in the parking lot as well but no drinking water. If you want water make sure you fill up at home.

A diagram of the route to the parking lot from google maps

This is the text from the AA with some updates and ideas for you to make the walk easier.

From the car park walk north between houses into Market Square and turn right into South Street, passing the police station on your left.

At the parking lot exit take a right and walk up Back Lane. At the end of Back Lane turn right

By the Horse and Groom pub, turn left into Watts Lane following the Roach Valley Way through industrial installations and keeping the River Roach on your left for a mile (1.6km).

This part is pretty aaccurate. There is a sign post by the pub. SD was a little bit disappointed at first because of the industrialness and litter. I was more appalled at the litter. Being Canadian, littering is as close as you can get to blasphemy. I simply don't understand the disrespect most English people have for their land.

In the end though we thought that even this added interest to the walk. The industrial area, not the garbage. There was a very odd place with lots of cars on shelves!

Follow the path over the bridge, with Stambridge Mill straight ahead. Follow the concrete path around the mill until you reach Mill Lane.

Mill Lane is not sign posted but basically if you fallow the path you end up at road and that road is mill lane. To your right you will see the locked gates of the mill.

Turn left, and after 50yds (46m), turn right on to the cross-field path to the footbridge over the fishing lake. Go through the kissing gate and on to the gravel path.

SD remarked that it was a very anti social kissing gate! It was a bit rusty and prison-y.

Maintain direction through trees and across the meadow, where on your right you can see Broomhills house, the former home of John Harriot the founder of the Thames River Police.

Can't say that it is particularly impressive or worth seeing but it is useful as a landmark.

Follow the waymark through the kissing gate and join the river bank path. With the river mudflats and salt marsh on your right, continue ahead along the grassy sea wall. Look left to see the distinctive Saxon tower of the church at Great Stambridge.

At this point SD and I had a debate regarding the value, artistic or otherwise, of Saxon architecture. What it looks like is they have forgotten to put the spire up for the day. Again not so impressive but as a landmark it served us well later.

Continue around the peninsula of Bartonhall Creek, a popular feasting ground of mudflats for migrating birds.

This is quite a long piece of the walk and it is quite exposed and windy. We were thinking that we had gone to far and had missed the finger post (see below). It was about half way along this river section that SD spied a map case hanging on an old farm gate. It contained top secret army orders and a compass! Score! OK I made up that bit about the secret army stuff but it was something from some kind of scouting exercise.

As you reach the north western tip, walk left down the embankment to the fingerpost, leaving the Roach Valley Way, and turn left towards Great Stambridge to pass a number of old Essex barns converted into modern housing.

I was tempted here by the abundance of crab apples. I never go anywhere with out a bag for foraging. But they were not quite public domain being on someone's front lawn.

Maintain direction along the field-edge path towards houses and after ½ mile (800m) the path passes Ash Tree Court and emerges on the Stambridge Road.

We went a wee bit wrong here and took the paved lane for a few yards but soon corrected ourselves. Looking at the map you could take this lane and you would end up att pretty much the same spot.

Turn right into Great Stambridge past the Royal Oak pub and notice the array of attractive Victorian villas and the post office.

The Royal Oak looked quite posh but we were only half way and didn't want to stop

Just before the post office, turn left into Stewards Elm Farm Lane and follow the waymark over the footbridge. Maintain direction between a series of paddocks until you reach the kissing gate and turn left to follow the field-edge path keeping Ragstone Lodge and the Rectory on your left. Continue on the cross-field path following the waymarks right, left, then half right past houses on your right, until you meet Stambridge Road.

Just before the big wrought iron gates there is a path to the left. We could not figure out what sort of estate the gates belonged too. SD guessed school and I guessed squire but it was definitely something to do with horses.

After following the paddock path to the end where it comes out to a field we went a bit wrong. There is no kissing gate or way mark. So follow the paddock path to where it comes out at a field and turn left, go two steps and then turn left again. Follow the edge of the field all the way around. You will be doubling back a bit here with the paddock path you just came up on your left before you turn right to follow the field.

The rest of the AA directions were ok here. It helps that you can see the road which means you can't go too wrong. This is where the church tower helped us to find our bearings. When you come out on to Stambridge Road the Cherry Tree is on your right.

Turn right at the Cherry Tree public house and after about 200yds (183m), turn left into Mill Lane, then right on to the cross-field path to join Rocheway past the houses into East Street and pass the New Ship Inn on your right. Turn left into South Street and return to the car park.

We didn't call in at the Cherry Tree but got distracted by an old orchard. Slim pickings unfortuately and all we got was a few sweet chestnuts. SD never used to be a forager but on this walk he was more on the look out than even I was and was very quick to spot an apple tree or two.

From the Cherry Tree the rest was pretty straight forward and there was some good Victorian suburban architecture to be seen.

Other Recommendations

The Royal Oak and Cherry Tree looked like good places to stop if you wanted to break up your walk, have lunch, or really need to pee.

Rochford itself was rather disappointing. For a Saturday the place was like a ghost town. There were no open restaurants and the pubs in town were either deralict or just rough. There were not many shops either. Not one charity shop which does not dispose me to think on a place favourably.

You will need sturdy shoes especially if there has been rain recently. The estuary section was quite exposed and windy so dress in layers.

At 9-10 miles including our detour after the paddocks it took us about three and a half hours.

It was more rugged than pretty and the salt marshes are very much worth seeing.

Saffron Walden: An Early September Day Trip in Which Our Heroes Stand Amazed (Pun Intended)

2010-09-12T03:24:00.000+01:00

It was a Saturday in early September and I didn't fancy a walk. I didn't really want to sit around the house either. I am notorious for this. I think it might be one of those few things that, very occasionally, Dave would like to change about me. This truly terrible tendency to get up before 9am and "do things". Most of the time he is OK with it. And even likes it. But sometimes I know he would like to be normal and lie in.

So if we don't lie in and we don't go for a walk what do we do? A drive out somewhere new is the usual agenda. I had always wanted to go to Saffron Walden ever since I heard about the turf maze they have there. I am a sucker for anything iron age or prehistoric or of unknown origin and date. Chalk horses, ring stones, dolmens, runes. Sign me up.

So it was off to Saffron Walden.

Saffron Walden is an historic and picturesque town located on the northern edge of Essex. It has a rich and interesting history and is a veritable repository of Tudor architecture. Its main claim to fame is a turf maze but it had a couple of charming surprises including Bridge End public gardens and the Saffron Walden museum. Saffron Walden is easy to get to by car being just off the M11 south of Cambridge and is only an hour’s journey by train from London. Tudor period houses line the streets and sport elaborate pargetting, the plasterwork embellishment that is representative of that period. It was once a walled town and the rich Essex and Suffolk farmland surrounding it produced the rare and expensive spice saffron. Its name gives away its own history: Saffron Walled In.

As well as the turf maze there are two other sites that should not be missed when visiting Saffron Walden: the town museum and Bridge End Gardens. These three points, along with a multitude of listed buildings made for a very pleasant and interesting itinerary. What made it even better was that it was all free! Although it should be noted that the museum is not always free of charge. It just happened to be an open day on the day we visited.

With gas at the premium it is these days and being on a budget getting in the car for a day out or a drive is not as spontaneous as it used to be. Value for money is what I require. If I have to pay for the gas to get there then what I am going to see has to be worth the price of transportation. Never mind admission.

Saffron Walden was definitely worth it.

The Turf Maze

The turf maze was the main reason why I wanted to go to Saffron Walden. I have known about it for years. It was an odd experience to finally see. It is just… there.

It is stuck at the far side of the village green right beside the road. Other than the small plaque with some basic information there is nothing else that sets it apart form the field. I am not sure what I expected. Perhaps a large field in which the maze was central and set off by further landscaping and gardens. It is also quite small. The path of the maze is a mile long but the area the whole thing takes up, with its circumlocutions, can’t be more than 40 yards in diameter. The fun fair that had set up right beside it for the day didn’t really help either.

Technically a labyrinth, the turf maze is it an incredibly convoluted path that is not a puzzle to be solved, with many dead ends and such, but a metaphor for a spiritual journey. You just get on path and follow it to the centre. Such curiosities were used in the pre-Christian era for pagan ceremonies and rituals. Luckily, its pagan connotations were not held against it in less tolerant times. Perhaps because similar labyrinths were later constructed for Christian purposes. If repeated the requisite number of times, walking the maze often substituted for a pilgrimage to Rome or the Holy Land.

It was put to less dreary use more recently when, apparently, the lads and lasses of the village would play a rather salacious game. A maiden would stand in the centre and the boys would race to complete the mile circuit to win a kiss.

Oh la la

It is, in spite of its rather prosaic situation, very well maintained and respected. Town pride is quite rare in England. Vandalism and littering are endemic and of epidemic proportions in many places. Even rural ones. As a Canadian, for whom landscape and public property are sacrosanct, I have never understood this. For such a feature to have survived to modern times and withstand town expansion is unusual and would seem to indicate that it is inextricably linked to the town’s pride and identity.

It is not a tourist destination. We seemed to be the only looky-lous there. There aren’t any gift shops or souvenirs. The town has totally failed to capitalise on such an unusual and historic feature.

It is one of those situations where I really need to be in charge. There would at least be a penny mangle if I had anything to do with anything.

The Museum

The museum was a hidden and unexpected gem. The lady at the tourist bureau recommended it and we thought it would be just a tiny room with a few bits a pieces on the wall about the town and one or two relics presented as evidence for the town’s historical status.

It was hooge. For a town of that size it was amazingly comprehensive.

Contained in a large Victorian edifice it is not just a repository for the history of Saffron Walden and its surrounds but it is also a full blown Natural and World History museum. It kept us occupied for a good couple of hours!

When did educational start to equal fun? For that was the very moment that I got old. You would think that would be a moment worthy of remembrance. But I don't remember. Sigh.

We learned tons of great stuff. I was especially interested in the unusual plasterwork (pargetting) on all the Tudor buildings in the town. I could have SWORN I had never seen such a thing before but after, on the drive home down exactly the same road as the drive in, I saw it every where. There was a very good display on the history and technique of this architectural feature.

They also had fossils and such in a natural history section. Dave stood in horrified and fascinated awe of the zillion year old fossil of HORSETAIL. His garden, and most gardens in Derbyshire, is plagued by this indestructible prehistoric weed. If cockroaches are going to be the only thing to survive a nuclear/ecological disaster then the only thing they will have to eat is horsetail. Oh and each other. I suppose a cockroach would eat another cockroach?

The example on display, like all other living things of the olde-zoic era, was truly comedy sized. We discussed this. This seemingly inexplicable disappearance of all things comedy sized since the last ice age. As if natural selection lost its sense of humour.

The comedy sized horsetail was definitely not funny. At least Dave didn't think so. The great great grandmother of his nemesis. I think the word Bastard actually came out when he saw it.

As well as all the usual stuffed birds and hedgehogs demonstrating the history and biodiversity of the hedgerow (ubiquitous in small local English museums) there was a large room filled with all sorts of paraphernalia from what one would now call Aboriginal Cultures o’ the World. There were even some examples of Salish bead work which was good to see.

But the best thing about the museum? It was free. But only on that particular day for some reason. I don't remember what the admission prices were. Because I did not need to know. It was free. YAY.

We did splurge a little and spend 40p at their book sale. We are now totally armed for any dinner party situation with Emily Post's tips. There were like 50 of these little tomes for sale. 20p each. How could you NOT?

Bridge End Gardens

The morning had actually been rather grey and chilly which is why we probably spent so much time in the museum.

But coming out of the musty academic dark we found a glorious afternoon of September sun. It was time for beer and a look at the tourist bureau map.

The tourist bureau lady recommended Bridge End gardens and they were free and there was a hedge maze. So after beer we tooled up for a stroll down the main street and got a bit lost trying to find the entrance.

Bridge End Gardens is another hidden gem. They could be mistaken for a conventional example of Victorian landscape architecture but if you pay attention you will find they have a bit of a sense of humour. What at first appears symmetrical is just that little bit off balance. A kind of proto-surrealism come to to life.

There is a smallish hedge maze as well. This one is a true maze that you have to navigate and solve. We had no trouble finding our way out but I think that was mostly luck. We met a few poor souls who had been wandering amongst the hedges for quite some time.

In the spring and height of summer it would be a paradise but even in the early autumn with the roses finished and beds mostly bare this was a charming and tranquil pleasure. There are many sculptures and topiaries and a fountains. There is also a viewing platform, the view from which makes the climb more than worth while.

Recommendations

We had a very pleasant afternoon in Saffron Walden and it delivered much more than I expected. As a value for money outing in the English countryside it was quite a success. Not at all touristy but full of character and interest.

If you go on a Saturday the market will be on which added some hustle and bustle to this picturesque Tudor relic.Otherwise it was rather quiet.

The only criticism I would have is that there was a distinct lack of good beer. The pubs are few and run of the mill. Not a one serving real ale. I had to settle for a Greene King IPA. Sheesh!

If you are looking for a place to shop or dine then this is probably not going to meet great expectations. There were one or two charity shops and a couple gift boutiques but the rest was common high street fare.

If you are looking for a pleasant and interesting morning or afternoon out then I would definitely recommend seeing Saffron Walden and its many hidden gems.

For more pictures of Saffron Waldon please visit the FLICKR photo set

The Date

2009-10-29T02:00:00.000Z

29/10/2009 08:55:26 SD e-s Morning!

29/10/2009 09:28:50 e-s SD didn't I see you at the pub last night with a really hot chick?

29/10/2009 09:28:56 e-s SD who was she? she looked familiar

29/10/2009 09:30:01 SD e-s yeah - you did! Really hot - I believe she only comes out in the evenings / weekends though!

29/10/2009 09:30:03 SD e-s Never at work

29/10/2009 09:30:13 e-s SD that IS a shame

I thought You'd Never Ask. Like Literally. I Really Thought You Would Never Ask.

2009-10-27T23:49:00.000Z

27/10/2009 16:49:45 SD e-s staying in chafford hundred again probably tomorrow and thursday night if you fancy a drink again?

The Set Up

2009-10-17T01:04:00.000+01:00

16/10/2009 17:04:16 SW SD, e-s, MK SD tells me that he is down on Monday tuesday next week. I would therefore suggest we go out for dinner to BC210. Claire as you like it there too, you are invited as well.

16/10/2009 17:05:34 SW SD, e-s, MK if not I'm sure mel wont mind being the third person in the crowd of IT geeks

16/10/2009 17:05:43 SW SD, e-s, MK (its the only way I'll get a late pass :) )

16/10/2009 17:05:53 MK SD, e-s, SW Late Pass?

16/10/2009 17:05:54 MK SD, e-s, SW lol

16/10/2009 17:06:32 MK SD, e-s, SW its my mums birthday monday, I should try and see her at some point...are we dancing monday?

16/10/2009 17:06:46 SW SD, e-s, MK yes

16/10/2009 17:06:49 SW SD, e-s, MK def after last week

16/10/2009 17:07:33 e-s SD, SW, MK what was the question? I have forgotten the question. Too many threads

16/10/2009 17:07:44 SW SD, e-s, MK dinner

16/10/2009 17:07:46 SW SD, e-s, MK chinese

16/10/2009 17:07:48 SW SD, e-s, MK tuesday

16/10/2009 17:07:49 SW SD, e-s, MK yum

16/10/2009 17:07:50 MK SD, e-s, SW 210bc

16/10/2009 17:08:09 e-s SD, SW, MK mmmmm

16/10/2009 17:08:18 SW SD, e-s, MK mmm indeed

16/10/2009 17:08:34 SW SD, e-s, MK those crsipy prawn things - yum

16/10/2009 17:08:44 SW SD, e-s, MK ok, Mel we need to have chinese tonight now

16/10/2009 17:08:51 SW SD, e-s, MK i have the taste now

16/10/2009 17:08:58 SW SD, e-s, MK and a kebab on the way home :)

16/10/2009 17:09:19 MK SD, e-s, SW no

16/10/2009 17:09:26 MK SD, e-s, SW i wont need dinner:) not hungry

16/10/2009 17:09:26 e-s SD, SW, MK I think I just lost my appetite

16/10/2009 17:10:00 SW SD, e-s, MK I assume you are both a yes then?

16/10/2009 17:10:07 SW SD, e-s, MK hmmmm crispy prawn hmmmm

16/10/2009 17:10:14 e-s SD, SW, MK only if there are prawn things

16/10/2009 17:10:15 SW SD, e-s, MK (in a duff beer stylie)

16/10/2009 17:10:30 SW SD, e-s, MK MK?

16/10/2009 17:10:46 MK SD, e-s, SW If all are going then may as well...as long as its tuesday

16/10/2009 17:10:49 MK SD, e-s, SW dance after? lol

16/10/2009 17:10:58 SW SD, e-s, MK on tuesday??!? are you NUTS!

16/10/2009 17:11:13 SW SD, e-s, MK although we could I guess *-)

16/10/2009 17:11:20 e-s SD, SW, MK what time though? can I get a work out in before?

16/10/2009 17:11:39 MK SD, e-s, SW dancing tues isnt necessary, just a suggestion

16/10/2009 17:12:21 SW SD, e-s, MK it's actually a good idea

16/10/2009 17:12:37 SW SD, e-s, MK and (offline) e-s says she might come too

16/10/2009 17:13:52 SW SD, e-s, MK you up for this SD?

16/10/2009 17:14:21 SW SD, e-s, MK you could even come dacing too :P

16/10/2009 17:14:23 SD e-s, SW, MK sounds good to me phil will probably jooin us though

16/10/2009 17:14:26 SW SD, e-s, MK dancing*

16/10/2009 17:14:38 SD e-s, SW, MK what have it told you about the dancing!

16/10/2009 17:14:55 SW SD, e-s, MK that you'd love to try it once your ankle is fixed?

16/10/2009 17:15:04 SD e-s, SW, MK :@

16/10/2009 17:15:24 SD e-s, SW, MK is that the chines at chafford hundred>#

16/10/2009 17:15:26 SD e-s, SW, MK ?

16/10/2009 17:15:27 MK SD, e-s, SW Hahaha nice try Stu

16/10/2009 17:15:28 SW SD, e-s, MK Im sure thats what you said

16/10/2009 17:15:37 MK SD, e-s, SW Yeah 210bc is the one in Chafford!

16/10/2009 17:15:40 SW SD, e-s, MK yeah, round from the gym/hotel

16/10/2009 17:15:48 SD e-s, SW, MK i will try the running after we go for a run!

16/10/2009 17:16:12 SW SD, e-s, MK when you want to run?? Lunch time?

16/10/2009 17:16:22 SD e-s, SW, MK lol

16/10/2009 17:16:29 MK SD, e-s, SW That sounds like a worthwhile swap Stu, you like running anyway :)

16/10/2009 17:16:30 SW SD, e-s, MK and I assume you mean:

16/10/2009 17:16:39 SW SD, e-s, MK "i will try the dancing after we go for a run"

16/10/2009 17:17:02 SD e-s, SW, MK true just not concentrating on what i am typing

16/10/2009 17:17:23 SD e-s, SW, MK not doing the dancing after!

16/10/2009 17:17:38 SW SD, e-s, MK Dunnoi give up

16/10/2009 17:17:42 SD e-s, SW, MK lol

16/10/2009 17:18:16 SD e-s, SW, MK well me and phil are cominf down during the day now on monday

16/10/2009 17:18:33 SW SD, e-s, MK then its a date :)

16/10/2009 17:18:42 SW SD, e-s, MK have to be Tuesday night tho

16/10/2009 17:19:03 SD e-s, SW, MK good because it might be late before we get there on Monday

16/10/2009 17:19:13 SW SD, e-s, MK (Y)

16/10/2009 17:19:25 MK SD, e-s, SW Makes sense as I cant do Monday:)

16/10/2009 17:19:38 SW SD, e-s, MK and clare can have a dance instead of a work out and we're all happy bunnies

16/10/2009 17:19:51 SW SD, e-s, MK what's this "I" can't do Moday

16/10/2009 17:19:56 SW SD, e-s, MK what you doing then?

16/10/2009 17:19:58 MK SD, e-s, SW Mothers Birthday

16/10/2009 17:20:03 MK SD, e-s, SW I have to see her first

16/10/2009 17:20:14 e-s SD, SW, MK can i go now? as you two are having a domestic?

16/10/2009 17:20:19 SW SD, e-s, MK surely you mean "WE"

16/10/2009 17:20:22 MK SD, e-s, SW so i can do dancing....if we do...but i have to see mum for a bit:)

16/10/2009 17:20:24 MK SD, e-s, SW ok we then

16/10/2009 17:20:25 MK SD, e-s, SW lol

16/10/2009 17:20:33 SW SD, e-s, MK its ok, domestic over

16/10/2009 17:20:45 e-s SD, SW, MK really? it was kind of entertaining

16/10/2009 17:20:55 SW SD, e-s, MK get a life luv ;)

16/10/2009 17:20:56 MK SD, e-s, SW well it was more of me explaining myself

16/10/2009 17:21:09 e-s SD, SW, MK ooooh BURN

16/10/2009 17:21:14 MK SD, e-s, SW im sure domestics are far more entertaining to watch/listen to

16/10/2009 17:22:11 SD e-s, SW, MK it sounding like MK was telling SW what he was doing!

16/10/2009 17:22:19 SD e-s, SW, MK there did not seem much room for debate!

16/10/2009 17:22:28 SW SD, e-s, MK welcoem to my world

16/10/2009 17:22:35 SW SD, e-s, MK /me ducks and runs for cover....

16/10/2009 17:22:40 MK SD, e-s, SW I was more stating what I was doing....he can join if he wishes :)

16/10/2009 17:22:46 MK SD, e-s, SW I try not to tell him to do too much

16/10/2009 17:22:57 SD e-s, SW, MK oh so his participation in it all was purely optional

16/10/2009 17:23:00 e-s SD, SW, MK passive agressive

16/10/2009 17:23:02 MK SD, e-s, SW o god is that the sort of impression i give:-O

16/10/2009 17:23:06 e-s SD, SW, MK K I like your style

16/10/2009 17:23:09 SW SD, e-s, MK lmfao

16/10/2009 17:23:17 SW SD, e-s, MK ooo, all gang up on MK time :)

16/10/2009 17:23:40 MK SD, e-s, SW ive yet to try my sisters approach of 'thats what WE'RE doing, live with it!'

16/10/2009 17:23:46 SD e-s, SW, MK i think SW does a really good impression of letting mel thinks she is getting her own

way ...

16/10/2009 17:23:49 SD e-s, SW, MK well done SW

16/10/2009 17:23:53 SW SD, e-s, MK Clap

16/10/2009 17:23:57 MK SD, e-s, SW :

16/10/2009 17:24:23 e-s SD, SW, MK that is what MK lets him think

16/10/2009 17:24:31 e-s SD, SW, MK she is, after all, an evil genius

16/10/2009 17:24:55 SD e-s, SW, MK it is the male art of letting the female mind think they are in control of the world

16/10/2009 17:25:26 MK SD, e-s, SW *sigh*

16/10/2009 17:25:36 e-s SD, SW, MK yeah, I don't see MK. Do you?

16/10/2009 17:25:54 SD e-s, SW, MK SW is it time to quit while i am still alive!

16/10/2009 17:26:12 MK SD, e-s, SW
Not at all, but apparently they're right:-O

16/10/2009 17:26:36 e-s SD, SW, MK well, I suppose we should let them think that. it makes life easier.

16/10/2009 17:26:43 SD e-s, SW, MK lol

16/10/2009 17:26:46 e-s SD, SW, MK oh wait. did I type that out loud?

16/10/2009 17:26:52 SW SD, e-s, MK oh dear, what was that??

16/10/2009 17:27:01 SW SD, e-s, MK oh yeah, it was a feminist :P

16/10/2009 17:27:14 SD e-s, SW, MK ;)

16/10/2009 17:28:12 SD e-s, SW, MK you guys out tonight?

16/10/2009 17:28:19 SW SD, e-s, MK (8)and it all goes quiet at the back(8)

16/10/2009 17:28:27 SW SD, e-s, MK Mel & I are dancing

16/10/2009 17:28:38 MK SD, e-s, SW Yeah we're dancing tonight in Chelmsford, so it'll be a late one

16/10/2009 17:28:40 SD e-s, SW, MK you are getting well into this aren't you

16/10/2009 17:28:51 SW SD, e-s, MK (L) it mate

16/10/2009 17:28:54 MK SD, e-s, SW you could say that!

16/10/2009 17:28:55 SW SD, e-s, MK its great fun

16/10/2009 17:28:58 MK SD, e-s, SW Bit addictive

16/10/2009 17:29:15 SW SD, e-s, MK and for the record I go cause I enjoy it, not cause Mel drags me along

16/10/2009 17:29:34 MK SD, e-s, SW Oh, thats ok then

16/10/2009 17:29:36 SD e-s, SW, MK you don't have to convince me

16/10/2009 17:29:40 e-s SD, SW, MK right I am going now because it is Friday and five thirty

16/10/2009 17:29:46 e-s SD, SW, MK see y'all later

16/10/2009 17:29:53 SD e-s, SW, MK see ya later - have fun!

16/10/2009 17:29:58 MK SD, e-s, SW Cya, have a good weekend Miss!

16/10/2009 17:30:20 SW SD, e-s, MK *wave