17 September 2024

Pleasley

Sunny in mid-September. This often happens in northern England.

I spotted somewhere I could take a long circular walk, containing some map squares that I had not bagged before. It only took me forty five minutes to get over there - to a village called Pleasley just west of Mansfield. The first part of the name is pronounced just like the "pleas..." in "pleasure".

With boots on I set off, crossing farmland on paths and empty lanes till I reached the village of Skegby. Like Pleasley, it was also once a coal mining community. The transportation of coal required railways but when the coal mines closed those railways were no longer required. Now they are often leisure tracks for walking, running or cycling.

Such a track will take you directly back from Skegby to Pleasley - about three miles. 

View of Newbound Mill from the old railway
My body had carried me in comfort for the first four miles of the walk but as I proceeded along the former railway my left heel became tender - not for the first time. I wouldn't say I was in real pain but I noticed every footstep and frustratingly this keeps happening.

There was a time, not so long ago, when I could walk for hours without feeling any aches and pains. Perhaps I was simply lucky. Maybe some cushioning insoles in my boots  will help. I'll try that.

But anyway, I enjoyed today's ramble in the sunshine. The world around me was in technicolour and it felt good to be alive, seeing sights I have not seen before, plodding onward until another circle was closed.

"The Nook" - palatial house in Skegby

St Andrews Church of England School, Skegby

Manor Farm, Skegby (17th century)

Guidepost near Penniment House Farm

Name change in Pleasley

20 comments:

  1. It seems a lovely day for a walk.

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  2. Great walk and lots of history thrown in.

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  3. Lovely photos, thank you for sharing them. I don't imagine I'll ever make it to Sheffield but I will have seen the countryside:)

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  4. Good photos, as always. I, too, have trouble with one of my heels from time to time. I have an insole in that shoe which seems to help. Perhaps such a fix can give you some relief.

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  5. Once again, a great tour and photos and stories ... other than your foot, and I hope that feels better soon.
    Lastly, I'd love to live in a town called Pleasley; it sounds so well-mannered.

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  6. It's a good time of year for walking, isn't it. Like in your part of the world, here in Germany we often get more sunshine in September than in July, and this year appears to be like that.
    Skegby sounds so very Danish! Another trace of Yorkshire's Viking heritage.
    The name change is intriguing. Who decided on it, and why?
    Manor Farm looks cosy and somewhat grand at the same time.

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  7. Have tried wearing trainers with cushioned soles? It looks a good walk. I am often walking on repurposed railways/greenways here in Ireland.

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  8. Sunny days in September happen often here too. It looks like a lovely walk, too bad about your heel though. Try some achilles stretches, it might help and it certainly won't hurt.

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  9. That looks like a pleasant walk in glorious sunshine. Sorry to hear that your heel started playing up towards the end - maybe it was telling you that you'd walked too far?

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  10. Sorry to hear about your foot pain. It does take the edge off the pleasure of walking.

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  11. It's time to go to Cosyfeet.

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  12. I love to walk myself, and everyday I try and find a new place to explore. What I should do more of, is to take photos like you do. I enjoyed your walk through your photos. I hope your foot stops acting up. I understand all too well how aches and pains become worrisome when you enjoy moving about.

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  13. A nice walk, if a little painful.

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  14. A couple years back, I started suffering from plantar fasciitis that I never could quite shake or recover from. I tried all the heal inserts I could get my hands on but they were just uncomfortable and pinched my feet at other points on long outings. Eventually I just bought shoes with more cushioning like Sketchers Max Cushioning series or Hokas. Wearing those eventually fixed my plantar fasciitis and I've been pain free ever since. I like not having to mess with inserts that are one size fits most and slide around on long hikes.

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  15. That topiary bird is pretty cool. Absolutely beautiful scenery.
    I won't even begin to talk about the pains of older age except to say- they can be severely limiting.

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  16. I went to school with a girl named Barbara Peaslee. Neither here nor there, especially since her name was pronounced like green peas, but anyway...

    I love those topiary figures at Manor Farm! Someone's taking good care of them.

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  17. Sounds like plantar fasciitis. My husband was hobbling about with his and I found some socks made to help plantar fasciitis pain. They're a compression sock for the aching foot. He wears them when his foot bothers him and says they're a great help.

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  18. My knees are paining me and I’m mourning walking the dogs for long periods

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  19. The sky is so blue in your photos, Neil! It has been so hot here that it doesn't feel like Autumn at all yet, altho, I see a few leaves starting to change color. I will be glad when it cools off and I can get out walking again... Take care of your sore heel - some of the comments have good suggestions to try.

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  20. You know I'd never given thought to why crossing supervisors are called lollipop men or women. It just suddenly came to me. I often wonder who lives in those huge houses in England and elsewhere.

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