I was heading for the village of Collingham in Nottinghamshire. There I had planned to meet my son Ian who for one reason or another sponsors an amateur football club called Newark and Sherwood United. They play at Collingham and on Saturday afternoon they had a match against Ashby Ivanhoe.
Timing is everything. At half past eleven, I arrived in the village of Girton four miles north of Collingham ready for another country walk. I figured I could complete it well before the football match kicked off but I was a little anxious about it because I knew that the area west of Girton had been flooded earlier this month. The village is a mile from the River Trent which you can see in the very top left corner of the map.
St Cecilia's Church in Girton dates back to the 13th century
I parked at the church marked on the map with a cross. It is dedicated to St Cecilia and then straight away I noticed that the nearby cottages had sand bags at their doors and there was some flood debris like carpets, linoleum and soft furniture. One pile had a card on top of it reading, "Please Leave. Awaiting Insurance Assessment". It was clear that the flood had lapped into the village.
This old sign caught my eye in Girton
The circular walk wasn't especially long - no more than four miles. The floodwater had all subsided and the paths left behind were not particularly muddy. In Besthorpe I entered Holy Trinity Church - also marked with a cross. It has a beautiful and modern wooden floor and the old pews have been removed. Consequently, the church now provides a useful community space as well as continuing to be a place of worship.
Inside Holy Trinity Church, Besthorpe
At Collingham, Newark and Sherwood United managed to lose by two goals to nil. Ian presented the man of the match award and we had a vegan lunch at which I found myself conversing with a bunch of business people who talk a language that seems foreign to me.
At halftime, Ian presented a winning voucher to Freddie. His tennis
ball had landed closest to the centre spot in a fund raiser.
I left Collingham in darkness and headed up that red road to the A57 LIncoln road. Then I crossed the river at Dunham-on-Trent before heading home to Sheffield where Shirley was waiting for me to order an Indian takeaway from "Bilash" on Sharrowvale Road.
The Fleet at Besthope helps to protect that village from flooding
Sounds like you had a lovely day. A walk, a football match, time with your son and takeaway with your wife.
ReplyDeleteSome days are like that - full but other days are like deserts.
DeleteYou crammed a lot of good stuff into one day. There's very little Indian food here.
ReplyDeleteSearch for Indian Kitchen and Pinch of Spice - both in Red Deer. You can order online or by phone I believe.
DeleteI saw "the Holdovers" today. It was fabulous and young Angus reminded me of my young self: all bones and the exact same hair.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the recommendation
So glad you loved it Kylie! Best film I have seen in ages.
DeleteCan we have more puzzles of find the crosses on the map please. Maybe make it a bit easier. I failed this time.
ReplyDeleteIf Ian is considering buying a football team, maybe Newark and Sherwood United isn't a good choice.
I think the church floor looks terrific and I like the three seats for the Holy Trinity in the Holy Trinity church.
Shirley knows how to please a man via his stomach with good English food, a take away curry.
An Indian takeaway is almost as English as Yorkshire Pudding.
DeleteA beautiful area for a walk that you have not done before, I believe, and good weather for it, too.
ReplyDeleteWell done of the people at Besthorpe to have modernised their village church - in more than one way, it seems. From what I understand about the first Christians, their gatherings were just as much about worship as about community, and it seems in Besthopre they have understood that (especially if the venue is open to all, no matter what faith - or none at all).
Business language! It's truly a vocabulary on its own. I understand most of it and can speak it if necessary with some clients, but prefer not to.
It is always a joy to visit places I have not been before. I would prefer to talk about them rather than about setting up meetings, promotion, social media, what we can do for each other etc..
DeleteI'm glad the walk wasn't too muddy and you didn't get mired and unable to atttend the match. The old churches are very lovely and it's nice one is being used as a community centre.
ReplyDeleteThe villages are both pretty small so it was nice to see that the churches were still active.
DeleteA lovely place to walk but I feel sorry for those people flooded out of their homes.
ReplyDeleteThere were thin hosepipes coming out of several letterboxes - presumably from extractors. Being flooded must be truly awful. I would never buy a house in a village which has a history of flooding.
DeleteThank goodness it is not Dunham-in-Trent.
ReplyDeleteThat can be arranged.
DeleteWas the carpenters old?
ReplyDeleteYes. When they were young, they called it THE YOUNG CARPENTERS' SHOP. As a sideline they sold CD's by The Carpenters.
Delete"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down".
ReplyDeleteA sweet, busy day is a good day. Good for Ian for sponsoring that team! Two of my grandsons just started playing football (not American) and they're having a good time with it. Jessie says that Levon is "fierce". I bet he is.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice day, Neil. I bet you enjoyed seeing Ian.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your walk wasn't too muddy and you got to spend time with Ian. Freddie looks very happy with his award! I like the clean, minimalist interior of St. Cecilia's.
ReplyDeleteA great day out.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting walk and a bonus to meet up with Ian. The interior of the church looks welcoming and how good that it's used for the good of the community.
ReplyDeleteA great walk but looked cold, so pleased we don't live in a flood area.
ReplyDelete