Today I left the Viking Way at Rutland Water and began on the Hereward Way.
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| A street in Exton, the verge awash with flowers. |
After breakfast at the Rutland Campsite café it was a walk over fields and through villages to Rutland Water. This was a large reservoir, unusual in that it was not in a deep valley surrounded by hills but in a gently undulating landscape. The reservoir cannot be deep. Still I suppose there were few other options to supply water to the low lying lands to the east. Efforts had been made to provide recreational opportunities around the reservoir, maybe to make amends for putting a large portion of the small county of Rutland under water. There were boat trips, canoe and bike hire, wind surfing and a café I took advantage of. A member of the Wildlife Trust at a small stand encouraged me to join. Although a worthy organisation doing great work to foster wildlife, I declined as there is a limit on how many charities I feel able to support, but a sense of guilt followed me as walked along a good path around the water. I had now joined the Hereward Way heading east, having left the Viking Way before its final destination at nearby Oakham.
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| Rutland Water |
As well as fields of young crops, and ploughed fields waiting for seed, there were fields of grass, some with sheep, others carpet covered with dandelions and daisies. In the attractive villages the old houses were made of a creamy limestone with either thatched roofs or tiled with stone flags. Just off the trail in Ketton there was a monument to Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, on the side details of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee was inscribed.
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| Dandelions and daisies. |
I passed a quarry still digging out the limestone used in the villages but probably now for cement rather than masonry. The path crossed the quarry so I could look down at the operations. A future nature reserve I thought when the quarrying finally finished. Stamford, where I am staying tonight, has a centre of church spires and towers, pubs, shops and houses, all made of the same cream coloured limestone. Having checked into an attractively decorated Airbnb, I am having a meal in one of the older buildings with the curious name of Tobie Norris. Recommended by Airbnb owner the pub dates from the 13th century and its little wood panelled rooms were filled with people and the hubbub of conversation.
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