Misterton RFM Blue Line Cuckoo Way

 Misterton 

RFM Blue Line 

Cuckoo Way

28/05/25

The dry weather has broken and my bag has got a rain coat in it but today in North Nottinghamshire it was warm and dry. There are a few lanes on today's route and the first one was pleasant enough. A dachshund called Millie was happy to say hello but, as her owner indicated, she left me very quickly when no biscuits were forth coming. There was a sheep in field warning sign so I was expecting some kind of mutant, crazy, angry, people hating, wild woolly animal but luckily it was just a field full of shorn sheep who as normal moved away as I approached.

The walk passed through the edge of Walkeringham on a street of huge houses, a genuine millionaire row. I had a friendly chat with a lady with 2 friendly spaniels.  
 

This area is terribly flat. The whole of the 7 miles of today's walk will only have a total ascent of 175 feet. Its not hard and the views are long but low without drama. It has its own beauty, like a rural idyll.

Down Cave's Lane towards the main road called Fountain Hill I actually got to a bit of a high spot and got views towards Bawtry hardly visible in the very far distance.

Brickyard Lane led down towards the canal with a former brickyard on the left where the high chimney is still in place. I crossed over the canal on a bridge with a path closed sign on it. There were  a couple in their front garden who assured me the sign was for the bridge alone so I continued on my way.  This bridge will feature again when I cross under it on my way back to Misterton later in the walk. The lane winded round the wood edged lake towards open fields.

These huge fields are just recovering as the last few weeks rain has refreshed the  wheat and barley. I passed a couple with a pair of dogs one of whom objected to my hat by barking vigorously. A dog with a poor memory as I passed him on my last walk, Gringley, and I had the same hat on. The other dog said hello as it obviously recognised me. To be fair last time they were with the guy's son so maybe he controls them differently.

I sat on the same bench as I sat on at the halfway point of the Gringley walk at Shaw Bridge. 

This bird in the weeds on the other side of the lock is a house sparrow. The swallows were scurrying over the garden walls and the bridge and flying low over my head into the fields and gardens behind me.  It was a great sight like fighter pilots targeting my head but of course I couldn't get a decent photo so the image lives in my mind alone.

As a foot note I took the kids around Old Moor, Bolton Ings, Manvers and the River Dearne on Monday on a bird safari and we identified 51 different birds including flying Bitterns, Marsh Harriers and a Little Egret fishing in the river.

More flat lands alongside the canal with Irises on the banks.

Back to the old brickworks with its chimney and crane. The old couple sat on the other bank looked like they had been there a while. The bridge is the same I crossed over earlier in the walk.

It is a beautiful canal walk but the uneven surface was playing help up with my right Achilles.

There were a lot of birds around notably I saw Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Reed Buntings and heard Reed Warblers and ChiffChaffs. The Kestrel was quite close and I saw him swoop over the bushes into the field behind the canal.

I finally reached the bridge at Misterton and back to my car. A lovely walk but very flat.

7.1	miles
175	feet ascent
175	feet descent
2.02	hours walking time
3.1	mph