Author: exploringthelandscape

RSPB Leighton Moss – Watch Out For The Wag Man

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Remember March 2020?  Our lives changed in completely unexpected ways as the UK was placed into lockdown to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.  The next three months became a blur of working from home, home-schooling, bingeing true crime on Netflix and hand sanitiser.  But then along came summer and, as restrictions were lifted, we were excited to venture out of Manchester and explore somewhere different to the local ex golf course.

 

One Friday, we decided home school wasn’t for us.  It was time to head out somewhere.  Rowan has always loved birds, so we decided to bunk off and visit RSBP Leighton Moss to see what we could find.

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Lakeland Trails Marathon!

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Sitting at home, with half term ideas scuppered due to the ongoing broken ankle, Rowan decided he was no longer so scared of Gollum and would like to watch Lord of the Rings.  The scenery in the film is beautiful, and I am finding that every time I watch ANYTHING with mountains and trees (including Minecraft!), I feel a pull to the outdoors.  I was much like Bilbo – I wanted to see mountains again, and go on adventure.  As we watched Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli chase down the Uruk-hai, Rowan turned to me and said, “Don’t worry Mummy, you will be able to do that again soon” and watching Gimli’s little legs bringing up the rear, I was reminded, not only of how ace my little lad is, but of my biggest running adventure earlier this year – Lakeland Trails Marathon.  I decided it was about time I wrote that one up – so grab a brew, it’s a long one.

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The Golden Hinde – A Step Back in Time

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Sometimes, it’s hard to tell whether you actually remember something, or your memory is based on looking at old photos.  As a kid, whilst on holiday in Devon, we visited the Golden Hinde.  I’ve seen photos of me wearing my Coca-Cola T-shirt, exploring the ship with my sister – climbing the steep steps to the fore deck and wondering if I could climb the rigging.  Fast forward around 40 years, and on a visit to London, I knew Rowan would really enjoy the replica of this historic ship, berthed at St Mary Overie Dock, not far from London Bridge.

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London – Museums and More

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Something a bit different.  We normally plan some outdoor adventures during the school holidays but, after watching Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures when he was small, then Night at the Museum and with his general love of animals and dinosaurs, Rowan had wanted to visit the Natural History Museum in London.  With February half term being a bit unpredictable on the weather front, we opted for a city break in the Old Smoke.

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#AdventureCalling – April 2021

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Who’s excited about being able to travel a bit further afield and start exploring the wild places again?  I know I am!  Our local, open spaces have provided some much needed outdoors time, but honestly, I can’t wait to visit somewhere new.  Saying that, we visited a not been to in recent memory, local National Trust site recently and had a really fab time.  We strolled through the woods and gardens, Rowan spotted birds and Rocky handled all the other dogs brilliantly – what a brave doggo!

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Introducing Bumbleturtle – A Wild Camp Adventure

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It seems like such a long time ago, especially having been working from home due to coronavirus for a year now, but I sitting at my desk at work, I happened to mention I fancied going wild camping.  I work with plenty of brilliant people, two of whom are Angela and Beth.  As it turned out, they also fancied a bit of wild camping and so we had the start of a plan!  After synchronising diaries, and geeking out over the OS Maps app (ok, that was mostly me), we had a date and location in mind.  Now it was time to prepare.

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Wainright Walk 17 – Castle Crag

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Standing at 290 metres, Castle Crag is the smallest fell in Alfred Wainwright’s pictorial guides.  However, what it lacks in height, it more than makes up for in character.  I’ve walked up Castle Crag a few times, and know how lovely yet interesting it is, so when my Mum decided to join me and Rowan for her first Lakeland hill walk, it seemed like the perfect choice.  And given that the route I’d planned took us to, what Alfred Wainwright described as, the loveliest square mile in Lakeland, we were in for a brilliant day out.

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