My initial plan was to try and find a parking spot for the walk we didn’t do yesterday. But Nathan wasn’t too keen on that idea and suggested we go to Fleet Pond.

I had planned on taking Dolly to Fleet Pond tomorrow on the way home.

So I was very happy that Nath suggested it today.

I haven’t been to Fleet Pond for fifteen years or more. The last time would have been with the wolf pack. One of my last walks here I saw my first ever kingfisher.

For the record Fleet Pond is the largest fresh water lake in Hampshire. Plus the other interesting fact is it used to provide fish for the prior at Winchester in medieval times.

This was definitely going to be a walk down memory lane.

Start Point: SU 83044 55451

Distance: 3.05 miles

Total Distance: 17.47 miles

We parked by what Kate and I used to call poo (polite name) alley.

It got this name because this spot next to where the cars are parked is where all the dogs after getting out of the car would empty themselves.

One thing I instantly noticed was the new (to me) cattle grate. There would be many more around the walk. These have appeared since my last visit as it looks like the grazing with cattle has increased.

There had been grazing before but it was far more limited. If memory doesn’t fail me there was only about three grazing spots previously.

As you can see from above there are a few information boards around Fleet Pond. These have been added also over the years since. I think they are a great addition. Particularly the ones that encourage you to engage and “feel” nature.

The picnic benches had also been upgraded with some cool nature themed carvings, plus attachment points for dogs.

It was that picnic area end of the pond that Nathan spotted a Great Egret on the edge of reed bed of the pond. This was the first time he’d seen an egret.

Talking of wildlife Fleet Pond is alive with it. On and off the water.

On the water we saw the usual suspects of ducks, including a tufted duck, geese, and coots. Plus at least six swans.

One thing that did annoy me was a family with little kids were feeding the birds bread. I thought the advice was not to feed birds bread because it isn’t good for the birds.

In the woods, and on the upper field we saw robins, green woodpeckers, and tits.

To our amazement a dead tree that Nath as a very small kid was able to squeeze into was still standing (photo above).

Although we passed a lot of people not once did we feel crowded.

Walking round Fleet Pond I never knew how much I miss the place and having something so close to me like this.

It was really special returning with Nath and that he enjoyed it as much as I did.

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Total Amount Raised: £339

It’s been a long emotionally draining week.

A family emergency meant that no walking has taken place all week. Luckily I was ahead of schedule. So I had that cushion to allow me to not feel pressured that I was falling behind.

For three days mum was dog sitting whilst I was away sorting things out.

I’m back south with Dolly. “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubblegum.” Or that’s the way it feels. Dolly prefers to quote the bus fight scene from Nobody, “I’m going to fuck you up”. But the sentiment is the same.

I can’t go into specifics. But biology does not make you a dad.

But this morning Nath after a failed attempt to find a walking spot I had seen on an OS Map, took Dolly and me to The Vyne.

We didn’t actually go into The Vyne and pay their parking fees.

Nath parked in a lay-by on a side road.

Our actual walk was Morgaston Wood.

Start Point: SU 62828 57390

Distance: 1.2 miles

Total Distance: 14.42 miles

Unlike the previous couple of walks this was a muddy walk. The paths here well worn and very muddy from lots of use.

What struck me early on was the lack of any bird song. It was eerily silent.

As we made our way along the well trodden paths we saw other walkers enjoying the grey overcast day in this wooded haven.

Was this the reason there were no birds? Too many humans about?

A nice feature of this ancient wood are the streams running through it. I bet on a hot summers day with the trees in all their green glory, being by one of these streams would be glorious.

It was only towards the end of the walk that I saw I think a robin, and heard any bird sounds.

At the end of the walk I did thank Nath for sharing it with Dolly and me.

I really did enjoy this return to the walking, especially being able to do it with Nath.

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Total Amount Raised: £339

After two days of rest, one planned, the other forced. It was back out with Dolly.

The previous day I had told my colleagues at work I’d drop by and let them meet Dolly.

So true to my word Dolly and I were out front of my work for her to meet my colleagues. I think it’s fair to say Dolly liked the attention.

It was then onto our walk for the day Dersingham Bog.

Start Point: TF 66882 28077

Distance: 3.1 miles

Total Distance: 13.22 miles

I don’t even think there is any doubt in my mind that this side of the A149 is much nicer than the royal other side.

Dersingham Bog has the remains of an ancient coastline bordering the A149 side of it. The evidence of this is the steep escapement with woodland and heath on it. Plus sandy ground.

What this means is that from either of the two car parks you drop down to get to the bog. Which is the last and largest remaining example of acid valley mire in East Anglia.

Even though it was wet with the odd very light shower the ground was still pretty firm under foot. Well when it wasn’t sandy.

I really enjoyed the woodland bits of the walk. They bought back fond memories of my walks with the wolf pack back Farnborough way. I do miss the wolf pack and those walks.

It’s a shame that this sort of walk isn’t nearer to home.

Once we were down at the edges of the bog in the distance I thought I could make out a solitary heron in one of the ponds, and a flock of white birds on another. I’m assuming geese or possibly swans due to the size and distance.

As we followed the bridle way along the edge of the bog and base of the escapement I noticed what I thought were a couple of muntjac deer feeding. Luckily Dolly didn’t see them, and they were far enough away to not have noticed us. Or thought we were not a threat.

I turned back hoping not to disturb them, heading back to the signposted walk we had been following.

Instead of following our route back to the car I followed one of the other signposted routes taking us to a boardwalk that allowed visitors to experience the bog without damaging it.

It was then a brief uphill slog (look I’ve not been up a hill in years!) to head towards the second car park. There we headed back towards our car through the trees once more.

There was evidence of bushcrafty stuff having taken place with the remains of one or two shelters next to the path.

Back at the car we didn’t hang around we headed back home.

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Total Amount Raised: £319

The biggest challenge for today’s walk was finding the start!

It’s been a few years since I’ve walked here.

After being nowhere near to where I thought the walk was I ended up using the OS Map app to feed into Apple Maps to give me a route to the start.

As we got nearer to the start things started to come back to me.

I’ve tried to recall how I found this walk. But for the life of me I have no clue, except I was not told about it.

The final bit of road saw us pass a kestrel perching on an overhead line.

Little did I know that this would be one of the handful of birds I would see this afternoon.

Start Point: TF 42634 19713

Distance: 2.1 miles

Total Distance: 10.12 miles

Near the start of the walk glimpses of the first flowers of the year were showing. A small patch of snowdrops, two or three patches of daffodils. It’s no surprise these were early in the walk near the boundary of a garden.

Unlike yesterday this was not a windy walk, every now and then there would be a light breeze.

What surprised me about this walk was the lack of bird life. I saw a single gull, and a couple of crows. Maybe that regular bang of the bird scarer a farmer was using was working. But I didn’t see anything on the water.

However I did find maybe an answer to the mussel mystery. As the photo above shows I found the remnants of some baby mussels on the base of some reeds that had been dredged out of the drain.

During the walk I was reminded of bringing Nico here with Strider. Especially of the time Nico was chased by a flying pheasant. But boy did Nico like going off into the crops making the walks last a lot longer than they should have taken.

On the way back an egret flew across the drain.

As we walked towards the car I was paying attention to the tracks in the mud. There are some big dogs being walked here going by the size of the paw prints. But I also saw evidence of deer using the path as well. You didn’t need to be a tracker to know horses were also rode here.

If you feel you are able to make a donation you can use one of the donation links below.

I’d like to say a big thank you for doing so and if you weren’t able to I’d like to thank you for reading this far and hopefully sharing the page.

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Total Amount Raised: £319

Day of rest tomorrow.

After a day off from the fundraising challenge due to union meetings after work yesterday it’s back to clocking up the miles.

With hindsight I think this photo could have been used on Saturday to celebrate Nan’s birthday and the start of fundraising challenge.

But I wanted to remind folks why I’m doing all this.

I know I wrote a post about it about a month ago when I first decided to do this. However I think as I do this thing I’m doing in Nan’s memory I actually remember Nan.

Loki was Nan’s little guardian angel. often I give the following as an example of just how cunning attack chihuahuas can be. There was a couple of occasions when I’d come home from work only to find Loki on top of Nan’s bed with her dentures! Yes Loki is so cunning he can get the teeth out of an old lady!

Like Timmy and Rex our family dogs when I was a teenager, Loki loved drinking the remnants of Nan’s cup of tea. His head is perfect for fitting into a mug to get those last drops of tea.

But Nan loved having not only Loki but also Nico. They couldn’t wait to go round to Nan each morning.

The two little furballs were great company for Nan.

Today technically I took Dolly to the coast.

Our walk was going to be along the sea defences at The Sir Peter Scott Lighthouse on the Lynn side of the Nene at Sutton Bridge.

Start Point: TF 49335 25484

Distance: 4.91 miles

Total Distance: 8.02 miles

This was a very windy walk with the wind coming in from the west. Which meant as we walked back it would be into the wind.

The advantage of a “midweek” walk is we hardly see anyone. On our walk out the only people we saw were far off into the distance on the mud flats. And it wasn’t until we got nearly to the end that we bumped into anyone else.

Unlike the walks by North Level Main Drain there was no mussel shells, or shells of any kind. I did see a kestrel struggling to hover above the embankment in the distance. But it was gone by the time we got even close to where it was.

Other wildlife spotted were a couple of gulls, plus a couple of flocks of ducks flying inland.

One landmark you can’t escape as you walk along this part of the sea defences is the Outer Trial Bank. I’ve dreamt of stepping foot on this artificial island for years. Not just stepping foot on it but wild camping on this desolate “remote” island. One day.

As we walked along the sea defences looking out across the mud flats towards the wash and the Outer Trail Bank. It was hard not to remember younger, more innocent times on the opposite sides mud flats. When as a family at weekends during samphire season navigating the mud flats and the many channels picking samphire. Which when home mum would clean, and the boil, before pickling in vinegar. My mouth is drooling just remembering eating the pickled samphire or even having it in a sandwich. I’ll try and dig out some photos that dad took of us doing this.

About half way back we did get to see and hear a pilot practice on the target range on the opposite side of the wash. We’d hear its jets before seeing it drop out of the low clouds to do its attack run, before sharply pulling up disappearing once more into the clouds. The pilot (I’m assuming it was a single plane) did this about six times before returning to I assume base.

Once back at the car I made use of the picnic bench to brew up using the Phantom Ultralight Stove with the BCB crusader mk1 cookset. The Phantom is an alcohol stove that has carbon felt in it that soaks up the meths. So if it did get knocked over the meths doesn’t spill everywhere. However it fits really nicely into the mk1 stove, and is a nice light alternative to using solid fuel.

As you can see from the photos above I used my MERMOO YILAN Collapsible Pour Over Coffee Dripper to make today’s brew. I like that in its case you can fit some paper filters. My actual coffee was from Artisan Coffee.

I was going to enjoy my coffee at the picnic bench but more cars started to arrive, and one of the dog walkers I bumped into on my way back. I wasn’t going to get a time to enjoy the peace here. So I dug out my travel mug so I could enjoy my coffee on the way home.

Once home I measure the route we took. And I was amazed by the mileage Dolly and I did today. It’d explain why she is lying next to me snoring as I write this post.

It never ceases to amaze me how generous and giving people can be. So when friends and family, even strangers make a donation I’m so thankful. It’s not easy in this day and age for everyone. I know not everyone can donate. But there are ways that people can help that doesn’t cost anything. Sharing this post or the donation page is one such thing.

If you feel you are able to make a donation you can use one of the donation links below.

I’d like to say a big thank you for doing so and if you weren’t able to I’d like to thank you to for reading this far and hopefully sharing the page.

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Total Amount Raised: £309

Sunday is a work day for me. Luckily I get an extra hour in bed with the store opening to staff at 7am.

But even that extra hour in bed was not enough for Dolly. When it was time to get up, answer the call of nature, and go next door to mum. All Dolly did was lazily lift her head, give me that look that said “I don’t wanna get up I’m happy here in bed.”

I had to lift an almost rebellious Dolly doing her best limp body, I shall not be moved impression.

Anyway I had to carry Dolly and Nico (don’t ask Nico doesn’t do stairs!) down. Even downstairs Dolly was in her best protesting mood sitting her bum down refusing to go out. I had to shut the stairs door before she made a dash back up to bed.

Work could only at best be described as frustrating, even challenging. The upside for me is that I finish midday. What helped get me through the shift was the thought I’d be out soon enjoying the fenland landscape with Dolly.

Today our walk started on the Newton-in-the-Isle side of North Level Main Drain. The actual parking spot for this walk is about .4 of a mile away from the drain. So technically a little walk in to get to the drain.

Start Point: TF 42406 14330

Distance: 1.77 miles

Total Distance So Far: 3.11 miles

We were going to park a little bit further up the road and actually end up opposite where we were yesterday.

However tractors had really trashed the public access path. It was so cut up and muddy it wouldn’t have been pleasant to walk along for Dolly or me.

Our walk turned out to be a there and back again along the bridle way.

As I said we had a little walk before getting to the foot bridge over North Level Main Drain.

On this side of the drain as we approached it I once again saw a kestrel hovering this time over the field the bridle way bordered.

The sun was out, although not warm, and a slight breeze gave us a lovely fenland afternoon. A complete contrast to the previous day. On days like this the fens can compete with anywhere.

I saw a couple of mussel shells as we headed in the opposite direction to yesterday. So the mystery continues as to how or why these are here. And even why this side of the drain has so few compared to the other side.

I also saw only a couple of crows today. Once again far fewer than yesterday.

There was a new spotting of an egret. I first saw one of these back around 2008, maybe 2009 on a hiking trip down south with my departed friend Alan.

We also saw three cygnets swimming on the drain. Luckily they managed not to upset the fisherman on the bank that we saw, or run into his lines in the water. Apparently today was not a good day for the fisherman he was not having much luck when asked.

It’s hard to make these there and back again walks along the drains sound exciting. But it’s interesting to see what wildlife they attract.

Tomorrow will be a “rest day” I have a couple of meetings after work meaning I won’t be home my usual time. So our next walk for this fundraiser will be Tuesday.

It seems apt that the first day of this 28 Miles In February starts on Nan’s birthday.

If Nan was still with us she would be turning 98 today.

Happy birthday Nan. There is not a day I don’t think of you or miss you.

Separating Tydd St Giles from Newton-in-the-Isle is North Level Main Drain. Like a lot of the water ways in the fens this is man made. You can tell because of its unnatural straightness. I’m not a historian but if this wasn’t built as part of the big draining of the fens in the 1600’s I’d be surprised.

Dolly and I arrived at our start point on the Tydd St Giles side by accident. I was looking for another walk. But my poor memory led me here instead of the correct location.

I do actually have a start point for another walk on the other side of the drain that brings you to the other side of the foot bridge we were parked next to. You can see part of this and a drone shot in better weather on this post from last year.

Today would be Dolly’s introduction to the stunningly stark fenland landscape. The land of the endless sky.

Start point: TF 41973 15019

Total Distance: 1.34 miles

I’d say today was a typical winter fenland day. Overcast and windy. I didn’t think it was that cold.

This particular walk is a there and back along the bank of the drain. The majority of the “path” is more a boggy, uneven tractor tract. Absolutely no cover for a midway brew stop, or have suitable dryish spot to stop.

One thing along our route I kept spotting were mussel shells. Something I never expected. How they got here I have no idea. Maybe mussels were being used by fishermen on this stretch of the drain as bait.

It’s hard not to miss the fishing platforms and other signs (litter) of the local anglers.

As we headed out away from the car I saw two distinctive white shapes in the distance on the path. There was no mistaking these were swans. But as we got nearer the swans did move down onto the drain. When they did this we were not that close. But I’m glad they did.

I also saw a heron ahead of us that relocated else where by the time we got to roughly where it had been.

On the way back to the start I saw a kestrel I think hovering just above the edge of the path.

There was the usual crows spotted during the walk in neighbouring fields, and I think some starlings.

Back at the car I decided to have the brew up I was unable to have during the walk. Dolly sat in the car out of the wind, curious about what I was doing.

The passenger side of the car acted like a windshield as I used the BCB crusader mk1 with a BCB Firedragon solid fuel block. It was too windy to use a lighter to ignite it. So I used a windproof match.

Considering I did not use a windshield I thought it did ok in the conditions.

But it was nice to have that moment at the end to enjoy a coffee and remember Nan. The person whose memory I’m doing this all for.

Dolly did well to deal with the uneven, muddy, boggy tractor tracks that passed as a path.

I’ve not decided on tomorrow’s location for our walk. Probably make that decision during tomorrow’s shift.

Currently after updating the mileage covered today on my charity fundraiser page I noticed I am now sitting £1 short of £300. That’s incredible. Words just escape me really for expressing my gratitude to all those that have donated. I’m also thankful for all those that have shared my donation links even if not in a position to donate.

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