Forget Asbo's

Outside the village of Kirkthorpe, near Wakefield are these village stocks.Complete with padlock.
This used to be the village centre and the two seater stocks date back to the 1100's.

We passed these on our walk from Heath Common, to Stanley Ferry, where there is an aqueduct taking the Aire and Calder canal over the river Calder.

As you can see from the shadows, we had glorious sunshine all day.
Felt more like summer than Spring!

Although we have been to Heath and Stanley Ferry before, we have not done a walk between the two.

We couldn't believe that we were so near Wakefield.
In places it felt quite remote and wild.
The Aire and Calder Navigation was built in the 1830's to cut out the meanderings of the river Calder, and forms the backbone of this figure of eight 6 mile walk.
We walked through some high elephant grass,( Miscanthus, used as biofuel to replace coal at power stations.) over a field of rape, just coming into flower.
Along a track where the blue bells were almost flowering,and bright yellow celandines shine in the sunlight.
All along the way we could hear birds singing, especially the chiffchaffs.
Only went a bit wrong twice. Which cut a corner off.

Finished off at the pub in Heath village, and then back here for a meal.
Our friends have just left, after a day we all enjoyed.

Extra photo is the Half Moon Lake.