Walk from Bellingham

It's been a grey and cold day here today. The three festival walks all set off as planned.

I had hoped to go on the short walk, but decided that 8 miles was too far. Instead I set off just before lunch to go to Bellingham. I'm keen to sort out a route for the Autumn Festival. Since I can't go with the rest of the walkers, this was a good second best.

It's an area I don't know well. I was the only person on the route. Even though it was cold, the skylarks were singing. I saw my first lapwings of the season; just two of them, but great to see.

A house sparrow popped out of a barn to look at me before returning to its nest. 

Even on the farms I saw noone. 

There are a lot of lambs now. My extra shows two tiny one with their mothers. If you look closely you may see that the one on the right has been adopted. Its mother died or rejected it and the lamb of the ewe died, so the two were matched up. It wears the skin of the dead lamb.

I'd been told that I could walk along the old railway line back to Bellingham and I gave it a go. It's not a public footpath, but there are clear signs of footfall - so far that is. Then I found fence after fence to climb. I wasn't sure whether to pretend to be foreign if I was challenged, or just to confess! (The latter would have been better.)

Being out and walking is the best medicine.

Tonight I want no festival phone calls during Line of Duty!