A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace. CONFUCIUS

Wednesday 21 August 2013

The Viking Way: Donington On Bain To Tealby

On either side the river lie / Long fields of barley and of rye, / That clothe the wold and meet the sky. The Lady of Shalott ALFRED LORD TENNYSON

From Donington I followed the river Bain northwards. It was hardly a river, more of a narrow stream choked with willowherb. Approaching Biscathorpe, I disturbed a noisy flock of greylag geese feeding in the stubble.

A magnificent horse chestnut tree at Biscathorpe.

Biscathorpe was the site of a former medieval village, but there's little trace of it today.

This part of the Viking Way cuts directly north along the Wolds' plateau. Note the chalk,  the  ever-present cornfields and the lump on the horizon — which is a Bronze Age barrow (or earthwork tomb) called Grim's Mound.

The long, straight track.

An intriguing street name. I wonder if it has a Viking origin?

Tealby ford.

I spent the night at Pear Tree Cottage B&B in Tealby. It was a perfect summer afternoon — warm and sunny — and I was served a pot of tea and homemade cake in the garden.

4 comments:

Ruth said...

Delightful. Wonderful photos. And that tea and cake in the garden sounds just blissful.

The Solitary Walker said...

Ruth, there's very little better in life than drinking tea and eating cake on a perfect summer's evening in a beautiful cottage garden many miles from the nearest main road, I'd think you'd agree.

dritanje said...

You had some blissful weather, clearly! It's funny, but those lines from Tennyson often go through my mind too,
....And through the field the road runs by
To many-towered Camelot;

And I quoted them here
http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2193108

Wonderful photos as ever, particularly the one of the flight of geese

The Solitary Walker said...

Nice to hear from you, Dritanje. Although he's hardly fashionable these days, I rate Tennyson very highly; I think poems such as 'Ulysses', 'The Lotus Eaters' and 'In Memoriam' are truly great poems.