Nice places to stop off at.....

[Gibbo2286]

This was my stomping ground as a child, within walking distance of my home in north Birmingham, now swallowed up into the Birmingham expansion over the recent
https://www.google.com/search?q=sutton ... IgAQ%3D%3D

Click on the phots link to see it all.

[CitroJim]

Cross Country races are fun, especially when it's really wet and muddy... The only PE I really enjoyed at school...

[Gibbo2286]

When we came back from Egypt posted to South Benfleet our CO insisted, we do a five mile cross country run on Saturday morning if we wanted a 36-hour leave pass.
It was January and there were a lot of blue knees.

[CitroJim]

Wendover Woods, right up on top of the Chiltern Hills near Aylesbury and managed by Forestry England is a beautiful pace for getting out and about in the fresh air... Lovely marked trails and a great cafe... Highly recommended...

The arrow is to tell we runners where to go... Many dog walkers this morning I suspect, wished to do the same when confronted with some 500 of us all heading for them

The car park costs.. Paid for using an app. new to me called Glide... ANPR records your registration plate as you drive in and you pay using the app. on exit... It knows exactly how long you have been there and offers a 30 minute grace period after paying to exit...

All parking charges go toward the upkeep of the wood, which, like all Forestry England sites, is kept immaculately tidy and free of litter so I have no worries about paying for parking... It's not expensive... For my fun morning there today it cost a fiver...

[CitroJim]

It was January and there were a lot of blue knees.

These days we have the fix for that Eric... Lycra tights Or if on the bike, Lycra leg warmers Leg warmers bear a passing resemblance to thick stockings of the Nora Batty variety except they don't wrinkle and hold themselves up...

[myglaren]

Cross Country races are fun, especially when it's really wet and muddy... The only PE I really enjoyed at school...

Never did PE, had a workaround.

[CitroJim]

Cross Country races are fun, especially when it's really wet and muddy... The only PE I really enjoyed at school...

Never did PE, had a workaround.

I used to dream of having one of those for most PE lessons, basically any that involved a ball - which in our school was almost all of them... Cross Country was only an occasional pleasure...

[mickthemaverick]

I had to have some lunch during the operation so I went in search of a suitable hostelry and found an absolute paradise of a pub. It was 15 mins drive but the result was so worth the effort. The place I found was The Bell at Smarden and what a great pub it is, the pictures only tell half the story as the welcome was brilliant too and the beer superbly kept!! The last picture gives the details for anyone who wants to try it and I think it would make a great venue for a summer gathering of the FCFers in range, and I include myself even though it will be an hour and three quarters to get there. Let me know anyone who is interested and we'll sort out a date!! In the meantime there are classic car gatherings on Sundays and you can be assured of a warm welcome!!

Own work

Own work

Own work

Own work

Own work

Own work

Own work

Don't worry about the lack of customers as I was there around 4pm today when the rugby was on!!

[mickthemaverick]

SWMBO and I were trying to think of somewhere to go for dinner on Saturday which would not be too busy because of her need to keep her toes safe. After much deliberation we remembered a pub we used to use before Covid and which was closed for refurb the last time we visited about a year ago. So we decided to give it a go and headed down to The Beehive in Epping Green and were very happy with what we found. The place has been completely redesigned including moving the bar and building a new garden room type extension where we had our table. Food and service were both excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

The garden room from our corner.

As you can see it was pretty quiet as we had hoped by going early for a Saturday, 5.15 booking, and she was able to keep her foot well out of the way of possible hazards! I thoroughly recommend it for a pleasant eveing out!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Golden Fish Inn Delves Lane Consett County Durham.

Never been before, won some awards, excellent Good Friday Fish and Chips.

and a local brick for good measure

Delves-A

Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

You can't beat an abandoned Brickworks for entertainment

NF Original 12/04/2023

The famous Burn-Axe Brick

a few souvenirs

along with a bit of trainspotting

Tesco's freight wagons rumble by.

Neil

[CitroJim]

We still have an abandoned brickworks hereabout - Stewartby, in the Marston Vale near Bedford..

Years back we had loads of them. Now all gone - mainly under housing estates. Happily though, several of the adjacent quarries have been turned into country parks and lakes used for watersports purposes whilst at least two really big ones were used for landfill and these days the resulting methane from the rotting rubbish is harvested to drive a power station...

On another suite is a big waste incinerator with a very distinctive chimney...

[CitroJim]

Yesterday saw me in the Beacon Hill Country Park, not far from the preserved Great Central Railway near Quorn and Woodhouse, Leicestershire - the only main-line twin-tracked preserved railway in the UK. Parts of it now has a 60mph speed limit so the big main-line preserved locomotives can be given a bit of decent run...

Despite the nearness I could not visit this time as I was being gainfully employed in the Country Park..

The park is a real gem in some very scenic countryside. It has some great hiking trails, a superb cafe and some breathtaking views from the top. It's called Beacon Hill for a good reason as it has one on top and an OS Trig. Pillar... Hiking up to it is a very good work out up some very steep hills; great fun to run up there too...

Very highly recommended for a visit, perhaps in conjunction with the Great Central Railway...

[CitroJim]

A truly gorgeous place and definitely worth a visit, especially for the bluebells in spring

I believe it's the site of an old Colliery and the park is the remains of a huge spoil heap! You'd never know, it looks totally natural and the whole park is stunningly beautiful. So much so, it takes your breath away, My pictures just cannot do justice to it...

[NewcastleFalcon]

I believe it's the site of an old Colliery and the park is the remains of a huge spoil heap! You'd never know, it looks totally natural and the whole park is stunningly beautiful. So much so, it takes your breath away, My pictures just cannot do justice to it...

It would have been a nice place to stop off at in 1910 too, for the Industrial History fan! I reckon the original photographer from 1910 wouldn't give a monkey's about his photographic work being plastered over the internet, but Warwickshire County Records Office still do, so an onerous click of the link is required to view for your own personal education and enjoyment...

I suspect this is where the country park is now!
HARTSHILL. JEES GRANITE AND BRICK CO. LTD. QUARRY
https://d23iiv8m8qvdxi.cloudfront.net/w ... 840-0.jpg

Of course you would expect a brick photo
https://www.brocross.com/Bricks/Penmorf ... Atherstone

https://www.brocross.com/Bricks/Penmorfa/Pages/england12.htm#:~:text=Jees%2c%20Atherstone

Neil