The Houghton Walk Part 2

I suspect however that our photographers are normally too focussed on their own needs for sustenance at this moment, and thus  we don’t always get the pictures of the half-way stop.

Although, I would not like to give the impression that this is a major part of the event, it is just that….

… on this occasion the photographer seemed to get a bit carried away with photographing the ten minutes break – and to be fair, it really was a superb place to stop.  A staggeringly beautiful environment.

And so here we still are chatting amiably, discussing the beauty of the location while still munching on those energy-giving bars of nutrients in order to ensure safe passage on part two of the adventure.

But I think it is fair to say that not everyone wants to take the entire occasion seriously, and there does seem to be a growing interest among some of our number in returning to one’s youth.  Or perhaps they would say, exploring the notion that one can keep fit through all sorts of different activities, including one or two that are fortuitously discovered en route.

Indulgence in such activities however is only for the brave – or those who like to get their picture taken while behaving in what might be called a post-industrial experimental approach to Rambling.

But of course, the walking did resume  after the statutory ten minutes allocated for the break, and there was much more to be seen both in terms of the natural environment, the wild-life and the historic human intervention into the area.

For not only was this a walk that revealed some outstanding natural beauty and the activities of the wildlife on the lake but also our industrial architectural heritage.

So ultimately we came back to our starting point in Houghton.

However a tradition has arisen in the past couple of years that a number of ladies and gents repair to a nearby hostelry whereupon a very modest amount of alcohol alongside coffees or soft drinks are consumed, and the chit-chat continues as we discuss not just the walk, but also matters of national and local importance, and the reasons why one of our number seems completely unable to resist trying out any swing that we may find en route.

But even here, when the walking is done, there is inevitably something to see, as the final picture in our collection for this day shows.

The house in this last picture sits opposite the pub at which seven of us gathered for a moment’s refreshment before the return trip home.   It has an extraordinarily bowed roof and a wall that is leaning at quite an alarming angle – although clearly it is thought safe for habitation.

Indeed if you ever are in Houghton, you can’t miss the house – it faces the market square, and is another reminder that the walks not only reveal the natural environment but also what we humans have done to it.