Written and snapped by Tony Attwood.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/peterboroughramblers.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/04x1-300x225.jpg\")
Now there are two things you should know about this year in terms of rambling with Peterborough Ramblers.\u00a0 \u00a0One is that I had a back injury at the start of the injury which has curtailed most of my walking, and the other thing is that I find it necessary to tell lots of people over nd over again that I have had a back injury which has curtailed my walking.\u00a0 \u00a0I am not quite sure why the latter point is the case, but it is.<\/p>\n
So this last Thursday, the day of<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/peterboroughramblers.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/04x2-300x225.jpg\")
the mince pie walk in Stamford was a really important time for me as it was my first walk in several centuries (or so it seemed) and I felt the need to tell everyone about my back injury.<\/p>\n
This desire was met by the fact that not only did we gather in the traditional method prior to the walk (this time at the Big House outside Stamford) but so did a range of animal type creatures who felt the need to imitate the Ramblers.\u00a0 I told them about my<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/peterboroughramblers.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/04x3-300x225.jpg\")
back injury and they listened with much attentiveness and interest.<\/p>\n
Then we started to walk – not across country as per normal but through the ancient town which in 2013 was rated the “top place to live” in a survey by The Sunday Times.<\/p>\n
Boudica crossed the river at Stamford following the Roman Legion who had apparently been very remiss in terms of paying their overdue parking\u00a0![\"\"](\"https:\/\/peterboroughramblers.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/04x4-225x300.jpg\")
fines.<\/p>\n
She then personally built this very fine bridge which we were honoured to traverse travelling as it were from south to north in honour of her days of yore.<\/p>\n
The ancient bridge I am pleased to say held up strong and firm as ever thus proving once again that they don’t make ’em like that any more.<\/p>\n
The trees did however notice our passing and waved merrily in the background as you can see from the illustration.\u00a0 Shadows were long on the ground and that was seen as an omen, although fortunately as we marched forth none of the locals tried to walk the other way.<\/p>\n
Nor indeed did anyone try to collect any tolls, and thus free as birds we entered upon the ancient town.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/peterboroughramblers.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/04x5-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Now I must admit that although I go to Stamford each week, I really have not considered the town, apart from an occasional visit to a restaurant (particularly the pizza one by the road bridge over the river which is rather nice), and a weekly visit to Stamford Arts Centre, seen here, and at which we paused.<\/p>\n
It really is a superb arts centre, given the size of the town.\u00a0 It contains a theatre and cinema, plus ballroom, an excellent gallery and coffee-shop.<\/p>\n
What the official website doesn’t tell, however, and what seems to be kept a secret from all except those in the know, is that this very same building houses, upon each Monday evening, a dance club, which is what brings me to Stamford.\u00a0 And a jolly good dance club it is too.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/peterboroughramblers.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/04x7-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
But of course, it is not the arts centre for which Stamford is best known, nor indeed is it the ancient crossing point of Boudica\u00a0 in days of yore, but rather the churches.\u00a0 \u00a0There are lots of them.\u00a0 Hundreds of them.\u00a0 Thousands of them…<\/p>\n
OK maybe I am getting carried away as undoubtedly I will be one day, but given the fact that the population of Stamford is just slightly over 20,000, I reckon there is a church for every 1000 people.<\/p>\n
The good thing is however the buildings are not just used for their designed purpose, but also for recreational activities.\u00a0 One of the churches I pass on walking from the car park to the theatre on a Monday invariably has a rock band practising inside.<\/p>\n
Having listened to them on many an occasion ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/peterboroughramblers.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/04x8-300x225.jpg\")
I reach the conclusion that they need all the practice they can get, but I do think it is good that the building is being used by members of the community when it might otherwise be standing empty.<\/p>\n
But then, having contemplated the multiplicity of churches we travelled once more across the river, this time for reasons of logic traversing in the opposite direction.\u00a0 \u00a0What we found will be told in part two.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Written and snapped by Tony Attwood. Now there are two things you should know about this year in terms of rambling with Peterborough Ramblers.\u00a0 \u00a0One is that I had a back injury at the start of the injury which has curtailed most of my walking, and the other thing is that I find it necessary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n