Middleton & Smerrill Grange.

Back up into the Middleton area again this week, setting off at 06:30am. We parked outside Middleton Hall in the main street and headed towards where we saw the milk churns last week. The weather this morning was a lot different to last week it was very misty and murky but in some ways quite atmospheric for photo's. There were a lot of sheep around with lambs in tow and obviously hungry lambs. When we got to the milk churns this is where the route changed from last week. We headed down a lovely track through Kenslow Woods and then up to Mount Pleasant Farm which is an extremely well tidy place. The track then went towards Smerrill Grange then to the Two Faced Rock which i made into 3 faced (see the pic. We carried on a bit to the old former cheese factory and a bit further on we stopped to have our breakfast. While we were having our breakfast Geoff whipped out some birthday cake to celebrate his 79th birthday and very nice it was too. We were singing happy birthday when this very nice lady stopped her car and invited us to sit on benches outside of her B & B just up the road to finish our breakfast. She also gave us a little bit of history of the Gratton Grange Farm where she was at. We set off and passed through the farm and its a cracking place with tuns of history. The next section took us past Lowfields Farm where there is a lot of work going on to develop holiday cottages. We crossed a brook with a stone tablet in the middle with some writting on it regarding water but i could'nt make it all out. From there it was a walk uphill back towards Middleton and the car. There are some brilliant buildings in Middleton and worth a look.

This weeks route starting from Middleton Hall going anti clockwise.

Middleton Hall

3 little piggies

Misty tree's

Milk churns

Breakfast time

Kenslow woods

This is the best tree protection ive ever seen on Mount Pleasant Farm

Log piles on Mount Pleasant Farm

Ike with Geoff getting over the style

Rob

We dont know what this was for, had us intriguid 

Love these little cows

Some great tree's

More feeding

One of the Sites of Meaning Sculptures

Me adding my face.

Fancy shaped gatepost.

The former Gratton Cheese Factory

Cart Shed 1853 with the initials WPT William Pole Thornhill

Inside one of the barns being converted

Geoff getting across a muddy area

This is the drive that leads up to Lowfields Farm

Stone tablet in the middle of the brook. The inscription reads The Peace of Running Water to You

Coming into Middleton

Memorial to a crashed bomber

Lovely spring well in the village

The coat of arms on the gates of Middleton Hall

Just under 5 miles this was another cracking walk. We heard and saw a lot more wildlife this week, We saw a fox, lapwings, fieldfares and heard a curlew and a couple of woodpeckers. 

See you next wee