Autumn Footprints 2010 - Week One
w/e 03 October 2010
All this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490

The Walking Festival in Erewash and Amber Valley was held over a couple of weeks in the middle of September and featured over thirty guided walks or organised events. It would have been impossible for any one individual to participate in all of them due to the conflicting start times of the walks which ranged from one to twelve miles. Personally, other commitments also played a part and I was only able to take part in three walks in each week but they all proved very enjoyable. A selection of images from the first three walks can be seen below and the three from the following week are on a second page (linked below).

River Trent

Railway InnTamworth RoadWith my wife, I joined about sixty more walkers at the Railway Inn (left) at Sawley for an "Extended River & Canal Walk" with the Sawley Walking For Health Group. Health walks are normally over about three miles but for the Festival the group had combined two walks to produce a circular five mile walk. We left Sawley via Tamworth Road (right) and headed for the bridge over the River Trent and a cluster of swans.
Sawley Marina

Sawley CutAfter crossing the river we turned along the towpath of the Sawley Cut (left) which bypasses a weir on the river and passing Sawley Marina continued to the lock where the canal rejoins the Trent. Here we once again crossed the river using a footbridge at the side of the railway bridge (right) and then followed the path between the river and the Trent Lock Golf Centre to pick up the Erewash Canal.
Erewash Canal

We followed the Erewash Canal as far as Tamworth Road at Long Eaton leaving the towpath to follow Tamworth Road back to the starting point at Sawley.
Oswald

I said that I had taken part in three walks during the first week but that is not strictly true as an emergency visit to the vets meant that we did not arrive at the Midland Railway Centre for the second walk until nearly half an hour after the starting time. However we were informed at the Centre that we were only twenty minutes behind the group so pointed in the right direction we set off for a bit of speed walking to try and catch up. Our efforts were in vain for although we reached the Country Park we neither saw nor heard anything of the group so these images were all captured as we retraced our steps back to the Railway Centre at a more leisurely pace.

Country ParkMiniature RailwayOur speed walk had taken us through a wooded area in the Country Park to a clearing (left) and it was here that we decided to return. At one of the entrances to the Railway Centre we were greeted by one of Thomas the Tank Engine's friends, Oswald, and we were able to walk through the rest of the site and see all types of rolling stock (right).
Midland Railway Centre

There are also several buildings on the site that have been restored including stations and signal boxes that easily transport you back to the golden age of railways.
Engine Sheds

It's not only buildings that are restored and the large engine sheds provide an ideal environment to work on the engines and rolling stock.
Railway Station

We had not taken part in the organised walk and no doubt missed out on some interesting information as previous walks with the appointed leader had always been very revealing about the area but we had enjoyed a good walk nonetheless and the station at the Midland Railway Centre evoked memories of times past. Entrance to the site is free but train rides operate at various times and are of course chargeable.
Old Tractor Competition

West Hallam Depot Site MapNibby Pit YardThe final walk of this first week was at "Stanley Village & Surrounds" much of which has been covered in the Stanley Village Trail but on this occasion, special permission had been obtained to enter the Nibby Pit yard (right) and to examine a site plan of the West Hallam Storage Depot (left). Continuing into Stanley, we passed a field where a competition for old tractors was taking place.
Station Road

This walk was in two distinct parts, the first following the main road through Stanley and part of the group is seen here on Station Road as they approached the White Hart.
Surfeit Of Signs

CattleOpen CountrysideAt the pub a right turn took us up Morley Lane and Common Lane to return to the start over the fields to the north of the village. Cattle (left), sheep and geese were among the many farm animals to be seen along with the open countryside views (right) and at the boundary hedge line that separated three fields, a surfeit of circular signs pointed in all directions but our guide led us safely back.

Forward to Autumn Footprints 2010 Week Two

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