Jane’s Walk in Wivenhoe
Another day in the Bank Holiday weekend, another wonderful walk as part of the Sunny Colch 2012 schedule for Jane’s Walk. And whaddya know - Sunday afternoon saw a slight amble around Wivenhoe and the surrounds.
Well I never.
As has been blogged before, one of the inclusive aims of Jane’s Walk weekend is to explore your own hyperlocal environment at a pace that perhaps is a little more leisurely than the day-to-day schedule allows. You need to look around your community to better understand what the needs are.
For Wivenhoe read: wellies.
Sunday afternoon saw a friendly walk around Ferry Marsh and Wivenhoe Wood with the very decent Professor Ted Benton from the Sociology department at the University of Essex. Back in the day, and the good Prof instructed me in Modern Social Theory up on campus. Fast forward twenty years and it was all about beetles, bumble bees and great big logs in Wivenhoe Wood.
I know which form of instruction will prove to be the greater like skill.
The weekend Wivenhoe weather wasn’t exactly conducive to enticing all the buzzy buzzy little things out from wherever they rest their wings in-between being a buzzy buzzy thing.
No worries - Jane’s Walk in Sunny Colch is showing great resilience in stepping out into our hyperlocal environment, even if that hyperlocal environment is telling you that it is probably best to head back to the pub.
The Wivenhoe walkers were rewarded along Ferry Marsh with a rare fly-past from a barn owl, not once, but a circuit covering the Colne and the area around West Quay, hovering for prey and proving to be something of a hoot.
Funny.
Along came a great big blackbird and the birding version of the Battle of Britain soon broke out. Mother Nature can be a bit of a bitch sometimes.
We pressed on towards Wivenhoe Wood, still not too late in the season to see the bed of bluebells that welcome young eloping lovers who fancy a bit of naturist al fresco fun. Sadly not a lot to see here either.
Prof Ted had the eyes of an owl in being able to pick out some bees fighting back the pollen repellent conditions. A truly beautiful moth was also swooped upon, with antenna that was as delicate as my walking shoes now splattered with Wivenhoe Wood mud.
You’re not meant to walk in them, dontcha know.
To fit the Sunny Colch criteria, the party split up back down beside the muddy banks of the Colne. Britain’s Oldest Recorded is that-a-way, whereas Wivenhoe and the backroom of The Greyhound can be found back up the Trail.
Chin chin.
It’s thirsty work this Jane’s Walk way of appreciating what you have around where you live. With a couple of cracking walks still to come on Monday, fighting talk was found after a few pints.
Watch me walk in a straight line tomorrow, Comrades…
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