Washingborough

Walking – River Witham

/ Lincolnshire, Walking / , , , , , ,

I could not get out yesterday, when it was sunny because of work and today it is overcast!

I took my usual route out of Branston, through Washingborough and out onto the Sustrans path along the River Witham. It was definitely not a spring day walk, it was overcast with a cold wind, which was a good test for my new coat, a drab olive M65 jacket but when I stopped I wish I had not taken the liner out and left it at home. Whilst walking though the jacket was comfortable and wind proof.

The jacket has a concealed hood in the collar but I was sceptical whether it was very waterproof so before using the coat I proofed it with some Nikwax Cotton Proof. It is never going to be completely waterproof but hopefully I have improved the water resistance.

The chest pockets were useful for my phone and iPod and secure well with metal press studs. The lower pockets also fasten down with studs and are a useful size. However I do miss a secure inside pocket.

Metal rabbit Washingborough

Field of oil seed rape - Lincolnshire

Stop for coffee near Washingborough Lincolnshire, Finnish Gas Mask bag and MSR titanium mug
A stop for coffee near Washingborough Lincolnshire, Finnish Gas Mask bag and MSR titanium mug

I really needed the foil windshield when I made my coffee, as the wind was strong and there was no shelter for the stove. The wind proof lighter was essential.

Chimney pot

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Sunday Sunrise

/ Lincolnshire, Outdoor Gear, Photography / , , , , ,

Not the most spectacular sunrise, but I was out early enough today, walking along the Water Rail Way (7.44am) for the sunrise. The clouds were the most interesting element of this shot.

Sunrise over Washingborough Lincolnshire
Washingborough

I used my Sierra Cup with a lid this week to boil the water for my tea.

The lid was a success, it took two minutes to boil the water and the lid sat on the cup OK. No flies in the water. Keeping the lid on the tea also helped to keep it warm longer.

This is a good addition to my outdoor kit, next week I am going to cook in it.

Do you know that the iPhone dictionary does not recognise the word “lid”, substituting “kid” instead. This can lead to some interesting sentences if you do not notice Apple’s substitution!

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Water Rail Way – Sunday morning breakfast

/ Lincolnshire, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Walking / , , , , , ,

Water Rail Way
click on the above image for a larger version

Water Rail Way Lincolnshire

For the third Sunday morning in a row I had to drop Diana off early in the city centre. This week I had some time so I packed a few items, including my breakfast and backpacking cooking gear and planned to walk a section of the Water Rail Way. Although it was gloomy outside when I got up at 6am, by the time I was parking the car in Washingborough it was a beautiful morning.

Water Rail Way

A short walk along the path and I found a convenient bench, in the sun shine with a good view for breakfast.

I am using a new pad/sit mat in the back of my Sea to Summit rucksack – I bought it recently at Go Outdoors for a couple of pounds – it is thicker and stiffer than the previous pad, giving more comfort and some structure to the pack. I had to cut the “handle” off the mat to make it fit.

Sea to Summit Travel Pack – finished

Backpacking Coffee

Breakfast was homemade steamed coconut buns, left over from last night’s dinner and homemade raspberry jam. I made some fresh coffee to go with it using my tea strainer “coffee maker”. It was an excellent breakfast sitting by the river – beats last week’s breakfast in McDonalds.

Backpacking Coffee

The coconut buns are a recipe from Jamie Oliver and are really easy to make. The recipe says use a food processor but I just sieve the flour into the coconut milk and stir it in with a fork. To make things easier I spoon the mixture into the paper cases. For extra lift I add a teaspoon of baking soda with the sieved flour. I split the mixture into 14 smaller buns, which fit nicely onto the steamer tray in my wok. For buns with extra spice I sprinkle some chilli flakes onto the buns before cooking.

Cold, the next day, with jam and butter they make a tasty breakfast.

Jamie Oliver’s recipe here

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A couple of hours walking along the Witham

/ General, Lincolnshire, Photography, Walking / , , , , , ,

I had to drop Diana off in the city at 7am this morning, so it was a good opportunity, on the way home, to park in Washingborough and walk along the Witham. The light was low in the sky and bright so it gave some good late summer shots.

River Witham

River Witham

I’d packed my breakfast and cook set, so I had my tea cakes with homemade raspberry jam and tea, sitting on one of the benches on the river bank, looking out on the river. A very quiet and calm way to start a Sunday.

Why does tea always taste better when you drink it outside?

River Witham

Shadows are always a problem when shooting landscapes with a strong, low sun.

Unfortunately I could not make a day of it, as I had to get back to my office. We have a big job on tomorrow in Grimsby and I need to make sure everything is organised and ready for Martin to head up there first thing.

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Early morning walk along the River Witham

/ Lincolnshire, Photography / , , ,

I had to drop Diana off at the bus station early this morning, so I took advantage of being out and had a couple of hours walk along the River Witham near Washingborough. It was a grey, dull, warm morning it was not good light for landscape photos. However this light had virtually no shadows and it showed some interesting details and subtle colours in my shots.

Here it has revealed the colour and shape of this thistle and emphasised the sharpness of the leaves.

River Witham

River Witham

River Witham

In this shot the light was great for showing up the variety of greens in the trees and bank side.

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