For the third week of the Weekend Walking Group, the group were met with perfect weather with bright blue skies & warm sunshine.
Before heading off, the group recapped on the topic from week 2, ‘the benefits of walking for mental health’ with a reminder of some useful benefits including, boosting self-esteem by achieving small goals, reducing loneliness through social connection, reducing stress, anxiety & depression by movement, lowering cortisol, calming the nervous system & boosting mood through the release of endorphins & serotonin. Members also shared additional benefits personal to them, which included clearing the mind & allowing you to appreciate your surroundings & have time to think about the nature & the countryside around you.
The walk this week covered nearly 4 miles, starting out from behind the library, initially with a stroll over to the East side of the River Trent & then across to the West side, towards the Leicester Line Railway Bridge & through the Centenary Woodland. It ventured into areas that some members never knew existed & down paths that some members knew existed but had never previously known where they went to.
The topic for this week’s walk was ‘from the ground’, with the group recording what they noticed to share & discuss at the end. Regular short stops were taken along the way due to the lovely warm weather, to ensure everyone was hydrated with a slightly longer refreshment stop at the benches of the Woodland Hub where fruits & biscuits were consumed to fuel up, to ensure everyone was equipped for the rest of the walk.
Throughout the walk, the group encountered many information boards along the way, learning lots about wildlife local to the area & that footprints of dinosaurs had been found in Ashby Road & near Brizlincote Hall! Boards near to Stapenhill Gardens informed about Stapenhill House, originally the residence of the Spender family, which stood at the site of Stapenhill Gardens until 1933, with views down over the Trent Valley. The white swan of Stapenhill Gardens marking the sight where the tennis courts would once have been. Further along the river was information that the River Trent could freeze over in winter in Victorian times & people would skate & play ice hockey on it! There was even information on Burton’s links to Egypt, with the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb apparently partially funded by the sale of the Brizlincote Hall estate!
The weather was so nice, it was lovely to see bees & butterflies dancing between the flowers. We spotted a Holly Blue butterfly & an Orange-tip butterfly. Due to the fantastic weather, the discussion at one point turned to the thought of ice cream, with the group chatting about their favourite flavours & whilst on the walk back to the library everyone talked about their plans for the afternoon, which included bicycle riding, going out for lunch, a BBQ, meeting with family, shopping & meeting with friends for iced coffee.
Once back at the library the group discussed what they had noticed ‘from the ground’ with mentions of the different surfaces that were walked on, grass, concrete, pebbles etc, beach tee nuts crunching under foot, dandelions with bright yellow petals changing to a delicate puff ball of seeds, ready to be spread by the wind & little beetles, shimmering iridescent in the sun’s rays. After appreciating once more how beautiful the weather had been, the group said their goodbyes & everyone went on their way to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.
