A slightly longer walk

The lane which separates Bushbury, the suburb, from farmland. Photo by writer.

Yesterday I meant to walk as far as the church which I would have been attending if I had felt more confident about walking with a crutch. The weather, it seemed, had other plans as the rain had been pouring all day. I had travelled a short portion of the route but realised I was getting damp even when wearing a waterproof, so I headed back to my lodgings. It was just as well I did so because my trousers were quite damp below where the hemline of the waterproof hit. I changed into a dry pair.

Another view of the lane — photo by author. In the 17th and 18th and maybe some way into the 19th century this would have been the main road.

Another photo of lane showing traffic comes along there quickly. Photo by author.

Today was drier. However when I went out I did not go in the direction of the Catholic church but made my way towards the lane where the suburb ends. There are still fields on the other side of that lane. I found out that the lane was in fact the old route between Stafford and Wolverhampton. “In the sixteenth century the old route past the church was still the main road from Stafford to Wolverhampton and Warwick.” (See linked page from Wolverhampton History & Heritage website) Bushbury 16th century Were it still the main route it would be handy if I could just walk up to the lane and catch a bus to Stafford. The church mentioned in the sentence in inverted commas is not the 20th century Catholic one I intended to visit yesterday, which church would not have been built when Bushbury was still a village.

View of Northycote Farm over the road — photo by author.

I walked along the lane till I was over the road from Northycote Farm. This old farmhouse is definitely on my “to visit” list. the building dates from about 1600, (see linked website), Homepage Northycote Farm & Country Park but has had various alterations over the years. Some considerable restoration is reported to have been carried out in the 1980s. The farm is now run by a registered charity called the Friends of Northycote Farm. The farm hosts a weekly adult craft group, so it may be worth my while to shoot off an email to the charity or make a telephone call to find out about the activities held. The only setback is that I have seen traffic travel along the lane at some speed and as I use a crutch I would need to be careful.

View looking the other way — the edge of the suburb can be seen the other side of the green space. Photo by author.

Northycote Farm was far enough to walk today. I was glad to have made a little progress in my walking recovery journey. The idea of visiting a seemingly interesting old building encourages me to venture forth and find out more details about it.

Livestock at a feeding trough on the field at the back of the even numbered houses in the road where I’m staying. Photo by author.

As night draws in, one house still has its Christmas lights on. Photo by author.

So home I went and treated myself to a microwaved jacket potato. I love the look of an old-fashioned half-timbered building but I am also fond of the convenience of a microwave oven.