Medium Walks

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For our July walk we ventured north to Ollerton village, and followed a circular route, pausing at Wellow for our coffee stop, and to hear about the history of the famous Maypole which stands in the centre of the village green.

The photo stop was on the steep steps at the side of the old railway line which we crossed – we recreated a similar photo of around 7 years ago when we last used that particular path.

Although it was not yet August, the large field of wheat which we crossed looked ready for harvesting. We then walked around to Rufford Country Park, where the ford across the road became briefly famous on YouTube, before being closed on safety grounds.

Finally, we made our way back to Ollerton village, avoiding the forecast thunderstorms, which appeared as we were heading back home.

Our next walk will be on Monday 18th August – new members are always welcome to join us, just use the contact form on our website.

John Tedstone

Science

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July 18th Meeting

This month we welcomed a visiting speaker Dr Yi Wang from The Canal and River Trust.

The theme was ‘Wildlife Around Our Canals’ and she explained that they were once busy avenues of commerce and industry and are now bustling corridors of wildlife.

Kingfishers dart low over the water, and herons stalk fish from shadowy banks. Moorhens and swans glide peacefully, while dragonflies shimmer above lily pads. Otters, once rare, are now making a quiet comeback. Reeds and towpaths hide voles, frogs, and butterflies. These tranquil waterways offer shelter, food to countless species—nature’s heartbeat flowing gently alongside human history.

After the break in preparation for our aeroplane flying and rocket launching day at Bestwood Country Park on 15th August, Ian Murray explained how planes fly. Before becoming the ‘Rockin Rev’ Ian worked for 12 years in the aerospace industry, and he managed to make a very difficult concept accessible by his explanation and illustrations.

To summarise:

Planes fly by using lift, thrust, drag, and weight. Air flows faster over the curved top of the wing, creating lower pressure above it—this generates lift. Engines provide thrust to move the plane forward, while drag resists motion. Pilots balance these forces so the plane can climb, cruise, and descend. Precision design and constant airflow turn physics into flight, keeping the aircraft soaring through our skies every day.

Short Walks

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In July we completed a 4.1mile circuit starting and finishing in Linby. The name Linby comes from the mills on the River Leen and the village dates to at least the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a priest but not a church.

The route went past St Michael’s Church, which dates to the 13th century. However, it has been restored multiple times and contains monuments to the Chaworth family.

We then walked down Haydn Lane through the Papplewick Green development onto the footpath which leads to the River Leen before crossing Papplewick Lane into Moor Ponds Woods.

Papplewick is another village with an interesting history, and it was once the southern gateway to Sherwood Forest, Papplewick was granted to Newstead Priory in 1120. We followed the footpath through the woods all the way to Linby Meadow back to our starting point.

Our destination was Brooke Farm café for a welcome drink and for some a highly recommended scone.

August Walk

On Thursday 21st August we have a guided walk at Bennerley Viaduct, which is known locally as The Iron Giant.

Details will be sent to the group in early August.

David Rose