Traditional Folk Music was enjoyed by a smaller group than usual, due to holidays and other U3A events. We continue to find new songs that are suitable for the group to sing.
Our next meeting on July 18th will be led by Christine and Dave Vincent with a theme of their choice.
All are welcome.
Liz and Philip Attenborough
Our longest journey of the year saw the group make an earlier than usual start to the day by leaving Hucknall at 8.30 am. After a journey of just over two hours we arrived to fine weather at the beautiful and very large Wimpole Estate.
The Estate is one of the jewels in the National Trust collection. There has been a dwelling on the site for over two thousand years and the site has evidence of Roman occupation. Many families have occupied the house over the years before the last owner Mrs Bambridge ,the daughter of Rudyard Kipling, bequeathed the property to the National Trust upon her death in 1976.
Unlike most National Trust properties the many rooms reflect different periods from history. A Roman bath contrasted, for example, with a 1770’s dining room.
Elsewhere in the grounds are a large walled garden, a working rare breeds farm including shire horses, pigs and sheep. The grounds which are set in beautiful countryside also had a range of well signed walks.
A courtyard with a large gift shop, cafe, an area selling plants and a nearby church all form part of a wonderful estate.
Everyone agreed that it was a lovely site and well worth the early start!! Leaving Wimpole promptly at 4.00 pm we were back in Hucknall for 6.20 pm.
Our next visit on July 31st takes us through the Peak District to Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire which still has a working mill and other buildings connected to the once thriving cotton trade.
On the 6th June we went to Belper on a walk of around eight miles which Carol Green kindly organised and led. It was a varied walk with good views back over Belper. We started at the Strutts mill and finished at the cafe which is situated in the park at the back of the mill.
The walk started in Belper through Wyver Lane Nature Reserve to Blackbrook, Mitford and back along the River Derwent. It was rather overcast but a relief from the heat that we have recently experienced.
In our continuing spirit of enquiry, some of our Grumpy Old Men recently set off for Lichfield, which one of our number is familiar with from his working life.
We started off with coffee in a very convenient cafe next to the Cathedral, then we had a self-guided tour around the Cathedral itself, a gothic masterpiece which dates back to the 13th century. Lichfield changed sides twice during the English Civil War, with consequent damage to the building.
The Cathedral subsequently underwent significant restoration by Sir Gilbert Scott in the 19th Century. It is the only medieval English cathedral with three spires and is the only cathedral in the UK to have been fortified with walls and a moat, traces of which remain in the surrounding landscape today.
We then set out on a walk around the centre of the town to see more historic sights, plus the local Wetherspoons for lunch.
The recent sunshine has once again brought out the litter louts so in May the group cleared up a total of 25 bags of their rubbish including a suit, shirt and shoes – has someone been thrown out?!
Also, on one of his regular litter picks, one of our members came across 19 bags of fly-tipped rubbish on a footpath just off Waterloo Road in Hucknall. This was reported online to Ashfield District Council who fairly promptly came out and removed it. The council tip is only about ½ mile away so whoever dumped the rubbish would probably have travelled further to dump it than they would if they had taken it to the tip. Unbelievable!
Val Gant
Should anyone wish to join our litter picking group please contact me as per the interest group details at the end of the newsletter or via the form below:-