I was heading for the village of Collingham in Nottinghamshire. There I had planned to meet my son Ian who for one reason or another sponsors an amateur football club called Newark and Sherwood United. They play at Collingham and on Saturday afternoon they had a match against Ashby Ivanhoe.
Timing is everything. At half past eleven, I arrived in the village of Girton four miles north of Collingham ready for another country walk. I figured I could complete it well before the football match kicked off but I was a little anxious about it because I knew that the area west of Girton had been flooded earlier this month. The village is a mile from the River Trent which you can see in the very top left corner of the map.
St Cecilia's Church in Girton dates back to the 13th century
I parked at the church marked on the map with a cross. It is dedicated to St Cecilia and then straight away I noticed that the nearby cottages had sand bags at their doors and there was some flood debris like carpets, linoleum and soft furniture. One pile had a card on top of it reading, "Please Leave. Awaiting Insurance Assessment". It was clear that the flood had lapped into the village.
This old sign caught my eye in Girton
The circular walk wasn't especially long - no more than four miles. The floodwater had all subsided and the paths left behind were not particularly muddy. In Besthorpe I entered Holy Trinity Church - also marked with a cross. It has a beautiful and modern wooden floor and the old pews have been removed. Consequently, the church now provides a useful community space as well as continuing to be a place of worship.
Inside Holy Trinity Church, Besthorpe
At Collingham, Newark and Sherwood United managed to lose by two goals to nil. Ian presented the man of the match award and we had a vegan lunch at which I found myself conversing with a bunch of business people who talk a language that seems foreign to me.
I left Collingham in darkness and headed up that red road to the A57 LIncoln road. Then I crossed the river at Dunham-on-Trent before heading home to Sheffield where Shirley was waiting for me to order an Indian takeaway from "Bilash" on Sharrowvale Road.
The Fleet at Besthope helps to protect that village from flooding
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/HGEW7fC