Natures wonders, right at your feet

What a great name Lego Lane for the footpath that Andrew and I started to re-open 12yrs ago. Love to know the origin of it.

As many of you know walking through the village can be rather an 'exciting' experience. Phil and I would cut across our two fields to Legal lane so that we could walk safely to school. Other walkers followed us but this led to our fence becoming 'un-stock proof' (is there such a word!). So with a government grant of £500 we put in a permissive footpath and used the money for Tim James to put a 1m wide hardcore path down. This meant Phil and I could get to school even faster on bikes and it was a joy to see how many people used it to get to school. It was safer for kids to walk from Gold Hill than it was further in the village. When Phil was in yr 5 we invited the school children with Giles (The Local Ranger) to plant 35 different apple trees along the path. I had the romantic view that in future yrs kids from the school would walk down the path picking apples and reminiscing when they planted them. Some of the names are

Slack Ma Girdle

Exeter Cross

Tom Puttt

Beauty of Bath

Christmas Permain

Unfortunately we haven't looked after them as much as they deserve but in the future when we repair the fence and put in a new one we will. I had a lovely e-mail from a walker, his quote about the path and it 'untidiness' follows.

"The small Coppers (on creeping thistle) are doing well in the field margin, where the heritage apples trees are growing, a few weeks back there were also common blues in the same spot. A good advert for not cutting everything back, just for the sake of tidiness, you've created a nature reserve! The small copper is very Small (24-30mm) and although not rare, most people will never have noticed one."

When we are working in our fields it’s amazing how many walkers go by I am sure it has increased from the 1990's, when we last farmed down there.

Happy walking and I hope those 'Boots Keep on Walking Right up to our Farm Shop'