Friday 10 July 2009

Hedgerow Country


It's really nice to see, and cycle through the small country lands with hedgerows on either side. They're mostly hawthorn with elder (in flower), and i'm sure i've seen some elm in there. Occasionally there's some sweet smelling honeysuckle too. Mmmm! And Anne found some teeny tiny wild strawberries by the side of the road in a wooded stretch. Cow parsley's definitely outnumbering the meadowsweet now, and we've gone from moorland to rolling hills with patchworks of different colours; green hay meadows with wild flowers, bright yellow mown meadows, golden ripening barley, dark green potato fields, bright green corn and green pastures with cows and sheep dotted about them. There's also an abundance of estates; grand houses with pastureland and enormous, spreading mature trees scattered throughout. And stone built villages with a pub and a church in each one. And in the larger towns, there are thriving market squares that some still have markets in at the weekend (the rest of the time they're a car park!) It's beautiful. We've declared Richmond the friendliest town so far. People spontaneously started conversations with us, and in the tearoom where we stopped for a wee refreshment, we actually had someone approach us to ask if he could make a donation! So i haven't carried my empty collecting tin 200miles for nothing!

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