Another very short walk - to Elton village

Despite being on a supposedly do-nothing break in a riverside cabin, in the late afternoon we decided to head out on a short walk to the village. Now, I know some people who talk of a short walk as being 5 or 6 miles, but I know my limits (or thought I did) and this was about a mile and a half. Should have been easy... 

Picking up a footpath which ran literally outside our door, we headed over a footbridge and a tricky (for me) stile onto the island created by an ox-bow lake which gave the property we were staying on its name. 

Another, larger, metallic, bridge took us over the river Nene, to join the Nene Valley Way which led us south towards Elton.

It was a pretty amble along the riverside. The sun was shining. The path was flat. All good so far.

It wasn't long before we caught sight of where we were staying on the opposite bank

A bridge took a road over us, and although it would have been possible to return at this point, we continued to follow the path by the river with glimpses of the village ahead of us. I was beginning to wonder if I'd bitten off more than I could manage.

The Nene runs beside Elton, rather than through it, but after strolling beside a quite river, there was suddenly a lot of activity. Another bridge! I like encountering bridges on walks; somehow they make everything seem more of an adventure.

A weir, and a lock to raise and lower boats.

And an old abandoned mill from times when Elton and the river would have been busy and bustling.

I'd been dragging my feet for a while and at this point I realised how much I'd over-exerted myself. 

Fortunately there was a seat by the village green, and I just sat for a while and tried to regain some energy. Approaching from the river we'd seen very little of the village and I would have liked to explore more but there was no way I could. There were also footpaths carrying on in various directions - following the Nene way across the parkland of Elton Hall or heading west across field to Fotheringay and the remains of the castle where Mary Queen of Scots was executed. These would have to be plans for a return visit, as for now it was tiring enough to get back to our cabin. 

Slowly, very slowly, we headed back, looking at flowers in the roadside gardens, watching a red kite circling overhead. Fortunately the distance back was slightly shorter than the 'out' route but two kilometers in all but I was absolutely shattered. Some of this is due to lack of exercise following my fall at New Year; some is post-covid exhaustion. Whatever the cause, I hope I improve soon