Exploring Pastures New

I went to Gainsborough today to go to the gym. It has been a long time since I could last do exercise properly, as a continuous stream of issues has been preventing me, but now I think I can try again - and wow do I need to!! I have my Big Trip to get fit for, and I have a lot of extra weight to lose since it crept on during the past year or so...

Anyway, I decided to drive ‘the back way’, taking smaller roads through little villages just for a bit of an explore.

I drove on small roads with fields on either side, over little humped bridges to cross canals, past stunning brickwork houses and conversions – there seem to be a lot of homes around here that are barn or farm house conversions, and they really are gorgeous. If I get the chance to, I will try to get some photos to share.

I also couldn’t help noticing that the villages have really interesting signs for their names – I couldn’t get pictures of all of them because of traffic, but I did manage to get this one Hayton, with its lovely scene of a canal, overlooked by a church on a hill and with that lovely, cheerful looking boat!

Clayworth has a similar vibe for its sign, but with a more imposing church, a lovely patchwork of fields, and its canal boat making its way under a little bridge. Looks like a tight squeeze!!

The nearest Boyes from here is also in the town of Gainsborough, so I have been a few times before to satisfy my Stylecraft cravings. The way I normally get there makes this town look a mostly uninspiring kind of place, but on the last occasion I was there I went for a bit of a longer walk around. I went to the river, the Trent. Gainsborough perhaps doesn’t have the best view possible of the Trent, but do you see those lovely mosaics they have put on the wall to cheer it up?

Here are my favourite ones in a bit more detail:

I particularly like this Viking boat:

Do you see those shields along the boat’s sides? You can’t see the details well in the above picture so I took a close-up:

These are my favourite ones

How cute are those beaded shields?

I also found this English Heritage building – Gainsborough Old Hall. 

I was attracted in this direction by this wonderful tower, and when I got there I discovered it was open to the public.

I don’t know anything about it, but I might make a proper visit there sometime. The sign outside has a picture – it makes the inside look a bit like the St Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry, which is really gorgeous, so I’m curious to see this place :)

See that picture of the inside?

I haven’t done much exploring around here – normally when I’m in this area, either alone or with my husband, we have been visiting people rather than coming to see the place; but this little trip out has definitely reminded me to make the most of the area while we're living here :)