Fermyn Woods

Rushton Triangular Lodge

A symbol of the Holy Trinity, the Rushton Triangular Lodge has got to be one of the strangest buildings you will ever come across.  With 3 walls, 3 floors and even a 3 sided chimney, there is certainly a lot of detail to look at!

Around the outside of the Lodge is a freize that is 33ft long and has 33 letters along it so as you can see, the number 3 plays an important factor in this building.

Previously known at The Warryners Lodge, it was originally used by a keeper who would of been in charge of the keeping of the rabbits and the pidgeons that were once there.

If you look closely at the 3 sided chimney you should see the date 1595 which is when the chimney was constructed.

The outside of the building is heaped with religious meaning so if you are not an expert in this area then it may be worth while taking someone who is with you to decipher all the hidden meanings.  A camera should most definately be on your list of things to take to this site as there is plenty of detail on the building that you are sure to miss and with the aid of some photos you will see the bits you missed.

In contrast to the fancifull exterior, the inside of the Lodge is fairly bland and ordinary with very little detail, so don't expect to see anything too exciting on the inside.  There is a spiral staircase which you can use to navigate your way around the 3 floors.

From what I have found out on the Internet, there is apparently an underground passage way beneath the Lodge, but on my visit I could see no evidence of its existence.  From what I gather, the passage way is haunted with reports of rewards being offered for anyone who rid the passage way of the evit spirit that was haunting it...

Kirby Hall

I took a trip to Kirby Hall the other day which is near Corby, Northants.

It was a bit different to what I was expecting and is part ruin, part in tact.

I have also been to the ruins of an old Roman site in Leicester which I shall be putting on my site soon...

Have you been on any interesting days out? If so take a look at my site and send me an emai so I can see if I want to visit it myself some time.

Harringworth Viaduct

East Carlton Countryside Park

Lyvden New Beild

Lyveden New Beild

On arrival you will be forgiven for mistakenly thinking this building is a ruin, as it is not a ruin but in fact a 300 year old unfinished building.

Sir Thomas Tresham began the building work on the Lyveden New Beild before he had finished the Triangular Lodge.  The building at Lyveden was so named as the New Beild (New Building) to distinguish it from the Old Beild which was the main Tresham household.

As with his other buildings, the Lyveden New Beild is full of religious meanings...

The numbers 3, 5 and 7 are predomanent in this building as they symbolise the Holy Trinity, Christ and Mary and the Godhead.

Take a look at the windows and you will see that there are 5 sides each 5 feet apart which when added together total 25 which is a significant date in December.

Just like his other buildings, there is a frieze around the outside with various different symbols - each one having its own meaning.

There are no floors left in the building as it is likely they were either sold or simply removed from the unfinished building and used elsewhere.

As well the the New Beild itself, there is a great garden for you to wander around which linked the New Beild to that of the Old Beild.

The water garden (complete with moats), still survives today along with a couple of spiral mounds that you can walk around.  There is also an orchard for you to wander along to if you so wish.

Part of the Tresham Trail, the Lyveden New Beild is an unusual place to visit and is an ideal place for a picnic and/or walk.

Nearby is Fermyn Woods which has a great play area for any children in your group and a coffee shop for the adults!

Stoke Bruerne

Salcey Forest

Salcey Forest

Situated near the village of Hartwell near Northampton, the award winning Salcey Forest is a great place to visit.  Top of its attractions is the infamous Tree Top Way which was built in recent years and allows you to not only walk amoungst the the trees - but above them too!

Which Walk?

There are three walks to choose from each lasting a slightly longer time.

If you have never been on it before, your first port of call has to be the Tree Top Way via the Elephant Walk!  All of the routes are clearly signposted and there is plenty to see on your way.

Before you get to the Tree Top Way you will pass the Elephant Pond which gets its name from the days of World War II when a circus got stuck at Salcey Woods.  The elephants that were part of the circus helped the war effort by hauling logs and at the end of their exhausting day they relaxed in and drank from the pond that is now known as the Elephant Pond!

For the vertigo sufferers (as you will have seen from the 2nd photograph above) there is a route that will miss out the Tree Top Way... but what fantastic views you will be missing if you do.  The next few photos will show you what to expect as you slowly but surely get higher and higher until eventually you are not only in the canopies of the trees, but above them!

After you have admired the views from the top of lookout point and make your way back to the Elephant pond you can continue one of the longer walks!   As you can see by the first photo below the paths are clearly marked and set out.

Along the way you will see Information Points with numbers on as shown in the second photographs, if you want to find out what these mean then you will need to buy a guide available from a machine near the toilets or from the cafe itself!  The third photo shows one of the many old oak trees that you will see on your walk.

Local Folklore

One day, many years ago a woodman went in to Salcey Forest to chop down an old oak tree, when all of a sudden a fairy appeared and begged him not to hurt the tree!  Slightly scared by the sudden appearance of the fairy the woodman agreed not to fell the tree.

As a reward the woodman was granted three wishes...

By the time the woodman got home he had forgotten all about the fairy and sat down near his fireplace.  Gazing in to the fire he became hungry and wished for some hog's pudding.  Suddenly there was a rustling noise coming down the chimney and out came some sausages that landed right beside his feet.

As this strange phenomenon occurred he remembered the three wishes he had been given and began to tell his wife of this tale.  He was promptly told off by his wife for wasting one of his three wishes and he muttered in anger "I wish those sausages were on your nose!" - Which they promptly did!

With much reluctance he had no option to wish the sausages would go away and he had now wasted all three wishes...

Achurch

Achurch

In the village of Achurch, Northants not only will you a church, but (if you look hard enough) you will also find the remains of another church.  Oddly though, these remains that you will find were all that was ever built here as they could originally be found in the nearby village of Lilford.

In 1778 the stable block of Lilford Hall was demolished which was right next to where the church of St Peter once stood.  It was decided at the time that they would re-site the church but this didn't work out so instead parts of the church were re-located.

Hidden away in the over-grown Linches in Achurch (right next to the existing church), you can take a look at the remains of the church of St Peter that now over-looks the River Nene.

On first seeing the remains you would be forgiven for mistaking them as ruins, because pretty much how you see it today is how it was originally seen on this spot.

In the 18th century there was a fascination for follies which were very much in fashion at the time and the remains of the church of St Peter would have made an excellent folly.

Brampton Valley Way

Brampton Valley Way - Market Harborough to Northampton

This weekend has been bloody hot and sunny which made the cycling I did on

Saturday all the more enjoyable.

The Brampton Valley Way cyle route (number 6) runs along the old railway track between Market Harborough and Northampton. We set off from the Market Harborough end with the aim of going throught the two tunnels (yes that's right, tunnels!) and then going on for a couple more miles before turning back.

As the track is on an old railway line, not only is it 100% traffic free, but there are no hills to speak of either so it is easy going for cyclists of all ages.

For those who either forgot to take their bicycle lights with them (or too chicken to cylcle through in the dark), their are paths that you can follow that will go around the 2 tunnels that you can cycle/walk through.

Cycliing through the old railway tunnels is a great experience and is one of the main features of this cycle route.

In total you can do 28 miles (14 miles each way). We decided to do a few miles past the tunnels and then turn back. In total we did exactly 16 miles which is pretty good going in the heat of the sun!

I'm not off cycling next weekend, instead I'm off out with some mates to the Seaside for a bag of chips and an ice-cream! So hopefully the weather will be nice.