We spent a quiet Christmas, New Year with family, and a slightly (well, very) boozy party here in the middle, with a small but select gathering.
I don’t like resolutions as such, but we have vowed to try to get out more and enjoy the countryside, with the added bonus of getting some walking in. I do walk a lot, but countryside is much nicer than tarmac!
To that end, we took ourselves up to Paull on Sunday. It’s on the estuary of the Humber, and holds Paull Holme Strays, a nature reserve for wading birds – there’s *lots* of mud, and we brought a good deal of it home with us!
We had looked out of the window at home, and listened to the forecast, and while misty, it was set to clear. As we drove eastwards, the mist got thicker, and then when we turned towards the coast at Saltend, it started to lift, and we did a lovely four mile walk on what felt like a spring day, really. The fog horn was booming, but we could see across the estuary to Immingham (not that anyone would *want* to look at Immingham, but you know …). There weren’t many folk about, but they were all happy to stop for a chat, and we saw migrating birds in huge flocks, and a big cargo vessel heading out to sea, accompanied by three pilot boats. The shifting sands in the Humber are lethal, so those pilots are really necessary.
We didn’t rush at it, and ambled along; you can see the details of the walk here at Runkeeper, and on the last half mile or so the mist really started to come down hard, and we were glad to finish. We had an indifferent coffee at the Humber Tavern when we were done; they seem to have turned half of it into a proper restaurant, which is a pity, because their bar food was really nice. We also checked out the Crown as a possible Morris venue – must get in touch with them.
Next weekend, we plan to go and walk along the south bank of the Humber, unless there is a snowpocalypse, as some are suggesting.