7 minute read
WILL’S WALKS
WILL’S WALK
Aldwincle and Wadenhoe
A charming woodland walk on the north bank of the river Nene and a very special village. By Will Hetherington
The river Nene between Aldwincle and Wadenhoe.
Diffi culty rating
The route
ACTIVE INFO
You can park in tiny Wadenhoe in the village hall car park but it s easier to fi nd somewhere convenient on the street in Aldwincle or in the car park for Titchmarsh ature eser e o owick ane to the south of Aldwincle. Head north on Main Street in Aldwincle past the primary school and the church on your right. Turn left on to Cross ane and after yards look out for the stile on the right just after the last house on that side of the road. Cross the stile and head out west across a pasture fi rst and then three small arable fi elds with a stream on your right. When you reach the bridleway turn right and stay on the track between the two high hedges for one kilometre. When you reach the barrier at the end turn right and then left on to Wadenhoe oad after another metres ithin a minute you will reach the right The Wadenhoe Trust owns 30 domestic properties in the village as well as the King’s Head turn on to the track to Wadenhoe church. Follow the track and arrive and Home Farm Close. The trust at the church with its imposing was established by George and position above the Nene. Pass the Edna Ward Hunt to preserve it as a stunning sundial and head living village but not a museum, downhill towards the illage and visitors can still reap the where it s worth taking fi e minutes benefi ts of their foresight to explore this beautiful collection of today. limestone houses with thatched and Collyweston slate roofs. You are now more than halfway into the walk so don’t be scared to take a rewarding refreshment in the stunning King’s Head garden which slopes down towards the river. Once you are refreshed turn left out of the ing s ead and towards the church but after the fi rst pedestrian gate make sure you bear left to pick up the Nene Way. This peaceful route then goes through the woodland on the north bank of the Nene and a couple of open fi elds on the way back to Aldwincle. Along the way you will get glimpses of the river but for much of this path woodland serenity dominates. Stay on the path for just over a mile and you will be back in Aldwincle before you know it. Wadenhoe is a beautiful old stone village which has been carefully managed by the Wadenhoe Trust.
START/ FINISH FINISH
You will be on the Nene Way for nearly half the route.
Essential information
WHERE TO PARK You can park in Wadenhoe but it’s a lot easier to fi nd somewhere in Aldwincle.
DISTANCE AND TIME Four miles/an hour and a half.
HIGHLIGHTS Wadenhoe village, the church, sundial and the King’s Head. The woodland path between the two villages and the long bridleway out on the west of the route.
LOWLIGHTS Despite being on the Nene Way there is limited access to the river bank.
REFRESHMENTS The King’s Head in Wadenhoe.
DIFFICULTY RATING One paw. There’s nothing much to cause a sweat on this route.
THE POOCH PERSPECTIVE Despite being on the Nene Way there aren’t really any easy access points into and out of the river along the route. But you can take the dogs down to the bridge over Harper’s Brook on the south of Aldwincle for a paddle if necessary. Otherwise there may be sheep in occasional fi elds along the way
For your own safety and navigation make sure you have an OS map with you when you go out walking. You won’t regret it.
Peaceful woodland provides some shade in the summer months.
ActiveBody
EDITED BY KATE MAXIM
Left, right, left right, left right
Repetitive movement such as marching, or of course running, can cause injury if you’re not prepared. Physio Sarah Babbs explains
WATCHING THE PLATINUM Jubilee celebrations this weekend and especially the pageant on Sunday with the soldiers marching made me think of the di culties of in ury again; specifically bone in ury
Recent work is showing more about how bone tolerates adapts and benefits from e ercise to maintain its integrity bane of many new soldiers’ lives has been a propensity to get lower limb stress fractures, from the metatarsal bones in the feet to the femoral neck or ball and socket in the hip Women are twice as likely to get fractures with some papers reporting a 5% incidence in all male and in female recruits hose who have these fractures, on average, have to have 62 days away from training under rehabilitation and some will have to leave training and find a di erent career hese in uries most often occur during basic training when new recruits undergo the rigours of intense physical activity such as marching and carrying large packs, both of which they may not be accustomed to ur bones change as we grow his seems obvious as we grow from baby to adult but this continuation of new bone formation is an ongoing process through adult life too ur bone naturally has areas of microdamage or small cracks, to which the response is to repair and strengthen his allows us to adapt to demands made on the body ew bone is laid down according to those stresses, also helped by good nutrition, general health and sleep one in ury occurs when the load is too great for the current tolerance of the bone, similar to tendons and muscles in other musculoskeletal in uries t the point of o erload the micro damaged areas oin to become a weakened part of the bone where a stress fracture can occur his is similar to a fracture which can be caused by something like a fall with the bone usually being kept in line but in some cases displaced he signs are pain and swelling at the site, sometimes with an inability to weight bear he symptoms may come on gradually, are often mild at the beginning of an exercise session or run but worsen during it t may be that the following morning, more pain and swelling is noted
Management is to stop the aggravating acti ities n some cases especially around the hip to completely o load the structure using crutches or a boot for up to six weeks and then to gradually reintroduce exercise with planned progression, all the while watching for symptom aggra ation
Interestingly bone does respond well to loading but only for the first cycles ie the first steps of a run after which the bone becomes blind to the stimulus t this point it is better to do something di erent in an alternate direction to change that blindness ry side lunges or backwards skipping his challenges the bone cells at a slightly di erent angle and impro es the response Similarly, doing a few lots of 100 cycles throughout the day seems a better way of managing reco ery ry steps o er the day
Being better prepared, as always, reduces the risk of in ury emale recruits and those with a poor nutritional status are at a higher risk for bone in ury so impro ing diet and activity before starting military training (or trying for longer distance running like marathons is ital a ing calcium in the diet and Vitamin D to help absorb the calcium is important ur climate does not give us enough Vitamin D so supplements are recommended, especially during the winter
Sleep too is important study by the Israeli army showed a sharp improvement on stress fractures by making sure their recruits had at least six hours sleep a night during basic training s always preparation is key; sleep nutrition and gradual loading of tissue will help a oid the risks of bone in ury
