With the clocks being put back overnight I had an extra hour to get ready to catch the 10:26 bus to Bawtry, enough time to have breakfast and then prepare a couple of rooms upstairs for when the builders start work on Tuesday fixing some insulation panels on the walls.
Bawtry is a quaint little market town but I didn't take any photographs today because there are already plenty on the blog elsewhere. I immediately walked down Station Road heading for Austerfield; just beyond the railway bridge taking a footpath that goes past the animal rescue centre. This route is a short cut to Austerfield and far more interesting than walking along the road.
Although it's in Yorkshire, the church at Austerfield, together with Bawtry Church, is actually in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.
At the northern end of the village there's a bridleway that leads to Bawtry Golf Club, I turned off it before reaching the clubhouse and walked across a footpath going through a potato field and then took the now de-classifield and blocked off road which runs right next to the runway at Robin Hood Airport.
About two dozen people were gathered at one of the popular viewing spots, expecting something soon to be happening. I looked over to where they were pointing their camera lenses and saw a Vulcan Bomber on the taxiway. assuming it would soon be taking off I decided to stay. Whilst I was waiting I saw a small light aircraft land, and a bit later a Flybe jet take off.
By this time I could hear the bomber's engines start; they were very noisy, much noisier than the commercial passenger jets. Another light aircraft then landed without me noticing.
After well over half an hour waiting I was feeling cold and fed up and so decided to continue with the walk. A cyclist stopped to talk to me and he told me that the Vulcan Bomber doesn't actually take off any more since it doesn't have a certificate of air worthiness; it's just moved out onto the taxiway several times a year and the engines are fired up for aviation enthusiasts. I was disappointed, but he told me I'd experienced a rare treat.
A helicopter landed at the other end of the airport as I was still walking alongside the runway - it's a long runway at Finningley...long enough for Concorde to have used it.
The church at Finningley was looking good today in the sunshine.
It was twenty minutes until a bus was due at Finningley and so I set off walking towards town; it's a boring slog along the road for long stretches and I wasn't looking forward to it. I'd only gone about half a mile when it started raining and so I gave up just after I'd passed the level crossing at Blaxton. The bus arrived on time, about fifteen minutes later.
I doubt I even did five miles today, but I did fifteen yesterday.
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