A Mosey From Kersey To Lindsey

 (Mosey [ˈməʊzi] - to walk or move in a leisurely manner).

Having walked through Kersey we continued north into the fields beyond. I'll spare you the first mile or so as most of it was across a recently ploughed field. There was no path of course and the going was hard, but we arrived at a small wood exactly where we were supposed to be. Soon we entered some rolling meadows.

We picked up a very minor single track road and followed it towards Lindsey.

Sunflowers are an unusual crop to find in the English countryside, though in recent years farmers have been experimenting with all kinds of alternative crops, some of which you may have seen if you've been following this blog.

Lindsey Church appeared across the fields. After the grandeur of Kersey Church it appears to be a much more modest building. And Lindsey itself is a smaller village, not much more than a scattering of homes along a network of narrow roads.

It once used to have two pubs, one at either end of the village, known as the Red Rose and the White Rose. The flowers they were named after are represented on the village sign.

Ah, here's that church, standing in its little churchyard.

Every so often we spotted pretty little houses tucked in among the trees as dwellings seem to be scattered far and wide across the parish; not all English villages are neatly gathered together in a single group, "nucleated settlements" as geographers call them.

Shortly afterwards we found a path that wasn't there - that is to say that it started off promisingly but petered out in a thicket of thorny bushes, necessitating an about-turn and a hasty retreat. It meant a bit more road-walking but who's complaining when the roads are like this...

Not exactly a busy thoroughfare, is it? You might think that such a place had never been of any importance, but that's not the case and a small clue can be found tucked away at the side of the road.

Behind the parked cars stands a primitive stone building with a thatched roof. It could be a barn, though those windows look like they come from a medieval chapel. Luckily we can have a look inside.

This is St James' Chapel, dating from around the year 1250, and it was used as a farm building for many years. But in its heyday it belonged to Lindsey Castle, though the latter building has disappeared apart from a few earthworks which are hidden today beneath woodland. So this little village must once have been of strategic importance.

Now it was time to mosey from Lindsey back to Kersey. From here on the paths were clear to follow, not blocked by brambles or ploughed up, and led through very pleasant cattle pastures.

They led us down into a valley where there was a little stream, the infant River Brett on its way to Kersey where it will trickle across the village street as a picturesque ford. The path ran alongside the "river" and brought us out near allotment gardens in the village. All we had to do now was make our way back to the car, which we'd left near the church.

And, as you may recall, that church is up on top of the hill - at the top of these well-worn steps.

Take care.