A chilly start today soon gave way to about 16+ C (61 F), which is a fine temperature for working in.

Nine trigger-happy strimmers set off southwards, covering about 550 metres. Another epic distance.

Matt, Steve, Marcus, Dave, Andrew, Mark, David, Ian, and Paul set about defining the path edge and leaving the wildflower-rich strip for our pollinators.

We can see what we mean by the pollinator strip. The zone between the path and the scrub.

This is the hot zone for butterflies, bees, and a whole host of insect life.

I think the bugs will be happy, as will the humans, because they won’t get bitten.

We broke for coffee and an assortment of goodies, including some home-made spicy chocolate pecan delights, thanks to Matt’s wife, Helen.

Very tasty, indeed.

We cracked on with the path and snipped the lower shoots off some of the trees.

This was a Goat Willow and a Hawthorn, both trying very hard not to be a tree, instead, wanting to identify as a bush. I’m sorry, but a bit of correction was needed.

It just looks so much better when trees have clean trunks and the leaves are in the canopy.

We pushed on as the sky turned a deep blue and things warmed up.

Wow!! There are even some rare photos of me – proof indeed that this is not just some strange figment of my imagination…

We finished with decent views over the Warwickshire countryside. I guess this is Lawford Heath that we are looking across in the first three photos.

I just love the name, Heath. It’s such an old descriptive word to describe land that is uncultivated, swampy, and of poor quality. One can only imagine what sort of wilderness was out there before modern farming managed to tame the acres and turn it over to arable food production.

The bridge at the other end of the line (Leamington Spa) is now installed, and the road is open.

This is the Fosse Way, a road that originates from when the Romans conquered England and built this route (Exeter to Lincoln), and also built Watling Street (Dover – London – Chester), Ermine Street (London to York), Dere Street (York to Scotland), and Stane Street (London to Chichester).

But of course, we still ask – what have the Romans ever done for us…

It looks like a lot of work is needed to get the existing trail to blend with the bridge, and the skinny path that is the Offchurch Greenway needs footfall to get the width back to where it needs to be.

This is 11 miles away, but eventually, our 2.5-mile stretch will be part of the whole route from Rugby to Leamington Spa.

This is where our little piece of the jigsaw fits in.

Wildflowers Spotted:

I’m not sure if the lichen is a plant or whatever??

Next one is on the Dunchurch Bridleway this Friday, and then we are pushing onward next week.

A quick reminder – a lot of men complain about having difficulty meeting other blokes and making friends… Find a purpose in life and get others to join you, just like what we are doing here. It really is as simple as that.

We are a group of 14 people with a wildly different spectrum of interests and stuff, but here we are meeting up every week and having a laugh – it is so good for mental health and all of that sort of stuff.

Until next time!

Paul