A lovely barmy evening for a lesser used walk on Princetown's SE side.
Three of us walked down Two Bridges Road to Sunnyside, through the access gate and admired the deteriorating ironwork that was once part of the Princetown railway. It was dragged here unloved and forgotten and left to rot. Scandalous!Up the track towards Batchelors Hall Youth Hostel, there were some very friendly ponies that tried to come with us. One kissed Raz on the forehead! I think it made his day!!
We admired the old unused barns there and suddenly a barn owl flew silently out. OMG! You don't see that too often and then, just to completely spoil us, another one flew out in the opposite direction. Of course we tried to get in, inquisitive as always, but it was all fenced off.
Lucky owls.
Next we wondered on the likely use of the relatively newish concrete bridge to nowhere and the over the wooden bridge following the very pretty Blackbrook river.
Following the river with boggy bits, lots of Twittering birds, two impressive deer who looked slightly alarmed to see us.
Unable to find the gate I thought should be there, we turned back and crossed onto the lower reaches of Royal Hill over a most unusual style.
Two discarded Defender foot plates welded on to a metal barred gate (looked like scaffold poles)
Short walk uphill to look down on Batchelors Hall and the old barns. Across the ford and hoping to see the wonderful barn owls again
But it was not to be as we made our way back to the road and the recently reopened Plume of Feathers. A lot of work done, a lot still to be done. Looks much fresher but the essence of the place has not changed thankfully.
Beer was good too
Brenda