Fact: it’s a long way from one side of the globe to the other. I still can’t quite comprehend how my Mum and Dad did it in ’83 – a one-way trip to a destination largely unknown, with 3 young kids and 80kg of luggage in tow. I remember the trip for my first taste of paw paw and my fresh copy of ‘The BFG’… 24 hours on a plane couldn’t have been anything like that romantic!
As we crossed over England, it’s the little things that stand out – the trails in the sky, and the hedges that frame all the different fields. It’s a country that feels so familiar, and still has a sense of ‘home’.
Arrival at Gatwick, train to the stunning St Pancras, and a fast train to Nottingham was efficient and comfortable… exactly what you need after a long day in a tube in the sky! We collected our wheels for the week, and quickly named her ‘Snowdrop’ 🩵
It’s amazing how things just click back into place – driving a manual, the road from Nottingham to Heanor, Battenberg and a cup of tea. Those beautiful moments where you reunite with family… technology will never replace these moments in person.
MCG v jet lag… head out for a run! My love for getting active in the fresh air is one of the most significant changes since my last trip. I headed out for a little trot around Heanor – through the market place and straight to my Grandparent’s old house. So many memories of childhood and trips past, chatting in the lounge or around the worn wooden dining table that held a thousand stories, watching the world walk by the front window.
I headed to Shipley Country Park – known to be a good local running spot. It’s home to a parkrun, the annual Christmas Pudding run (no medals, just a pud!) and if you believe the sign, whales. And people think Aussie anglers exaggerate!
Shipley Country Park is 700 acres of parkland and recreational space. Shipley Estate was originally owned by Gilbert of Ghent, nephew of William the Conqueror and was known for it’s forests and hunting. In the 1500s coal mining started to take over the area, and continued until the 1960s. When mining became uneconomical and stopped the space was filled with derelict buildings, polluted lakes, and disused mine shafts. The National Coal Board reclaimed the land in 1970, and by 1976 had re-contoured the land, and created meadows and forests for the public to enjoy.
Heanor thrived as a coal mining town and the closure of the mines had a massive impact on the local economy. I’m grateful that someone had the forethought to create this beautiful space… I wish I had appreciated and understood it’s history more before now. I also hope that we continue to hold mining companies to account for the impact they have on our environment and communities.
The parkrun happens to be cancelled this week so I figured I’d run the course. It’s a really pretty mix of road and trails, through open spaces, past Osborne’s Pond (home of the whales?), up the steep trim track. There aren’t many parkruns where you are likely to share the course with horses… and their substantial droppings!
Such a beautiful way to finish my first day back in Heanor… appreciating familiar and new spaces.
Love M & BB xx
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