Out the back of our house there is a very old wood, and there is an old greenway passing through it which would once have carried foot and horse traffic to the once-grand Culter House. Both the house and grounds are now somewhat faded, and the greenway is long since abandoned to the encroaching forest. In some places, the original grandeur and workmanship remains evident. Elsewhere, the road is lost to the undergrowth and boggy land.
P1010328 by
Ron Lowe, on Flickr
Walking along it, you go back in time 200 years to the days before motor vehicles. All travel was on foot or horseback. It's rather Tolkien-esque. You can easily imagine being in the company of Hobbits in the lands outside the Shire, on the Old Road to Bree, being pursued by Dark Riders.
In time, I came across an old Woodman's hut, dating from the 1930s:
P1010329 by
Ron Lowe, on Flickr
The roofing felt was nailed down to the wooden roof with layers of newspapers for insulation:
P1010332 by
Ron Lowe, on Flickr
That's the Daily Herald, from Thursday, June 15, 1939.
Leafing through it, I came across this article:
P1010333 by
Ron Lowe, on Flickr
"Tandem in Crash - Both Riders Fined
If a tandem bicycle is involved in an accident and is to blame, both riders - front and rear - must bear the same responsibility..."
Anyone we know?
