Sunny Sunday Walk

We like to go for walks with the dog as a family. Quite often we stick to our local parks. One is a park with various play areas and fields for the dog to run around and the other is tucked behind a church with a lake and hidden paths, old trees and lots of shade. We love both but every once in a while we drive to Billinge where there is a lovely Ice cream parlour called Antonio's. They make their own Ice cream which means the flavours are always changing and are seasonal. On offer this time were summer fruits, peach, apricot,  orange choc chip as well as all the usual favourites including bright blue bubble gum flavour. If you walk down the side of the shop it leads to a pretty standard residential street with a mixture of houses and bungalows. But when you get to the end of the street it narrows into a lane and if you follow the lane you end up walking along side a field of crops that just seems to appear from no where.

Two minutes before this we were in the residential  street

As you walk further along there is a path. One way leads to more fields and back down to the village, the long way round and the other leads you through some trees and along a path where you have to pass through three sets of gates before reaching open land.

Views for miles around

We always take the path with the gates as it leads to a steep hill, where even on a hot sunny day there is a strong cool breeze. Something you need after walking to the top in the afternoon sun.
But it's worth it, especially on a clear day, as you really can see for miles and miles.

It was a little hazy this day

There are a full 360 degrees of views. So after looking all around and trying to spot familiar points to gauge how far we can see, we head down the other side of the hill to walk around the edges of more fields of crops.

That's the top of the hill viewed from across
one of the fields

This as much of a path between the fields as you get!

It so peaceful up there. A great place to go if you need to clear your head or just want some quiet. There are no fences or boundaries. You are just free to roam where ever you like and you feel like you're in the middle of no where.

 Backing on to one of the fields is a golf course, again with no fences just a few sapling trees as a boundary.

Forget-me-nots growing between the crops

It's such a mish-mash place! So many things in one small area. Farmer's fields surrounding a hill in the middle with a concrete building at the top that no one seems to know the purpose of and a golf course! All hidden at the end of a residential street.
And dotted about there are wild flowers to brighten up the predominantly green surroundings, if you know where to look.

Hot-dog taking a break!