< Previous30 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYDry Doddington is, literally andmetaphorically, the high point of thiswalk. It lies close to Lincolnshire’s westernboundary between Grantham and Newarkwhere its leaning church is a famouslandmark – “an endearing sight” from theA1 according to the Rev. Henry Thorold inhis book on Lincolnshire churches. Eventhough the village elevation is relativelymodest, around 47 metres (155 feet orso), it commands expansive views,particularly westwards over the Withamand Trent valleys and its name seems self-explanatory since it does stand on anunusually elevated site.It was a sizeable settlement at the timeof the Domesday Book, then being simplyrecorded as “Dodintune”, but by the earlyC14th had become “Dridodynton”. StJames’s church has a broach spire thatleans spectacularly and dates primarilyfrom the C13th but has a late Normandoor, and as with all ancient churches overthe centuries there have been changes;thus the nave is mostly of 1876/77. It hasrecently received much publicity on TVDRY DODDINGTONAND CLAYPOLEWe head west for this months walk,which begins at the hilltop village ofDry Doddington.EXPLORINGLincolnshireON FOOTCLAYPOLE CHURCHEXPLORINGLincolnshireON FOOTand in the national press following a£98,000 restoration so that its “gleamingnew stonework must make it appear muchas it did when first built. Throughout thevillagers have steadfastly refused howeverto correct the lean of the tower which at5.1 degrees now exceeds that of thefamous Tower of Pisa. During therestoration the weather vane was found tobe riddled with bullet holes possibly causedby its use for target practice.Claypole too had a church and a priestat the time the Domesday Book wascompiled and in which it was recorded as“Claipol”. In contrast to Dry Doddington itis low-lying, being only a few metresabove the waters of the (now embanked)River Witham flowing 350 yards or so tothe west of the churchyard. In the MiddleAges it must have been a somewhat damplocation for its name – not surprisinglywhen you think about it – translates fromthe Old English as the “pool on clayeyground”. Henry Thorold was an admirer ofSt Peter’s church here, describing it as“noble” and of “superb proportions” withDRY DODDINGTON30-31_Layout 1 16/11/2015 14:35 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE WALKSboth the spire and tower pinnacles beingrichly crocketed. In the churchyard are theremains of a C14th cross.The walk twice crosses the East Coastmain line railway- once over the tracksand once over a bridge. During the yearsof the “Railway mania” in the mid C19ththe Great North Railway built its firsts lineconnecting London to the north andScotland via Peterborough and Boston,thence following the Witham up toLincoln. That line opened in 1848 but didnot remain the main line for long. Afteronly four years, by 1852, a new line – theone we see -was built through Granthamand Newark to Doncaster and as aconsequence was dubbed the “TownsLine”; it remains the mainLondon/Scotland line today.Also prominent on the walk is the RiverWitham which rises far to the southwestjust over the Leicestershire/Lincolnshireborder near South Witham and is now asizeable river as it heads north to skirt theLincoln Heath as it heads towards Lincoln.NOTES.This is a walk for thereasonably agile – some gates might haveto be climbed! Since my reconnaissance Iunderstand that the Wheatsheaf inn inDry Doddington has closed. However theinn at Claypole is conveniently halfwayround. There is some parking byDoddington’s village green or use thewide verges in nearby Doddington Lane.(Around GR849465)THE ROUTEWe start however from the footpathsignpost near the gate to the left of thechurch tower. (This first section has fineviews of Claypole and, on a clear day, ofLincoln cathedral in the northeast.) Slantdown the meadow to the lower left-handcorner and go through a hedge gap ontoa lane. Turn right and in threequarters ofa mile cross the River Witham then in afurther fifty yards take the bridleway onyour right. Follow the grass track to agate and continue to a second gate.Beyond that gradually veer right to reachdouble gates beside the river and next toa weir. Go through a farmyard keepingahead along the farm road to the publichighway just outside Claypole. Cross topath) aiming for a 3-way fingerpost in ahedge gap on the skyline; there you willmeet a grass track. Turn right.Cross the railway bridge and at a trackjunction continue along the track aheadof you.After about a mile as you near DryDoddington look for a 3-way fingerpostand turn right on an enclosed tree-linedpath and at a farm track keep forward.When this bends right (there’s awaymark) continue ahead and at the nextfootpath sign go left then right to reachDry Doddington church.by Hugh MarrowsNEARING CLAYPOLETHE LEANING TOWERDRY DODDINGTONWITHAM WEIR NEAR CLAYPOLEthe pavement, turn right, thus re-crossingthe Witham, and walk round to Claypolechurch. Continue through the village.After about half a mile, and having past(or visited) the inn on your way, look forHough Lane, just before railway, and thereturn right. Follow the lane leftwardskeeping ahead when it becomes a grasstrack. At the railway cross with great care! Ashort path through bushes then leads intoan arable field. Walk straight across it to ahedge gap and stile then continue uphilltowards a small wood where there isanother stile in the field corner. From it walkforward over rough ground (there’s a faintTHE RAILWAY BRIDGEFACTFILESTART: Dry Doddington church. (GR848466) (See NOTES.)OS MAPS: Landranger 130 (Grantham) • 271 ExplorerDISTANCE: 5½ miles • 9.0 kilometresREFRESHMENTS: Five Bells, Claypole30-31_Layout 1 16/11/2015 14:35 Page 232 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYLINCOLNSHIRE WILDLIFEThe history of the pheasant goes backsome 2000 years and to this day punditsstill debate as to how they first arrived inBritain. Some say they came from Franceothers prefer the more exotic theory thattraders brought them from much furtherafield. The earliest references to these birdscome from Norman times with referencesto the birds on the ‘menu’ at medievalbanquets, in vast quantities. In the 1700’s pheasants were reportedto be in serious decline due to woodlandclearance and game laws became orderof the day to ensure their preservation.Squires began stocking their woods withthem. They found them easy to manageand as numbers increased hunting caughton again and interestingly, more exotic,colourful, species began to beimported/bred.There are now many species and colourforms although, quite what makes apheasant a pheasant is still argued. Of theforty nine pheasant species that havebeen identified, a few have qualities verysimilar to partridge or quail, but mosthave the following traits:PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/KRZESLAKA CONTROVERSIALCHARACTERWith game season in full swing, we take a timely look at whatmust surely be one of the world’s most controversial of birds -the humble Pheasant.32-33_Layout 1 16/11/2015 14:54 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY33LINCOLNSHIRE WILDLIFEPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/PETER WOLLINGA* A conspicuous difference in colourationbetween the cock and the hen* Facial combs or wattles in adult cocks* Some iridescent plumage in adult cocks* Well-developed spurs in adult cocks* Very long tails, especially in adult cocksAll of these differences relate to the factthat pheasants are polygamous. Thegaudy colouration and showy tail helpthe cocks attract mates, and the spurshelp them establish and defend breedingterritories.The ease in distinguishing the cock, orrooster, from the drably coloured hen,even on the wing, has major game-management implications. Regulationscan be set to allow harvest of only thecocks, maximizing the number of hensavailable to breed the following year.Even if very few cocks remain atseason’s end, the birds’ polygamoushabits ensure that most of the hens willbe bred. Fewer roosters to compete withhens for limited winter food and coveralso improves the odds that hens willsurvive the winter.Pheasants do not form coveys and,once they reach adulthood, are seldomfound in family groups. However, largenumbers of pheasants may gather inwoodland, farmland, scrub, and wetlands.They especially seem to favour grasslandnear water with small copses of trees.In all of the subspecies of the commonpheasant, the male has a naked red faceand wattles, two short “horns” of feathersat the back of the crown, and a verylong, barred tail. Body colour is highlyvariable; for example, the rump of theChinese ringneck is pale whitish-green,that of the Mongolian bird maroon.Males are about 90 cm (35 in) long.Females, are smaller and less showy -often buff-coloured below, mottled withbrown and black above, and measureabout 63 cm (25 in) long. They arehowever quite fearful of humans as theyconsider us predators and perhaps rightlyso given the current fashion for movingaway from red meat and erring towardswhite. You would be forgiven for thinkingcommon pheasants are unable to fly, aswhen startled they initially run awayrather than taking to the skies. However,they are in fact quite able short-distancefliers, capable of reaching speeds of up to56 mph and, after a few yards of running,will often take off with their distinctivewing sound and a “kok-kok-kok” call, asthough trying to warn their peers. In 1913 King George V allegedly shotover a thousand pheasants for sport overa six day period – but still didn’t beat hisrival. Today the sport continues with lessroyal bloods taking part on driven shootswhere beaters or dogs, where permitted,are used to flush out prey for guns to takeaim and fire at will. Gun dogs are oftentrained to retrieve the shot bird, althoughsome shoots disallow dogs entirely,preferring to leave the task to humans. Outside of the hunting season, whichfalls between October and Feb, poachersare often seen hunting pheasants illegally,although it is thought this is usually forsport rather than money or food, aslandowners who have tried to cull theover enthusiastic breeding that takesplace from time to time, often struggle togive the shot birds away. This fuels the arguments ofconservation groups who protest whenup 50 million pheasants and partridgesare released into the countryside eachyear, saying they are endangering floraand fauna and other wildlife which findthemselves competing for food.The game industry counter thisargument stressing that over 500,000people take part in the sport allowing twomillion hectares of countryside to bemanaged, with £250 million spent onconservation work each year, so shootingis vital for protecting the landscape andthe economy.Who would have thought that thistimid, colourful shimmering birdwould create so muchcontroversy?32-33_Layout 1 16/11/2015 14:54 Page 234 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFASHIONSEASONALMUST-HAVESWondering how to brave thecold while still remainingstylish over the fest period?Look no further…Wondering how to brave thecold while still remainingstylish over the fest period?Look no further…34-43_Layout 1 16/11/2015 15:39 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY35FASHIONOilily The pastoral pink and creamof this Oilily ensemble gentlycontrasts the frost and chill fora cosy option, indoors or out. 34-43_Layout 1 16/11/2015 15:39 Page 236 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFASHIONLeft - Marc CainDrawing from winter’s palette in cool blue and ice grey, this playful apparel from Marc Cain is ideal for day out in the chilliest of weather. Middle - LauRieFor a sophisticated outfit suited for Sundays out shopping, or evenings out dining, look no further than LauRie’s winter collection. Right - IchiLoose fitting and long in length, this offering from Ichi is simplicity at its most elegant.Opposite - Passport Mixing lighter shades with dark makes for a striking and audacious take on winter style, as Passport proves. 34-43_Layout 1 16/11/2015 15:39 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY37FASHION34-43_Layout 1 16/11/2015 15:39 Page 4FASHIONTop left - NumphNumph couple the timeless appeal of the little black dresswith a cosy take on the poncho, seen here in asymmetricblack and grey. Above - Noa NoaNoa Noa elects for multiple layers to build up an elegantensemble that guarantees warmth and comfort. Left - GantGant opt for an androgynous take on the smart casualstaple, for an outfit that’s plain talking and charming besides. Opposite - Gerry Weber Gerry Weber redefines winter fashion with a gentle designthat loses none of its chic appeal. 34-43_Layout 1 16/11/2015 15:39 Page 5LINCOLNSHIRETODAY39FASHION34-43_Layout 1 16/11/2015 15:39 Page 6Next >