When a Family Walk Doesn’t Go to Plan – Our Half Term Hiccup on the Trail

Saturday 26th October 2024. This morning was a beautiful, bright, yet slightly hazy morning. With no work, school or clubs on the agenda this weekend, we had decided to get a good breakfast down us and then get out on a shorter walk today, and another one tomorrow too. Neither myself nor my husband felt like driving anywhere this morning, so we decided to walk the local Tern Valley Walk (West) again. We haven’t done this since the summer, and as many walkers appreciate, even your most regular route will change and offer something new to enjoy, as each season passes.

The air was cool but comfortable, and the high winds we’d had for the last few days had settled down, filling the lanes with leaves. Despite being mid morning, it felt much earlier as the sun seemed low and golden, making us feel like we were out on a dawn walk! That feeling soon disappeared though, as our usually quiet walk seemed to be filled with lots of dog walkers today, also keen to get out in the autumnal sunshine.

I find it interesting that, no matter how many times we do any walk, there is almost always something we see for the first time. Today was no different, but it was such a huge obvious sight, I wonder how any of us missed it! Since teaching the boys about counting rings on trees earlier in the year, they’ve been fascinated with big trees and guessing how old they think they might be…and today we spotted this mammoth beast! I wonder how old this is!

After the excitement of the tree, we continued forward following the route. We watched the River Tern for a short time as we went over it, noticing how much calmer it was compared to last week, after all the rain we’d had the week before. As fields were still wet in some places because of that, we decided to avoid the countryside footpath alongside the River Tern, that we’d previously taken, and instead stick to the boring (but dry) road, taking a slightly different road to get to Bottom Road.

It was along this road that my eldest started to complain about this leg hurting. He’d mentioned it a couple of days ago, and after a chat back then, we decided he’d probably pulled a muscle in a dodge-balling injury (he’d been playing that at his after school club earlier on the day he mentioned it). He hadn’t mentioned it since, even during his football practice, so I’d assumed it had rectified itself, but it had obviously reared its head again. We slowed down and let him set the pace for the remainder of the walk.

As it transpired, it looks like the pain in his leg wasn’t actually the issue. He later started to complain of nausea, and his face became very pale. I find children can often struggle with identifying pain types and locations, and I suspect that, while his leg probably did ache, it wasn’t the main pain bothering him, but he couldn’t identify or describe the other feelings. Once we were back home, he immediately flaked out on the sofa, saying he felt sick but his leg was actually ok, and fell asleep for the rest of the day. He was not himself at all.

We took a short break at Bottom Lane as our youngest wanted to check in on the Geocache there – all present and correct! We’ve not encountered many geocaches on any of our recent walks (which was probably why our youngest was keen to check in on this one), but we have discovered, on the map, that two new ones have popped up along the canal, so we will have a wander down there over half term to check them out!

We continued onward onto Tayleur Road, where we witnessed just how boggy some of the fields by the river are!

Taking 5 minutes for the eldest to have a break, we all admired the river over the bridge. There were, unfortunately, no short cut options home on this walk so we plodded on on our intended route.

We got a good view of Buntingsdale Hall at the top of the road, now the leaves are falling! Our youngest got a tour of it with his Beavers group last year, and it has quite the history. It was obviously very interesting as he came home and told me so much about what he learnt – normally when I ask what happened at school and clubs I get the reply: “um I can’t remember” 😂.

Back to the walk: Our eldest was refusing pain killers, trekking poles and snacks, and even declined Dads offer of us waiting and him going home to get the car for the last couple of miles back. He soldiered on, beside me, holding my hand, and taking lots of short breaks whenever he needed it. By the end of the field he told me he was feeling sick more than suffering with the pain in his leg, so we made sure he was taking on plenty of water. He didn’t complain though, but was unusually quiet as we hit the last mile home. It was a slow mile but we eventually made it home. As I mentioned previously, we got him inside and out of his gear as quickly as we could, and he headed straight to the sofa where he fell asleep. I have a suspicion he’s coming down with something poor lad, not what he wants as he hits half term freedom.

On a lighter note though, on the final stretch, our youngest spotted this lovely butterfly on the verge! Lovely to see them still fluttering around!

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As suspected, it looked like our eldest had something more than just a bad leg. He was still unwell the next day (lethargic, no appetite, and just not himself), so we didn’t do the other walk on the Sunday as we’d initially planned. He did, however, start to become more himself by the evening, so hopefully he’ll feel more normal during this week so he can enjoy his half term.

Family Feedback

Any other day, this would’ve been a lovely walk. The weather was perfect and the route has some lovely things to see. Last time we walked it, it was a real hit for the whole family. However as things transpired, I was more concerned on getting the eldest home than doing the walk.

Although our family walk didn’t go as planned, it reminded us of the importance of flexibility and being prepared for anything. We learned that having a backup plan or an easier route in mind can be helpful if someone isn’t feeling well. Keeping a well stocked first aid kit and spare snacks for when you need the energy most is also important, and I was glad to have them all, even if the little man didn’t want any of it.

While the day didn’t end quite as we’d hoped, it’s not enough to make us give up on family walks. Life isn’t smooth, and we don’t expect walks to be either! Every adventure, even the ones with hiccups, teaches us something new, and hopefully it’ll also help the children cope better, as they grow up and have to deal with unexpected situations themselves.

TOTAL MILES: 5.43 | TOTAL TIME: 2h05 (2h14 Moving Time)

Good to Know

Car Parking: Walkmill Meadows, or at the Four Alls, with a short walk down Sandy Lane to join the loop.

Toilets: Four Alls Inn (just off the loop).

Accessibility: Not suitable for prams due to section alongside the River at Walkmill, and the narrow kissing gate at Buntingsdale Hall.

Café/Picnic Spots: Cafes and Pubs in the town, several benches along the way, Four Alls Inn just off the loop.

Terrain: Tarmac, gravel, some fields, muddy bridleways – some small hills, pedestrian footpaths through Market Drayton.

Family-Friendly Tips: 1 Geocache en-route, 2 just slightly off the route.

Points of Interest: Buntingsdale Hall, River Tern.

Safety Information: This walk involves some narrow country lanes with traffic. There are pedestrian footpaths through the town. Section of the footpath passes close to the River Tern, so be vigilant with younger children.