I have often wondered about the series of walkways, roads and paths that lead from the centre of Melksham through the 'burbs and out into the fields to Redstocks and beyond, and Gypsy and I took the opportunity today to accompany Verity-Jane who "is commissioned to make a moving image work that looks at the new development site and it  [82][ac] Ä s relationship to Melksham" on that walk - see [here] on her blog.

Starting our from the centre of Melksham ... (where else does "2 buses an hour" mean 2 buses together then nothing for an hour?), we took Stratton's walk and carried on through Thackaray Crescent and Pembroke Road, past the Co-op. This all sounds vert contorted, but I learned from Verity-Jane that it's an old pathway / trackway that used to be know as "The Prioress' Way", leading from Melksham all the way to Avebury. And that ancient history makes a very great deal of sense - jigsaw pieces coming together. I'm also told there's more to find at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre on this, but I will probably not let myself be tempted into giving the time to that project!


I'm afraid I'm a sucker for silly signs. Very clearly, there's no-one on the crossing on Queensway, and it's not in use. I think they mean that it's not yet commissioned as a zebra crossing; the beacons are covered, and no light is coming through the wrappers on them. This is, though, very much a crossing to be welcomed - it's in the main flow along the Prioress' way out from the town, to Berkeshire Green, Dorset Crescent, and Daisy Drive and beyond and it's a natural crossing point for walkers any cyclists. We carried on, through those roads, commenting how the historic names on roads gave way to counties and flowers. And indeed in the newer area we have Blueberry Road and Thyme Road, and we found ourselves wondering if there have ever been any blueberries there on what was the middle of a field just a year ago.


I'm holding back on posting pictures of the new housing - we've now walked past the houses under construction and to the fields beyond. Although the walk was supposed to stop here, both Odo and Gypsy wanted to go a little further, and we carried on. The path from here onwards used to be hard to find - a trace of a style leading into a field of crop which the map showed bisected by the public right of way. But it's a little easier now, with a smart new style-gate, a crop of grass, and a few more people walking that way, presumably because their old haunts have been built on. You can see the new houses in the background.


Another field on, and Odo (walking with us) has arrived at the next style. Gypsy, Odo (and myself) had a look just beyond too, but as plans (and the rest of the group) were headed back to Melksham, we turned back at this point and we've left exploration for another day.


On Saturday, 17th March Verity-Jane will be walking again, this time from "The Spa", northward through the east side of the area, including the section that's up for another 400 houses to the East of Spa Road (see [here], email me for a copy of the exhibition slides which the developers sent up). The walk should be starting - I think - on the footpath just beside our home at 404, The Spa (the last of the big Georgian Spa Houses), and if the timing's the same it will be 11:00 for 11:30, with 1 way and 2 way walks possible and doggies, kiddies and mummies welcome as well as daddies and the rest. Details available from Sunday - [here]. There's parking in the street, but please feel free to come up our driveway (into the gate and bear right) as we've plenty more parking up by the house, and a side gate straight onto the footpath.
(written 2012-03-09, updated 2012-03-10)

 M201 - Well House Manor - Around Melksham, Wiltshire
  [437] Outside of the box - (2005-09-06)
  [676] Melksham, Wiltshire - (2006-04-08)
  [805] Melksham Carnival Parade - (2006-07-16)
  [811] Melksham in Bloom - (2006-07-22)
  [830] Butterflies in a Wiltshire garden - (2006-08-12)
  [847] Image maps for navigation - a straightforward example - (2006-08-28)
  [866] A lazy programmer is a good programmer - (2006-09-15)
  [879] Tuesday night is party night - (2006-09-26)
  [929] Presenting Melksham - for a weekend away in Wiltshire - (2006-11-17)
  [957] Improving the historic town of Melksham - (2006-11-30)
  [977] Melksham and Norwich - (2006-12-10)
  [1117] Newport Male Voice Choir - (2007-03-24)
  [1137] Wiltshire Circles - (2007-04-07)
  [1177] Sorting out for a site map - (2007-05-05)
  [1206] Where and When - can you place the picture? - (2007-05-27)
  [1266] Party in the Park - (2007-07-14)
  [1271] Till the cows come home - (2007-07-19)
  [1330] While waiting for Melksham Post Office - (2007-09-02)
  [1341] Moving to Melksham? Househunting map. - (2007-09-09)
  [1343] Melksham Laundrette - (2007-09-09)
  [1360] Asda in Melksham - Welcome or not? - (2007-09-21)
  [1368] Getting the local voice heard - (2007-09-26)
  [1436] A little touring help during a business trip to England - (2007-11-18)
  [1451] More PHP sample and demonstration programs - (2007-12-01)
  [1928] Melksham Oak Community School, Melksham, Wiltshire - (2008-12-07)
  [1977] Going round the block - (2009-01-04)
  [1986] Walk to Bowerhill - (2009-01-10)
  [2008] The Month Ahead - What is happening in Melksham - (2009-01-25)
  [2043] Confidence, Customer Service and Tourism in Melksham - (2009-02-15)
  [2064] East of Melksham Countryside - (2009-03-02)
  [2066] Melksham Industrial - (2009-03-04)
  [2142] Riverside Development - (2009-04-26)
  [2168] In honour of the photograph, I present ... a walk from Reybridge to Lacock - (2009-05-10)
  [2175] Melksham in pictures - (2009-05-11)
  [2253] Walks in and around Melksham, Wiltshire - (2009-06-21)
  [2262] History is not always pretty - (2009-06-30)
  [2297] Standing on the corner, Melksham Carnival - (2009-07-19)
  [2329] Great to be in Melksham - (2009-08-08)
  [2349] Businesses effected by road works in Melksham - (2009-08-11)
  [2480] Pantomimes around Melksham - 2009/2010 season - (2009-10-28)
  [2497] Brown horses in Melksham - (2009-11-08)
  [2528] Melksham Christmas Lights - (2009-12-05)
  [2585] Consultation in Melksham, on Melkshams future - (2010-01-17)
  [2588] Freddies Wood and the K and A Canal - (2010-01-17)
  [2665] Early Spring walk in Melksham - (2010-03-07)
  [2691] New brochures for the Melksham area - (2010-03-24)
  [2708] The bull on the footpath - (2010-04-04)
  [2716] Melksham in Pictures - (2010-04-10)
  [2739] Melksham Scouts - (2010-04-25)
  [2829] Dauncey Gardens, Melksham - (2010-06-27)
  [2854] Melksham Food and Drink Fair and Town Crier Competition - (2010-07-04)
  [2950] Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, turns first sod in Melksham Link Canal - (2010-09-09)
  [3023] Autumn walk from Bowerhill - (2010-10-31)
  [3050] Views of Melksham - November 2010 - (2010-11-13)
  [3209] Seeing Electricity Pylons near Melksham - (2011-03-21)
  [3227] Her favourite store - (2011-04-02)
  [3232] Around and about Melksham in more pictures - (2011-04-05)
  [3248] What have these pictures in common? - (2011-04-16)
  [3258] Morning in Melksham - (2011-04-23)
  [3266] Easter on the Canal - near Melksham, Wiltshire - (2011-04-26)
  [3305] Getting away from the madding crowd - an intercontinental journey - (2011-05-27)
  [3337] Home Grown Pigs, near Melksham Station - (2011-06-26)
  [3389] Plenty to do in Melksham - (2011-08-13)
  [3470] Currently pictured in Melksham - (2011-10-09)
  [3499] Images of Melksham - (2011-10-29)
  [3502] Sunday Evening ... newest and oldest Melksham pictures - (2011-10-30)
  [3507] Melksham Forward - meeting summary and pictures - (2011-11-04)
  [3520] Quintessentially English - scenes from our Wiltshire town - (2011-11-14)
  [3525] Melksham has a heart - come and see the pictures. Sunday, 11 to 3, Assembly Hall - (2011-11-18)
  [3526] Melksham has a Heart - Montage picture for sale - (2011-11-20)
  [3543] Some different pictures from Melksham - (2011-12-07)
  [3569] Images of the new year in Melksham - (2012-01-05)
  [3605] Snow comes to Melksham, Wiltshire - pictures - (2012-02-10)
  [3646] Exploring Melksham with a film maker - (2012-03-09)
  [3647] Along the brook - East Melksham to Melksham - (2012-03-10)
  [3656] TrainWest 2012 - 14th and 15th April, Melksham, Wiltshire - (2012-03-16)
  [3657] Basham Festival, Melksham, early August 2012 - a welcome - (2012-03-16)
  [3659] Welcome to Melksham - our new communities - (2012-03-18)
  [3692] Deeper than Art - An exhibition of the tattoo Canvas - Melksham - (2012-04-10)
  [3697] Events in Melksham - read all about them, and tell us about yours - (2012-04-15)
  [3703] A Museum for Melksham History. Open from 12th May 2012. - (2012-04-21)
  [3704] The Bowerhill Villager - a newsletter for Bowerhill, Melksham - (2012-04-22)
  [3712] Some unpublished and historic pictures - Museum of Melksham - (2012-04-28)
  [3720] Melksham ATC - freedom of the town - (2012-05-05)
  [3735] A walk around Melksham this morning. Can you place all of these? - (2012-05-17)
  [3744] Short Web Addresses for Melksham - (2012-05-30)
  [3771] Fine evening, country walk from Melksham - pictures - (2012-06-21)
  [3822] Town Clean - Melksham - (2012-07-29)
  [3837] Evening behind Melksham Spa - (2012-08-12)
  [3864] Guest Guide for Well House Manor and Melksham - (2012-09-18)
  [3869] How have Melksham shops changed in 60 years? - (2012-09-24)
  [3897] Autumn scenes from Melksham - (2012-10-16)
  [3944] Melksham Christmas Lights, 2012 - (2012-12-05)
  [3949] Melksham Spa from Woolmore Farm - (2012-12-09)
  [3960] Picture - between Lacock and Melksham - (2012-12-21)
  [3962] Melksham welcomes visitors - new blue plaque trail and more - (2012-12-27)
  [4084] New Pictures - Melksham Pack Horse Bridge - (2013-05-12)
  [4119] Melksham - Flower Town - (2013-06-20)
  [4141] My pictures of Melksham Carnival, 13th July 2013 - (2013-07-14)
  [4145] After the storm - (2013-07-29)
  [4151] Tell me a bit about Melksham - (2013-08-10)
  [4169] Around and about - Melksham - (2013-09-08)
  [4357] Seeing Christmas Coming to Melksham - (2014-12-20)
  [4701] Pretty at the station too - (2016-07-06)

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Forward to Keeping our hotel looking like new, by using our gained experience

iPad and iPhone programming - our seminar weekend with Xcode
Keeping our hotel looking like new, by using our gained experience
The way of the Prioress - Melksham history pictured today
Hotel food, Melksham - enjoy the variety of the American way
Wiltshire Travel Times - Chippenham, Trowbridge, Salisbury and other places too
Swindon to Trowbridge - transport and travel options
Sessions (Shopping Carts) in Django - the Python Web Framework
Demonstration of a form using Django