A Walk to the Hill

Hello lovelies,

Wednesday morning dawned bright and sunny. Time to put on my walking shoes and explore somewhere new again.

I feel very lucky to love in a place that's got both great local facilities,  a vibrant city close by and yet is surrounded by lovely countryside.

You can just see the city in the distance in this photo..............

But I'm not walking that far......just to the hill.

O.K. it's not a big hill, we don't really have many of those around here, but if I zoom in a bit you can see it on the right,  half covered in trees.............

To begin with I'm walking along a familiar path, through a field which is growing wheat this year. I'm guessing it will grow rapeseed next year.................

I love the lines left by the tractors..............

and I'm pleased to catch a glimpse of a Chaffinch in this willow tree....it's not easy to see the birds now the trees are in full leaf..........

I come to the first of many stiles..............

And through another field I come to a wooded glade........today it feels like a place you might find fairies.......

soon I come out of the wood and reach this gap into the hedge.....This stile  leads to..........

 ...........a field of gold............wow

I love the colour of the Barley....this wonderful sight says summer to me.

Now I've walked a couple of miles and I'm on unfamiliar ground. I hear this handsome chap before I see him.....

And I'm rather surprised to come across llamas? in the same paddock.............

Next I get rather lost in a small  village.....I end up going around in circles looking for the footpath. Never mind, my unintentional detour leads me to this telephone library..............

Nobody is about so I take a peek at the books..............

and have to smile at the eclectic mix of titles it contains ....I would choose the natural history book.

Next to the Telephone box there's a bench with a lovely plaque commemorating the queens silver jubilee.....so that makes it 37 years old.....it's holding up well, and is obviously well maintained............

I sit and have a drink ....it's getting rather warm.

I'm still looking for the footpath when I catch up with this lovely old dog...........

His master and a younger dog are a little way ahead and we walk together for a while............

Till he reaches his home....such a gentle walking companion.

Eventually I find the footpath and climb up away from the village.............

I can just see two walkers ahead.

And to my left I can see the hill...........

I love walking through the long grass, filled with wild flowers..............

There's a gentle breeze and the sound of buzzing bees. Meadow Brown butterflies are loving the Knapweed........

I'm almost as high as the hill now and can see for miles, across the golds and dark greens of summer.........

If I zoom in on the distance you can see the village I'll be walking back to soon. And on the far right is that huge modern barn complex I passed in THIS walk a couple of weeks ago.............

The slope of the hill is in the foreground and I wonder what crop is such a lovely rich golden brown.

It's getting rather hot by now and I sit for a while on this stile..........

Thankful for the shade from a young oak tree..............

I gaze at the path I've just walked up and consider walking back the same way..............

 But there's still another field to walk through and I don't need to hurry home today so I press on.........

Eventually I come to at quiet lane that heads back down to the village where I got lost. There is a beautiful cooling breeze blowing towards me as I descend and I only see one car .........

Along the verges many flowers are already setting seed. I love the seed heads of the Goats Beard.........

And the Hogweed..............

Eventually I come to a gap in the hedge and look up at the hill..........it's growing Rapeseed. I'd love to walk up the short, steep incline but sadly there is no footpath. I know better that to trespass on private land............

At the bottom of the hill I come across this footbridge............

and stand on it to enjoy this cool shady spot............

Then it's back home, past the Llamas and into the churchyard...........

As I walk through it the clock strikes 11am. I come to the small war memorial to the men from this village who died in the first world war...........some mothers sons...........

And my thoughts  turn to my own two eldest boys.............who are currently on a school trip, visiting the battlefields and war memorials of France and Belgium. I'm so grateful they were born 100 years after these poor young men.

Opposite the church is the little pre school they attended ...........gosh.........I realise that was 10 years ago......

I'm sure they can hardly remember it now, but how the years speed by for us parents.

This was my longest walk to date, at six and a half miles. I do enjoy being able to record them here and I hope you lovelies find them interesting too.
Jacquie x