This Weeks Group walk :: Number 7

Hello Lovelies,

yesterday's group walk started in a idyllic little village. How I loved the timeless scene that greeted us when we arrived. The warm orange stone of the cottages and the  horse and rider walking thought the street, a well behaved dog trotting alongside..........  

I loved the rather dilapidated bits too, like this wobbly garden gate with it's peeling paint......

Each walk is led by a member of the group who volunteer to devise a route. It's necessary to walk the route beforehand to check for hazards and to make sure you know the correct paths....I hope they don't ask me to take on this responsibility just yet.

The nice lady who led our smaller than average group ( 11 people) said she had chosen the route as much of it was on paths...so we could avoid the January mud....hurray....this news was welcomed by everyone.

I liked the rolling hills we passed as we climbed out of the village, but the path was rather icy...the temperature being about 1 degree Celsius..........

the day was very hazy with just a hint of watery sun filtering through the clouds..........

Here you can see the sort of track we were on. Lanes that long ago were important highways...but are now just bridleways and farm access..........

I loved this glimpse of a grand old house across the valley.........

My new camera has less zoom than I enjoyed on my previous model....so I'm often back to snapping blurry birds..........

This cute little Robin was resting on the fence by the frozen pond here. It was a nice place to stop for our morning coffee....and the sun came out.............

Next came the first of a series of steep hills.............

The climbing and the sunshine made me hot and I began to wonder at the wisdom of the amount of layers I was wearing! But it was great to reach the top and look back at the view............

Here's the view from the top of another hill, with just a little snow in the gateway. The cold weather had turned the green fields brown here...........

It's a pretty washed out and colourless world....I do find myself yearning for spring a little.

 The lanes had turned to grassed footpaths. We squelched along....our leader saying apologetically that there was no mud when she checked the route.

 Still, I don't think you can  go on a countryside walk in January and expect to keep your boots clean.........

At 12.30 we stopped for lunch. The clouds were building again, creating dramatic skies..........

As soon as I stopped walking the cold day made me feel chilly once more. Out came my previously discarded hat and scarf. And routing around in my back pack I found these disposable hand-warmers which have been there for ages...........

there were no instructions, so I just took one out of it's packaging and kneaded it a bit....after a little while  it got toasty warm..........

Bliss for my chilly hands. I did have gloves but my hands still get cold, even in thermal gloves .....and my middle fingers go white sometimes...it's very painful.

After our picnic we carried on again. Walking past a farmhouse I spotted this old machinery which had been colourfully painted...............

Here we passed a flooded field...where a poor tree was frozen in the middle of the temporary pond.........

The cloud was building and the light levels dropped. A few rays streamed through a gap in the blanket of grey.............

Up and down more rolling hills we went. Some of them were quiet sustained climbs and some of the group were getting weary.............

Then it was just downhill back to the village........through more mud............

We tramped through a field where the clay clung to your boots in great sods and you felt about a foot taller, but much heavier.............

We had walked over nine miles by this stage and I found this hilarious....I think I was loosing it a little !

Calm down Jacquie....take a picture of the pretty view and ignore the huge clumps of mud stuck to your feet...........

There were lots of desirable homes nestled in the wintry landscape.........

Many with stables where horses peeped out.............

As we walked the final stretch...on tarmac...yay........this unusual gate caught my eye...........

Back in the village I felt rather relieved to have completed just over ten miles.....my longest ( and hilliest) walk with the group so far.

 I will admit to feeling pooped at the end, but these pretty Snowdrops still put a smile on my face.............

Roll on spring.

Oh, and those amazing little hand-warmers.....well they were still hot at bedtime...wow.

Jacquie x