Friday 23 January 2015

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

31 comments:

  1. So much for avoiding the mud! lol Looks like an interesting hike, lots of lovely views even if it was a grey day. You kind of feel sorry for that tree locked in the ice, but it makes for an interesting picture. The snowdrops are a lovely site! I have some daffodils emerging already, yay! Got to love those hand warmers, I have the same problem with my fingers. You know, they make heated insoles, I'd love a pair of those! Have a great weekend! x

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  2. Such great pictures!! I am enjoying the washed out palette of winter..at least I am trying really hard! Great job on completing 10 miles. A huge accomplishment in so much mud!

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  3. What a lovely walk, I felt as if I was walking with you the photos were so good, thanks for sharing.

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  4. Blimey, that was a muddy walk! I think everywhere is a bit squelchy these days but you can't comfortably walk so far in wellies. Glad you enjoyed your outing xx

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  5. lovely walk and scenery...thanks for sharing

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  6. Another lovely walk Jacquie ~ can't believe it's number 7 already. The time is going really quickly! Hope you have a lovely weekend :0) x p s love the photo of the little robin!

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  7. I love the hand warmers! I just discovered them as well....heavenly! Also, I can't get over how green the grass is over there in the dead of winter :)

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  8. What nice scenery. Such a good idea to have a group to walk with.

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  9. That's a decent distance Jacquie. Well done. I chuckled when I saw your boots as our trails are just as bad and I have to wash my running shoes before I come into the house. Sometimes it feels as if I'm trying to run wearing divers boots as the mud is so heavy!

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  10. That's a good long walk Jacqui and yes the mud at this time of the year does get very wearing doesn't it. Hopefully Spring will soon be here with brighter days and the return to the green landscapes we love
    Enjoy your weekend
    Jackie x

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  11. The mud really is a pain at the moment isn't it - so well done you for walking so far! I keep looking for little signs of Spring whenever I go out. Today I spotted some daffodils in flower in a local school. It must be a really sheltered spot - but so lovely to see them. Enjoy your weekend. x

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  12. This looks like a rather strenuous walk but with some beautiful views. So glad you enabled us to take part from the comfort of our arm chairs :)

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  13. What a beautiful walk! I haven't walked over about 5 miles in a long time! I wondered if you are happy with your boots, and if so, what kind are they? I need some walking boots or shoes and am looking for some suggestions! Thanks.

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    1. Hi Lise,
      my boots are from Decathlon....I'm more than happy with them. They did give me blisters at first...but with thick socks they are fine now. I went for a size up from my usual shoe size. They have been totally waterproof so far.
      Here's the long link !

      http://www.decathlon.co.uk/arpenaz-100-mid-womens-walking-boots-purple-beige-id_8224436.html?LGWCODE=1547024;53453;4414&gclid=CjwKEAiA_4emBRCxi8_f2cWWjFcSJAB-v1qy4sfmK12BM1M_VrruckvOrmbO85Hq2NB3cfVJhoLGfRoCdbjw_wcB

      Jacquie x

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    2. Thanks Jacquie! I will have a look, as I am in desparate need of winter boots.

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  14. Yet another lovely walk, it would be interesting to do it again during the summer, ten miles is a good slog especially with thick mud on your boots, a do a lot of short walks so would have found this quite hard so well done.
    Amanda xx

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  15. Out of all the walks that you have taken us on Jacquie, that one feels the chilliest! I love the tree in the middle of that make shift ice rink. What fun could be had on there. As for the hand warmers, these are such a good idea and I have them for my two teens for when they are waiting for the bus. There is nothing worse than cold hands. Keep safe and warm and enjoy the weekend xx

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  16. Beautiful, beautiful English countryside. There's nowhere finer. I love the picture of the horse's head and the tree in the temporary pond. It sounds like a vigorous walk, but no doubt you felt good at the end, even if you were a bit tired. The hand warmers are a good idea, and I'm amazed how long they lasted. Wishing you a good weekend. CJ xx

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  17. what lovely pictures, nice to see the snowdrops and horses. keep warm and have a nice weekendxx

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  18. It is amazing how much mud your boots can gather, but as you say, inevitable in January really. Looks as though it was a great - if very cold - walk. The handwarmers are a great idea, especially if you suffer as much as you do. I hope you stay warm this weekend. xx

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  19. Fabulous walk and loved all of your photo's Jacquie! I certainly enjoy joining you on these walks, shame I am in another country lol

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  20. Wow.. seems like you walked a LONG way! I loved the countryside photos and the farm houses.. lucky folks that live in those beautiful places. And I adored the surprise at the end of the snowdrops in bloom.. mine are coming up too! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  21. Enjoyed reading about and seeing photos of your group walk no. 7. I must say that I admire your energy and wish that I could still manage those sorts of distances. Looking forward to reading about more of your walking adventures.

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  22. You are so brave to be out walking in such cold weather. I hope the views were reward enough although the amount of mud on your boots is staggering. :)
    Anne xx

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  23. Have you cleaned them yet?

    And isn't it amazing how you get used to a really good zoom function on a camera? I used a school camera last week and it only had something like 8 times zoom. I was like, "Excuse me? Are you serious?!"

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  24. Wonderful walk you had, thanks for taking us along!
    Wish you a lovely weekend! xx

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  25. WOW,STUNNING photo's ,so glad you shared that amazing walk.I have posted some pics of my walk with mad Baz the collie lol.Your part of the country is soooo Beautiful.xx

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  26. Lovely environment! I love England!

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  27. I love the pictures! Your town is very beautiful and the Robin so cute!

    Sandra

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  28. What a lovely walk. Beautiful views, though a little bit of me shares your yearning for a bit of spring colour. I can sympathise with the cold hands too - I have Reynauds and spend most of the time with white, numb fingers in the winter, so much so that I'm beginning to have some problems with some peripheral sensation And then a friend gave me some fab gloves for christmas, that have rechargeable batteries and elements that warm the fingers! They don't resolve the problem altogether but they do make a difference - they are not the most elegant gloves I've ever had (& I have to keep whipping them off to take photos!) but it is lovely to put your hand back into a warm glove!! :) x

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  29. I love your 'walk stories'! I must say, you have so much variety to see as you go along. I see bush and more bush on my walks, which is not very interesting to photograph on a frequent basis, though I guess it might be interesting to a non-Aussie at least once! :)

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