Please mother, no more mince pies, please.....!!

Well Santa was kind to me and I did get a copy of the Hillwalking Manual which is proving very interesting reading indeed - can't wait to get out and try out some of the skills.

Managed to go for a good long walk on Wednesday - a 3 hour bimble but boy did I feel it afterwards. Surely it hasn't been that long since I went out for a good stretch?! The main problem was my boots. My lovely, recently purchased boots. They were slipping and the resulting blisters made life quite uncomfortable. I was wearing the same socks, insoles and they were laced the same way. Only thing I can think of that might have changed is my weight. Less weight, less pressure on the feet. Can't afford to buy any new ones yet so will have to find a solution - probably thicker socks.

Off to Somerset for the New Year and hope to get out onto the Mendips for the day tomorrow before more festivities!

All for now.

Sturdy

So much for my intention to begin a regular winter training routine. Over the past week the most walking I've done has been from one end of the train to the other and a few backward steps across the millennium Bridge attempting to walk (er - 'tack') across the Thames! Work duties and family visits left little time to really get out and about but in those rare and precious quite moments I closed my eyes and could see the snow capped hills of Ambleside from a few weeks ago. Magic. I suspect this week will be just as manic but at least I can go for a ramble on Saturday at Rainham Marshes and plan to go for a nice long walk up to Hadleigh and Benfleet and then back along the sea wall on Christmas Eve, just before going off to the panto. Oh no you're not. Oh yes I am. And so just in case the bearded one with the sleigh is reading this;

Dear Santa,

I promise I've been a good novice walker and on my best behavior (well, mostly). Please can I have: 'Hillwalking - The official handbook of the Walking Group Leader Schemes', a pair of good year round 4 season boots, the energy and stamina of a collie so I can bounce up the hills, a pair of walking trousers that don't make me look like Biggles with my gaiters on and finally, more walking days. Thank you. I'm leaving a dram of isotonic drink and some mint cake to keep you going - enjoy.

Didn't get to do any walking last week. I'm out of holiday time and money and with the holiday season almost upon us family chores beckoned. Spent most of my free time looking at Country Walking and Trail magazines and lusting over the pictures of places to visit. I haven't really been anywhere yet and I want to go everywhere. The thing is, they all seem a long way off. Not in terms of mileage but in terms of experience and ability. I guess the main thing I have to work on is general stamina. So, I've started swimming again and have dug out the fitness DVD and am aiming on cross-training 3 times a week and walking whenever I can, even if it's just to the pool. Great. But what I also feel I need is guidance and mentors - so any willing readers out there that can offer advice on where to walk, training ideas etc, feel free to leave a comment. I'd particularly like to visit the Peak District, Snowdonia and go back to the lakes during the first quarter of next year so - any ideas?

Thanks to 'UKBob' for your comment. You're right, walking down a scree slope in the style of Kate Moss might not be the best approach. Think I prefer the definition of 'Sturdy Girl' as found on the online Urban Dictionary: "one who is capable of looking after themselves and also quite probably of walking over rocks!" How true. As for the bulls - taking a friend is also a useful deterrent. Hope you keep reading and keep smiling.

All for now.

Bullocks! Lost my bearing..

Was in the Mendips at the weekend but annoyingly was suffering with a bad head cold and chest infection. Weather was fantastic though and couldn't stay indoors for too long so grabbed my poor suffering dog (Buster) and best friend (Pat) and went off for a couple of short but exhilarating walks. On Saturday we went out for a nice 5/6 mile bimble from Wookey Hole, up through Ebbor Gorge (nice easy scramble) and across the Mendips. Sunday we followed a quieter route across the top of Cheddar Gorge, taking in part of the Mendip Way. We was having a great time until we stumbled into a huge field full of rather frisky and irritable young bulls who decided to take a more than healthy interest in Buster. Our route took us straight through the middle of them. After some deliberating we skirted around the edge of the field, then across, then zig-zagged, desperately trying to keep our distance and keep them away from the now slightly nervous (and very muddy) Buster. Whilst doing this we managed to lose our bearing completely, or rather, I did. I was wheezing, coughing and sneezing like nobody's business whilst trying to navigate and Pat was beginning to feel less than great. Both of us had committed a cardinal sin and gone out without having had lunch and as we'd been walking now for a couple of hours both of us were getting hungry and niggly. We decided to head back on ourselves, giving in to the bullocks but enjoying the view anyway. Having retraced our steps back up a very muddy hill we took a few moments to rest by the shade of an old oak tree (no, seriously) had a drink and munched on my emergency trail mix. Amazing what a few bits of dried fruit and nuts can do. We had a great walk, the views were magnificent, the weather like a warm September eve, but in hindsight I think maybe I should have tackled a flatter route and both of us should have been better prepared. Lesson learnt. And as for those bullocks.....well, less said!

All for now.

Sturdy Girl