Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Mooving Moments.....

Sunshine and adventures in Somerset....

What a wild few days we all seem to have had - torrential rain, hot sunshine, brilliant sunsets and gray evenings! Tomorrow will be the longest day and I'm hoping that the weather will give us a break so we can get out and make the most of the light evening - fingers crossed.

At the weekend I headed down to Somerset to go walking with my friend Pat. We had thought about walking our 'usual' route - up and over Cheddar Gorge, up to Burrington and back again, but we were both feeling a bit tired, it was sticky and muggy so we decided to try something different and opted for two or three shorter walks in an area we had not really explored. So OS map in hand we jumped in the car and headed over to Weston-Super-Mare to take a circular tour of Weston Woods. The leafy canopies of Oak and Hazel offered much longed for shade from the sun and there was a lovely ambience as we headed towards the the site of the iron age hill fort - now sadly covered in shrubs, nettles and ferns. I have to confess I was not on top form (and it wasn't due to the party the night before!) and soon abandoned the trusty compass for the 'let's just head this way and see what happens' attitude. It worked! With clear paths (and a disabled route) it was easy to explore the woods and find our way back to the car with little concern for getting truly lost. In fact, Pat and I felt, and probably looked, a bit overdressed with our rucksacks, maps and 'serious' walking kit compared to the families and older walkers enjoying the paths!!!

It was so hot that we took a leisurely lunch at a farm store looking out over Sandy Point, Brean Down and the glistening coastal waters and mud flats. Quite lovely really. But refreshed and raring to go(!) we headed over to Brean Down for a swift climb up onto the Down and an exploration of the Napoleonic Fort and other historical sites which are dotted around the area. We did get caught in a couple of light showers but thankfully nothing as serious as we feared as at one point the sky on the horizon was so dark it was like night-fall! If you've never been to Brean it's a lovely spot and I'd highly recommend it if you like beautiful cliffs, roman and military history. Parking is easy and there's a brilliant cafe at the bottom that does the best vanilla ice-cream!!!

Now you're probably thinking 'hold on a second - this isn't hill walking' - and you're right - it wasn't - but it was fun and it was interesting and maybe, just maybe, Sturdy is beginning to realise that you don't have to be a hard core, go and get 'em mountaineer type to be taken seriously as a walker and that it's actually quite nice to take it easy, stroll around and play it by ear a little - no route marches, no schedules, just good company, good sites and enjoying nature and our beautiful countryside. Hmm....maybe it's all these gentle walks I've been taking at home in Essex - mellowing the Sturdy Girl and making her question her motives, her preconceptions of places and open her eyes a little. Maybe! Then again, maybe I'm just being a little lazy.......... Have any of you undergone a similar process of awakening with regards to walking - I'd love to know - why not leave a comment or email me to let me know!

But the major event of the weekend has to be overcoming one of my greatest fears and breaking through the Wuss factor - Cows! Driving back to Pat's house Sunday morning we were surprised to find a large cow walking down the road towards us, heading to the main road. In the house Pat made some phone calls to local farmers who were heading over to take control. Lovely. So there I am doing the washing up, Pat is outside tidying the garden when suddenly, though the window I heard the muttered gasp "It's in the garden!!" Yep, our wayward cow had wandered back up the lane and into Pat's garden. And this is when it turned really surreal - there we were - Sturdy and Pat trying to calm a distressed cow in the garden and stop it going back onto the road. Pat went back to call the farmers again who promised to be with us in 5 minutes and there I was....alone.....with a cow....a large distressed cow with a messy bum...in a garden....in Glastonbury. If only the camera had been working! Well, they do say that the best way to conquer your fear is to face it - and I was certainly doing that. When the farmers did eventually turn up I was herding poor old Daisy towards the roadblocked lane and back into her field. The legs had stopped shaking, the breathing had returned to almost normal but the washing I'd had out was destined for another wash after she'd drooled all over it during her stay!!! No more will cows feature on the Wuss factor for me!


It's only 12 weeks now until I go to Ben Nevis and I really do have to get my act together - not just with walking but with planning in general. I'm now going to the gym at work 3 times a week, I've completed a novice climbing course, which is great fun, and I'm out in the fresh air as much as possible. In a couple of weeks time I'm off to Snowdonia for a navigation course and a walk up Snowdon, then in July I'm going scrambling and in August, all being well, I'll be spending some time with Cleveland Search and Rescue finding out first hand just what the team have to go through with their training!!!

I'm not sure yet where I'm off to this weekend but it will probably be local(ish) and fairly gentle as the tendon problem is still not fully recovered and both legs feel a little tense - so an easy walk and lots of stretching and probably picking up a mountain bike for some more fun and cross training.

Can't believe how much has changed since I first started writing this blog in November last year. I've met some amazing people, been to some great places and have undergone fantastic changes physically, mentally and emotionally - all down to the wonders of walking. Some people deserve special thanks for their support so far - Pat (obviously!), Estelle (must get up to the lakes soon matey), Robin and Ashleigh (not that you've actually been out walking with me that much yet - but you've definitely been there for me - thanks), Neil and Skinny Dave, Will in Edinburgh, Mum and David (promise I won't drag you up any more big mountains) and finally Tomcat and Basil - for showing me just how beautiful our home county is - hope you don't mind the mention!!!

Right - all for now. Better get re-reading some Navigation Books.

All for now.

Sturdy

Posted by Admin @ 1:12 pm