Sunday 25 March 2018

A long walk - in fact, a Plan B walk!


I have been upping my walking distance recently, from the usual 3 miles to 5 or 6. I have to say, though my legs are glad to stop, I have enjoyed myself so much and after a rest, am raring to go and do another (shorter) walk. On Friday I looked at our local map and decided to go exploring on a nice downhill (most of the way) ramble which would take me from near Horeb to home, but exploring a lane the other side of the main Brechfa road.


K had work to get on with, so I told him to drop me off a little early, just short of the crossroads, so I could take a couple of photos of the start of the walk. I began to walk, remembering that I had to ignore the first “road” on my left, as that led to a farm. So I kept on walking, and walking and after half an hour I was beginning to wonder if I had imagined the 2nd road. Beyond a farm, I saw the muddy wide farm track I planned to explore when I had my horse Fahly, but no sign of the turning I wanted. Rather than carry on and make a long walk into a hike into the hills, I decided that it would be sensible to turn back and head for home. So I went back down the steep hill I had climbed, and climbed the steep hill I had come down from where K had dropped me off, and kept climbing as it was a looooooooong steep hill. My legs were beginning to ache when I reached the top but then it was downhill or on flat bits all the way back to our big steep hill. It was about 6 miles in all.


When I got home I checked the map, and found out that between where I stopped walking and the muddy wide farm track, was the turning I needed, but it must have been set back a bit as it looked like the bank bordering the road just carried on. Ah well, another day, when the sun is out, and I shall get K to drop me off right by the start of it.


Since then I have done two more long walks of about 5 miles each, one with the camera (today) and one without (yesterday, when I did the bridleway walk). Today's walk was down by the TB stud and around a loop and down a steep hill (didn't want to push myself too much with the hills). The weather has been SO beautiful, sunny and once the frost had melted, warm too. 


We went to the car boot sale first thing (the first one we've been to this year), and got a couple of things, including a little beaten-up mahogany footstool which needed recovering, so I have been working on that today. I also got out in the garden but the digging I started was just too heavy as the soil is still pretty wet and as it was grass tussocks I was trying to shift, it was too big an ask. I shall have to get D (son) to give me a hand as K is laid up with his hips and his shoulder (result of doing the shower room for me).


The Fitbit steps are doing VERY well – I have achieved 21,192 so far today, and overall for the week, 106,746 steps! 



The view looking South.


View S-W across the Brechfa road.


Lleche Cist - noted in one of my books as a stone row, but possibly a small stone circle, as there is supposedly another stone nearby.


Looking N towards Llanllwni Mountain.


I managed to catch this lamb at just the right moment.


The  wilderness at the side of the road.  Very poor quality land, sour and only good for wildlife.



Llanllwni Mountain and Brechfa Forest in the distance.


A determined lamb about to have a feed.


The view in front of me as I headed home.

2 comments:

  1. You’ve had some good long walks BB. It is amazing how well our legs and hearts adjust to walking more and when you incorporate a bit of hill work it is a very good work out. In my neck of the woods I always head for the hills as I find the dog walkers tend to stick to the flat footpaths in the village and I get depressed when I see all those discarded poo bags. When I did the litter pick on my local playing fields the other week picked up scores of bags despite having dog poo bins at all the entrances. I would love to see your recovered footstool. I have a little round one with china bun feet that belonged to my mum. I worked a new canvas embroidery for it using some leftover canvas but unfortunately the finished piece was just too small to cover the base and stuffing adequately. I even tried hammering in tacks in an attempt to stretch it but I fear there is nothing for it but to work another larger piece. I will make a border for the discarded piece of work (a wreath of yellow roses worked from a chart in Elizabeth Bradley’s Victorian Needlework book) and turn it into a cushion I think.

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  2. I have really enjoyed my longer walks Sarah, though I would far rather do some up in the mountains or down by the shore and will do as soon as the weather improves. I have to say, my heart would sink at the sight of all those discarded poo bags too . . . lazy devils.

    Sorry that your tapestry top didn't fit but as you said, it will make a nice cushion. I think it is like quilting anything - you have to leave a good margin for error.

    I am going to use another chunk of that modern black and white print for the stool, as it needs using up and will look very smart. Photos to follow.

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