Discovering the Bogs of Farndon

Yesterday I found myself on a 6 mile walk around and abut Farndon, where I flushed a tawny owl and stumbled into a bog in fading light and ended up shin deep in the water.

Despite all this, it was a highly satisfying trot, with great stuff on Radio 4 to listen to, including a wonderful half hour programme on Suetonius, the most gossipy and risque of historians and writer of saucy biographies of the first 12 Roman emperors.

There was good stuff on modern day eating of algae.

We won't talk so much about Beyond Belief, which to me is a programme that seems rooted firmly in the 8th century.

I carry on with trying to increase my fitness as much as my body will allow. I also aim to improve my mental health, and also while you are walking, you can't be stuffing yourself!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 07.01.20

The Mud of Barnby, Claypole and Balderton

I've done a ten mile walk today, as if to reinforce the point I made yesterday about the countryside around here just being a barren wasteland.

Today, it was muddy as well.

The first part of my walk was on tarmac however, and there was plenty to see in the fields next to the road. There were goldfinches aplenty, two or three flocks of redwing, and a big buzzard being harassed by a crow. A very noisy cockerel brought his hens over for a look at me. But after Barnby church, there was nothing apart from either empty pasture fields - no problem apart from the cowpats - or empty ploughed fields. I came across several of these today, and after the recent rain within 10 metres my shoes had grown to the size of canoes and weighed 5 kilos each. .

Bloody paths! They didn't exist. Rather irrationally, I began to curse all farmers for, I don't know, not putting paved paths everywhere. The only difference was the subtly difference colours of mud I found.

It all ended up being a rather grim slog through very unscenic land, the only highlights being the occasional footbridge traverse over water before taking on another hell hole of heavy soil. Every time I came across another such field I just wanted to scream.

Well, you can see a path on the OS map, but until you walk it, you have no real idea about the nature of the route.

Eventually I found my way back to civilization and the purchase of a very large bottle of rum!

Happy New Year everyone.

Si

A Map and a Rucksack

I have not forgiven the trespasses of my Trespass rucksack, as it finally falls to pieces in a great orange mass of frayed material and dangling zips.

Utter rubbish. Hardly used.

So, I've picked up a 25l Eurohike one now, which only cost me £10 from Millets and will be far better for bike rides and walking. In the sense that things won't fall out of it.

I also bought my first ever map, an OS map of the surrounding area so I can learn to read maps, and find walking, running and cycling routes I haven't yet discovered.

You will find my bleached skeleton in a ditch, 400 yards from the nearest village I couldn't find.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 29.08.17