Working a rolling rota with a different day off each week makes it tough to join mates for group walks, so I went for a stroll today just be and the pooch.
Looking at the OS maps I picked an area that I'd not much experience, well other than passing it to get somewhere else.
I got up at 0600 and was out the door by 0700, escaping the city limits before rush hour led to a stress free drive into the wilds of south Northumberland. Stopping only for the obligatory bacon butty meant I was at my start point Spartylea for 0845.
exchanging pleasantries with a local as I set off from the car was the last conversation I had with a single soul (barring my trusty four legged friend) until just before getting back to the car.
The advantages of an early start where apparent from the get go, the first field I entered had two Roe deer a stag and a doe. I only a little time to watch them they quickly became aware of us and bolted off into the distance. seeing as how I'd dragged the camera out I took my first snap of the day.
getting to the midpoint of the first hill there was alovely old bridge, quite dramatic considering it was in the middle of no where.
Lots of new shooting roads had been laid since I got my map so I decided as seeing as how I was on Access land I'd wandering where ever the wind blew me.
After watching the dog swim in a bog it I was walking through a batch of burnt heather when I heard a hissing, turn my head I saw a lovely curled up Adder. By the time I got the camera out it was making a dash for it but I managed to get a quick snap.
excited about my close encountered I was in fine spirits as i got to the first trig point of the day. As I was in no particular hurry I spent a time just soaking up the views and oindulging in the silence....well as silent as you are going to get when you have a dog that insists on rolling in heather! The grouse were all over the place and took flight when ever we got to close, much to pooches confusion. (he doesn't chase wildlife....it a habit I trained out of him....not much of a ranger if I let my pooch scare/chase all the critters away!!)
Taking a quick bearing to the path I was hoping to cross and pick up I headed off to look at some interesting rock formations. While scrabbling over the rocks I saw a common lizard. Again it took flight before I could get a decent picture!
heading off to the last trig point of the I passed a set of shooting cabins, essentially tin shacks on concrete bases, being in the middle of the fell they had no lock so I stuck my head inside to take a look.
The day was lovely and hot, with fluffy white clouds slowly crossing the sky....well when you're not in a hurry and the weather is so accommodating its a shame to waste it...so at the second and final trig point of the day I decided to stretch out and have a cat nap.
invigorated after a 40 minute snooze I was full of zest and the walk down off the fells seemed to fly by. I got down into the valley bottom with my water bottle empty, the idea of filling it using my water filter was laid to rest as all the streams on the map where dry or nasty looking standing water! Luckily for me I stopped to shoot the breeze with an old man tending his garden, it came up in the conversation that I'd been unable to fill up, he offered to refill by bottle for me. He wouldn't take no for an answer!
the walk along the valley bottom was lovely and quintessential English, the River East allen babbling away beside me, rolling meadows on both sides of the water, river full of trout, freshly sheared sheep and insects buzzing it was all very nice.
Not a challenging walk by any stretch of the imagination but a thoroughly enjoying out with my pooch.
The total walk was just shy of 12km and I took my time to enjoy it and was finished in just under 5 hours. All i have to do now is figure out where the post won't accept the URL from facebook to place the pics
Looking at the OS maps I picked an area that I'd not much experience, well other than passing it to get somewhere else.
I got up at 0600 and was out the door by 0700, escaping the city limits before rush hour led to a stress free drive into the wilds of south Northumberland. Stopping only for the obligatory bacon butty meant I was at my start point Spartylea for 0845.
exchanging pleasantries with a local as I set off from the car was the last conversation I had with a single soul (barring my trusty four legged friend) until just before getting back to the car.
The advantages of an early start where apparent from the get go, the first field I entered had two Roe deer a stag and a doe. I only a little time to watch them they quickly became aware of us and bolted off into the distance. seeing as how I'd dragged the camera out I took my first snap of the day.
getting to the midpoint of the first hill there was alovely old bridge, quite dramatic considering it was in the middle of no where.
Lots of new shooting roads had been laid since I got my map so I decided as seeing as how I was on Access land I'd wandering where ever the wind blew me.
After watching the dog swim in a bog it I was walking through a batch of burnt heather when I heard a hissing, turn my head I saw a lovely curled up Adder. By the time I got the camera out it was making a dash for it but I managed to get a quick snap.
excited about my close encountered I was in fine spirits as i got to the first trig point of the day. As I was in no particular hurry I spent a time just soaking up the views and oindulging in the silence....well as silent as you are going to get when you have a dog that insists on rolling in heather! The grouse were all over the place and took flight when ever we got to close, much to pooches confusion. (he doesn't chase wildlife....it a habit I trained out of him....not much of a ranger if I let my pooch scare/chase all the critters away!!)
Taking a quick bearing to the path I was hoping to cross and pick up I headed off to look at some interesting rock formations. While scrabbling over the rocks I saw a common lizard. Again it took flight before I could get a decent picture!
heading off to the last trig point of the I passed a set of shooting cabins, essentially tin shacks on concrete bases, being in the middle of the fell they had no lock so I stuck my head inside to take a look.
The day was lovely and hot, with fluffy white clouds slowly crossing the sky....well when you're not in a hurry and the weather is so accommodating its a shame to waste it...so at the second and final trig point of the day I decided to stretch out and have a cat nap.
invigorated after a 40 minute snooze I was full of zest and the walk down off the fells seemed to fly by. I got down into the valley bottom with my water bottle empty, the idea of filling it using my water filter was laid to rest as all the streams on the map where dry or nasty looking standing water! Luckily for me I stopped to shoot the breeze with an old man tending his garden, it came up in the conversation that I'd been unable to fill up, he offered to refill by bottle for me. He wouldn't take no for an answer!
the walk along the valley bottom was lovely and quintessential English, the River East allen babbling away beside me, rolling meadows on both sides of the water, river full of trout, freshly sheared sheep and insects buzzing it was all very nice.
Not a challenging walk by any stretch of the imagination but a thoroughly enjoying out with my pooch.
The total walk was just shy of 12km and I took my time to enjoy it and was finished in just under 5 hours. All i have to do now is figure out where the post won't accept the URL from facebook to place the pics
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