| Date | Hare | Scribe |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Jan 2024 | Kevin & Julie | Simon |
This was a typical January day; grey, windy and damp. It was forecast to deteriorate rapidly involving high winds and heavy rain on the fringe of a major storm system.
With this at the back of their minds a determined group of about 20 people turned up before the off at 11am. gathering together outside of the pub entrance.
Kevin outlined the two walks on offer which were a muddy and damp short walk of 3.5 miles including some slippery stiles and an equally squelchy long Walk/run of about 5 miles.
The group was keen to get going ahead of the wind and rain to come and following some detailed clarification of the quality of the stiles and the depth of mud we were off.
As we strode off Julie ran across our path asking which way the runners had gone as she had arrived a bit late. We pointed out the direction they had taken and thought no more of her.
We should have known that this would not be the end of that story and indeed it wasn’t.
KIri was the only dog and immediately decided to drag me off along the road which we followed for a short distance until we dived off left to follow a footpath across a field towards Purton.
The route proved to be a gentle upwards slope across farm fields and then into light woodland where we crossed a small bridge over a stream.
We had been advised that there could be horses and cows about but so far we had not come across any.
The area was a complete revelation to me as I had not seen any of this open countryside before. What a pleasant surprise.
The route was well marked and indeed Kevin and Julie accompanied us for some of the way to ensure we came to no harm. As we traversed a narrow path alongside a wood on one side and houses on the other we were overtaken by the first of three runners; John.
He led the way forwards but we then saw him coming back towards us having missed a key left turn. We put him on the right road and he soon left us in his wake accompanied by Viv and Jeremy.
Our first candidate for the bags had been identified. There were to be others.
Another was Julia(e) who arrived back at the pub as the last arrival and advised us that she had not caught up with the runners or the walkers so she “winged” it and had a solo run for fun.
Arriving back at the pub after a most enjoyable walk we grouped together around a long table . Some ordered a beer others wanted tea and some ate.
It turned into a very pleasant post walk “ après” and ended with the bags being presented to Julia(e) on the grounds that she had not followed the provided route.
What a disgrace!
Thanks to Kevin and Julie for a well thought out and planned walk which all of us enjoyed and to the pub for serving us all with patience and a good nature.
Ps. When we got home it absolutely lashed down with rain and blew a hooly. We were very lucky today…..