So, here's the map!
View Larger Map
Green pins are our accommodation (with dates), green markers are other lodgings in the area.
27 February 2009
19 February 2009
TICKETICKETED
we have paid off the tickets to the uk! yay! we're flying with etihad via abu dhabi, leaving melbs on 9th of september, arriving london on the 10th; leaving london on the 14th of october and arriving back in melbourne on the 15th. we dealt with the people at flight centre in lygon court again, and they were fantastic as usual. our customer service person (millia) was even lovelier than our last one! yay!
we are definitely walking part of the southwest coast path, from land's end to plymouth. we have booked most of our accommodation for the fortnight of walking, with only the last few nights to work out. we will be starting on tuesday the 15th (training it from london-penzance, bus from penzance-land's end, then immediately walk about 9km to porthcurno), and probably walking into plymouth (heh) on wednesday 30th september. we will probably have 2 days of rest (ON SUNDAYS, HAHAHA!) in that time. once we have our bookings finalised, i will make up a google map for you all to perve on our walking plans with envy.
what else? hm. i have added a few more links for you in the sidebar over there --> ... i'm testing out dontforgetyourtoothbrush.com, and it's ok, but i need to have a fiddle and see if i can customise the lists a bit more.
we are definitely walking part of the southwest coast path, from land's end to plymouth. we have booked most of our accommodation for the fortnight of walking, with only the last few nights to work out. we will be starting on tuesday the 15th (training it from london-penzance, bus from penzance-land's end, then immediately walk about 9km to porthcurno), and probably walking into plymouth (heh) on wednesday 30th september. we will probably have 2 days of rest (ON SUNDAYS, HAHAHA!) in that time. once we have our bookings finalised, i will make up a google map for you all to perve on our walking plans with envy.
what else? hm. i have added a few more links for you in the sidebar over there --> ... i'm testing out dontforgetyourtoothbrush.com, and it's ok, but i need to have a fiddle and see if i can customise the lists a bit more.
8 February 2009
BUSHFIRES IN VICTORIA
There are lots of bushfires in Australia - mainly in Victoria - that started yesterday. There are now 66 confirmed dead and hundreds of homes and buildings lost. J’s parents are OK - most of the fires are over 100km away from them, although they are getting occasional blackened leaves on the wind, so they are keeping the sprinklers going (embers can cause spot fires). Fires are still burning in many places, including places where friends and friends' families live.
Yesterday (Saturday) was the hottest day in Melbourne on record (46.4 degrees), and actually the hottest on record for any Australian capital city. It was like walking through a fan-forced oven, because there were strong northerly winds (hence the massive bushfires tearing through the forests and literally burning whole towns).
I hope that you are all OK, and that your family and friends are safe. And while you’re at it, spare a thought for those people hit by extreme flooding up north.
Please consider donating time, clothes, money, bedding, and food.
* Red Cross Relief Centres
* ABC news updates
Yesterday (Saturday) was the hottest day in Melbourne on record (46.4 degrees), and actually the hottest on record for any Australian capital city. It was like walking through a fan-forced oven, because there were strong northerly winds (hence the massive bushfires tearing through the forests and literally burning whole towns).
I hope that you are all OK, and that your family and friends are safe. And while you’re at it, spare a thought for those people hit by extreme flooding up north.
Please consider donating time, clothes, money, bedding, and food.
* Red Cross Relief Centres
* ABC news updates
7 February 2009
WALKS IN MELBOURNE, FEB-JUN 09
Some of you at some point have expressed an interest in walking with us. Our walks range in length, but although many of these ones are quite long, they are not (usually) extremely challenging in terms of hills or terrain. We walk at a reasonable pace (i.e. not extremely slowly, but definitely not speedily), and I stop to take a lot of photos. The main point of these walks is to have cups of tea out of a thermos, and consume delicious picnic food in lovely settings.
If you would like to join us, these are the walks we have planned. You will likely need to arrange your own transport, but if other people are coming they might have cars, etc. ANYWAY. Here is our plan until June, which may change. If you’re interested in joining us, leave a comment here with your details, or email us.
Sunday 8th February
Thornbury – Coburg Lakes Reserve (Return)
8km
Walking along the Merri Creek bike path: flat, sealed
Public transport available halfway and at other points if you need to stop
Afternoon walk, leave at 3pm, afternoon tea at Coburg Lakes
BYO water, tea and a snack
Sunday 15th March
Maroondah Reservoir (nearly Circular)
21km
Walking along dirt roads: unsealed, some steep hills in the first half
Private transport needs to be arranged
All day walk, leave Melbourne around 8am
BYO water (for whole day), tea, lunch, snacks
Sunday 29th March
Thornbury – Western Ring Road (Return)
22km
Walking along the Merri Creek bike path: sealed and unsealed, flattish
Public transport available near path at several places
All day walk, leave around 9am
BYO water, tea, lunch, snacks
Sunday 26th April
Kinglake West – near Hazeldene (One-way)
22km
Walking along dirt roads: unsealed, hilly
Private transport needs to be arranged for drop-off and pick-up
All day walk, leave Melbourne around 8am
BYO water (for whole day), tea, lunch, snacks
Sunday 10th May
Federation Square – Thornbury (One-way)
23km
Walking along the Yarra and Merri Creek bike paths: sealed, flattish
Public transport available to most sections of the route
All day walk, leave Feddo around 9am
BYO water, tea, snacks (BYO lunch advised, although there are places to eat along the way)
Sunday 24th May
Olinda Walk o’ Doom (Circular)
It ends with an enormous, enormous hill. And we will jolly well defeat it. It’s actually not as long as these walks, it’s just that the first time we attempted it was the first long walk we did together and it was 35 degrees or something. And there was this hill. This huge hill.
Sunday 7th June
Two Bays Walk, Dromana – Cape Shanck (One-way)
20km/26km (depending on progress)
Walking along paths and roads: sealed, unsealed, boardwalks, some long climbs
All day walk, leave Melbourne very early
Private transport needs to be arranged for drop-off and pick-up
BYO water (for whole day), tea, snacks, lunch
Sunday 21st June
Thornbury – Rosanna (One-way)
19km
Walking along Merri Creek path and Yarra trail: sealed and unsealed, flattish
All day walk, leave around 9am.
Public transport available at a few points along the path, including end
BYO water, tea, snacks, lunch (advised, though there are a few places off-path to buy)
***
If you want to join us, you will need to bring the following things. This list may seem very serious business, but you do not want to be caught without these basics.
. . . I don't think I've forgotten anything! Yay! It would be fun if you can come along!
If you would like to join us, these are the walks we have planned. You will likely need to arrange your own transport, but if other people are coming they might have cars, etc. ANYWAY. Here is our plan until June, which may change. If you’re interested in joining us, leave a comment here with your details, or email us.
Sunday 8th February
Thornbury – Coburg Lakes Reserve (Return)
8km
Walking along the Merri Creek bike path: flat, sealed
Public transport available halfway and at other points if you need to stop
Afternoon walk, leave at 3pm, afternoon tea at Coburg Lakes
BYO water, tea and a snack
Sunday 15th March
Maroondah Reservoir (nearly Circular)
21km
Walking along dirt roads: unsealed, some steep hills in the first half
Private transport needs to be arranged
All day walk, leave Melbourne around 8am
BYO water (for whole day), tea, lunch, snacks
Sunday 29th March
Thornbury – Western Ring Road (Return)
22km
Walking along the Merri Creek bike path: sealed and unsealed, flattish
Public transport available near path at several places
All day walk, leave around 9am
BYO water, tea, lunch, snacks
Sunday 26th April
Kinglake West – near Hazeldene (One-way)
22km
Walking along dirt roads: unsealed, hilly
Private transport needs to be arranged for drop-off and pick-up
All day walk, leave Melbourne around 8am
BYO water (for whole day), tea, lunch, snacks
Sunday 10th May
Federation Square – Thornbury (One-way)
23km
Walking along the Yarra and Merri Creek bike paths: sealed, flattish
Public transport available to most sections of the route
All day walk, leave Feddo around 9am
BYO water, tea, snacks (BYO lunch advised, although there are places to eat along the way)
Sunday 24th May
Olinda Walk o’ Doom (Circular)
It ends with an enormous, enormous hill. And we will jolly well defeat it. It’s actually not as long as these walks, it’s just that the first time we attempted it was the first long walk we did together and it was 35 degrees or something. And there was this hill. This huge hill.
Sunday 7th June
Two Bays Walk, Dromana – Cape Shanck (One-way)
20km/26km (depending on progress)
Walking along paths and roads: sealed, unsealed, boardwalks, some long climbs
All day walk, leave Melbourne very early
Private transport needs to be arranged for drop-off and pick-up
BYO water (for whole day), tea, snacks, lunch
Sunday 21st June
Thornbury – Rosanna (One-way)
19km
Walking along Merri Creek path and Yarra trail: sealed and unsealed, flattish
All day walk, leave around 9am.
Public transport available at a few points along the path, including end
BYO water, tea, snacks, lunch (advised, though there are a few places off-path to buy)
***
If you want to join us, you will need to bring the following things. This list may seem very serious business, but you do not want to be caught without these basics.
• Water. It’s really important to have enough to last you either the whole walk or until the next water-point. For a full day walk without any water points, you will need AT LEAST one litre, with more waiting at the end. Carrying two 600+mL bottles is advisable.• Good, broken in walking shoes (cross trainers or sneakers are fine, sandals only on city walks, hiking shoes or boots are excellent so long as they’re broken in)
• Appropriate clothing (jeans aren’t great, and be aware of thigh chafing if you wear a skirt or dress)
• Appropriate weather-specific gear, especially on long, remote bushwalks – what you carry is all you have (minimum in all autumn walks: raincoat, scarf, beanie; sunhat, sunglasses, sunscreen)
• Bandaids for possible blisters, and consider bringing a small first-aid kit on remote walks (painkillers, any specific medication you might need)
• High energy snacks (nuts, dried fruit and chocolate are the usual recommendations)
• Lunch! This is clearly the most important bit! Usually we bring a thermos of tea (please BYO tea or coffee!) and a variety of tasty vegetarian morsels to share. Leftovers, legume-based salads, potatoes, rice dishes, quiche: all these are delicious. Let us know your dietry requirements, and remember your cutlery!
• Enthusiasm and willingness to talk about random shit, a camera, your phone so you can text people and say you're eating lunch on a mountain or something.
• A sense of your limits, and confidence in voicing them. There is no shame in having to stop to rest – in fact it is very important. We always pause at least once or twice to “look at the view” when we’re going up a hill! If things are getting absolutely too difficult, there is almost always the option of a shorter route, catching public transport, getting your chauffeur to pick you up early, calling a taxi, or turning back.
• Water. Don’t forget it, or I won’t let you walk with us. *Bossy/serious man is bossy/serious*
. . . I don't think I've forgotten anything! Yay! It would be fun if you can come along!
3 February 2009
YAY TICKETS
we have (3/4 of) our tickets! we just have to pay the remainder in the next 2 weeks. can i just say that once again we received stellar service from the carlton branch of flight centre. seriously, every time we've been there over the last year or so, they have been friendly, happy to help and clearly doing their job well (for instance, getting us a flight with etihad for less than i could find online, and only slightly more than thai airways - nothing against thai airways, but it will be fun to try out a newish airline).
we'll be in the uk for just over a month, which (as i mentioned earlier) will include the wedding on the 13th of september and the birthday on the 11th of october. AND it will include 2 weeks of walking on the southwest coast path! yay!
this walk will be different in a number of ways from the ones we've done before, not least in that it is approximately 3 times as long!
the thames path was very gentle, and followed the river from the source to oxford, through landscapes that changed over the walk mainly through the size of the river. however, the increasing size of the waterway, the different locks and townships, and the floodwaters that joined it as we got further downstream, definitely gave the walk a strong sense of progression. it was idyllic and a very good first walk.
the ridgeway involved more hills and valleys, longer days, and a bit more planning. the landscape was varied, from the first half a day along the thames, to wheat fields and farms, through woodland and parkland, along ridges (of course) and past various ancient earthworks. although there was less of a sense of a slow evolution of landscape, the various viewing points (bledlow ridge, wendover, ivinghoe beacon) gave us a lot of satisfaction, as we looked back on how far we'd come. it was also enjoyable to walk with friends - something we hope to repeat a bit with the southwest coast path.
we expect the coast path to be tougher, with a lot of upping and downing, possibly more severe weather (especially wind blowing off the sea), and some longer days. it will also be a test of our endurance, although we will make sure to have a couple of resting days and shorter (10km-ish) days in order to break up the harder stuff! this will also be the first time we will need to really coordinate with other modes of transport - namely ferries to cross a number of rivers. there is also one creek that needs to be waded, and that can only be done an hour each side of low tide. barring that, there is a 1 hour detour around the creek, which isn't exactly ideal for us on a 22km day!
on the plus side, the coast of cornwall is generally well supplied with villages, refreshments, accommodation and public transport. we will be there in mid-late september, when most of the school holiday crowds have gone but summer timetables are still in action (also summer prices for b&bs, but never mind). because the path often follows the tops of cliffs, we expect that the views will be lovely, and even if there is not a real sense of changing scenery, we will have a sense of purpose and achievement when looking forward or back over the bays and headlands. the map nerd in me also enjoys the fact that we will start at the westernmost point of mainland england (land's end), and also take in the southernmost point (the lizard).
anyway, i'm sure you'll hear more as the trip draws closer. until then, we have a lot of training to do! we've already booked in lots of sundays with SJ, who walked the ridgeway with us, to do walks around melbourne. fun times!
we'll be in the uk for just over a month, which (as i mentioned earlier) will include the wedding on the 13th of september and the birthday on the 11th of october. AND it will include 2 weeks of walking on the southwest coast path! yay!
this walk will be different in a number of ways from the ones we've done before, not least in that it is approximately 3 times as long!
we expect the coast path to be tougher, with a lot of upping and downing, possibly more severe weather (especially wind blowing off the sea), and some longer days. it will also be a test of our endurance, although we will make sure to have a couple of resting days and shorter (10km-ish) days in order to break up the harder stuff! this will also be the first time we will need to really coordinate with other modes of transport - namely ferries to cross a number of rivers. there is also one creek that needs to be waded, and that can only be done an hour each side of low tide. barring that, there is a 1 hour detour around the creek, which isn't exactly ideal for us on a 22km day!
on the plus side, the coast of cornwall is generally well supplied with villages, refreshments, accommodation and public transport. we will be there in mid-late september, when most of the school holiday crowds have gone but summer timetables are still in action (also summer prices for b&bs, but never mind). because the path often follows the tops of cliffs, we expect that the views will be lovely, and even if there is not a real sense of changing scenery, we will have a sense of purpose and achievement when looking forward or back over the bays and headlands. the map nerd in me also enjoys the fact that we will start at the westernmost point of mainland england (land's end), and also take in the southernmost point (the lizard).
anyway, i'm sure you'll hear more as the trip draws closer. until then, we have a lot of training to do! we've already booked in lots of sundays with SJ, who walked the ridgeway with us, to do walks around melbourne. fun times!
2 February 2009
THE NEXT ADVENTURE
so now we start planning the next adventure. d's brother is getting married in september, so we will be once again flying off to england for some time away. we are going to find us some tickets today.
we'll probably be gone for a month again, with the wedding at the start and d's ma's birthday at the end. and in between? we have decided to walk a BIG section of the southwest coast path, from land's end to plymouth. that is approximately 250km/155mi! it will take us about 2 weeks, and as soon as we've got plane tickets booked we are going to start finding accommodation. HOW EXCITING IS THAT?!?!
i'll update again with more links and info later!
we'll probably be gone for a month again, with the wedding at the start and d's ma's birthday at the end. and in between? we have decided to walk a BIG section of the southwest coast path, from land's end to plymouth. that is approximately 250km/155mi! it will take us about 2 weeks, and as soon as we've got plane tickets booked we are going to start finding accommodation. HOW EXCITING IS THAT?!?!
i'll update again with more links and info later!
21 January 2009
HOME IN NEW HOLLANDT
New Hollandt, in the Museum of Ancient Maps
You know what? I am so jetlagged that I can’t be arsed writing properly about Italy. I feel really weird and kind of dreamy and it’s not even 9am at the time of writing*, so I can’t sleep for HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS! [* It's now 6pm, so I will be able to sleep SOOOOOON!]
We got upgraded on the flight home, which was AWESOME! It meant having more (some!) leg room, friendly staff, noise-cancelling headsets, seats that reclined enough to make sleeping possible, and a glass of champagne before takeoff. Fantastic! We left the flight feeling almost human! It helped that our lovely friends SJ and Es were there to meet us and take us home.
Painted building and scooters = Italy!
OK, but Italy? THAT WAS FUN! I’d never met N before, and it was great to stay with him for a couple of nights, meet his cute dog and his flatmates, walk for miles and miles around the city, visit 34980 museums, eat enormous pizza, drink good coffee, and teach him about cricket. Internet friends are awesome!
N and J being mysterious
The cute dog, Jack
Given that I am so jetlagged and lazy, you are very lucky that N has blogged about our adventures already, so you can read all about it there! You can also see his picspam of my face here!
Beautiful Bologna!
Huge pizza
You can find more photos from Bologna here.
And that is that, I suppose! We've had a nice day in the sunshine, meeting E for delicious brunch at Tin Pot and going to her parents' house to watch some Obama stuff and drink champagne laugh at inappropriate moments. It's hot here, but I'm glad we didn't fly in yesterday during the daytime, because it got to OVER 40 DEGREES. YUCK! Bring back the ice and frost!
19 January 2009
A QUICK NOTE ON TRANS STUFF
I don't know how many people read this blog who wouldn't have already read it on my trans blog, but I'd really appreciate it if you could check out this link: Getting Pronouns Right: A Guide for Spoken Conversation. I've had to deal with too many pronoun fuck-ups recently, so if you think you have made/might make a mistake (or someone you've spoken to has made/might make a mistake), I'd like you to read the linked blog post. It's difficult for me to deal with, so please educate yourselves. Thanks.
18 January 2009
BURFORD: SUNDAY 11TH JAN
A better night sleep for D, but still not perfect. Woke feeling better than he had done since he’d been ill. Slight improvements every day – hopefully by the end of the holiday he’ll be well – just in time to go back to work. J watched a stunning sunrise out the window, and marvelled at the much changed scenery before him. The mist and frost of the previous few days had gone, and the horizon had broadened considerably.
J&D went down to watch an early morning episode of Mountain with Griff over breakfast. Halfway through the episode, A came down to greet us with the news that, overnight, their home in London had been flooded! Apparently, they got a call from my mum’s sister at about 2AM, which had them really worried about my mum’s parents’ health. So when she said, “No, it’s just that your water tank has burst and totally flooded one side of your house, totally destroying your bathroom and half your kitchen, and who knows how much longer some of those walls will be standing?” they actually breathed a sigh of relief! They sat up for most of the night trying to organise things and decide what to do, but have taken the whole situation very philosophically, and have spent the day excitedly planning new designs for their home. The upshot of it is that they will go and live with my mum’s parents (just like they did when they first got married 38 years ago!), while J and D will be staying with E and L.
Speaking of E & L, they headed back to London today, and stopped in on my parents place to survey the damage, and salvage as much food as was salvageable (apparently quite a lot, which is good because they will soon be entertaining some unexpected guests).
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in between phone calls coming and going, updating and filling in those who needed to be updated and filled in, we decided to go for a little afternoon stroll. We all piled into one car and drove to the pretty little village of Minster Lovell. We walked across a horrendously muddy field, which turned out merely to be a small taster of what was to come for much of the rest of the walk. We arrived at an attractive old church, which sat beside an impressive ruinous shell of a former manor house. So for us, there were two ruined houses in one day.
We walked on alongside the wonderfully named River Windrush for a while, our shoes slipping all over the place in the heavily churned mud. The hike was only short (it took us 2 hours in total), but hard going. Our feet were heavy with caked mud, and we had no grip, but we waddled on, and were relieved when the path eventually led us onto a tarmaced road, which we gratefully stomped down back into the village, leaving a trail of brown sludge in our wake. The village itself was very picturesque, full of beautiful old houses and exquisitely thatched roofs. But we didn’t stay long. We scraped as much mud of our boots as we could, then got back into the car and headed home. J made a delicious and fresh buffalo mozzarella salad, which he mixed with left over pesto pasta, for a tasty afternoon snack, before all going off to soak in well-earned baths.
We headed out for a light supper in Burford – the only places that were open on a Sunday night were the town’s 2 pubs. We picked one, and had adequate meals, before heading back to the house that, thankfully, still stood in one piece.
J&D went down to watch an early morning episode of Mountain with Griff over breakfast. Halfway through the episode, A came down to greet us with the news that, overnight, their home in London had been flooded! Apparently, they got a call from my mum’s sister at about 2AM, which had them really worried about my mum’s parents’ health. So when she said, “No, it’s just that your water tank has burst and totally flooded one side of your house, totally destroying your bathroom and half your kitchen, and who knows how much longer some of those walls will be standing?” they actually breathed a sigh of relief! They sat up for most of the night trying to organise things and decide what to do, but have taken the whole situation very philosophically, and have spent the day excitedly planning new designs for their home. The upshot of it is that they will go and live with my mum’s parents (just like they did when they first got married 38 years ago!), while J and D will be staying with E and L.
Speaking of E & L, they headed back to London today, and stopped in on my parents place to survey the damage, and salvage as much food as was salvageable (apparently quite a lot, which is good because they will soon be entertaining some unexpected guests).
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in between phone calls coming and going, updating and filling in those who needed to be updated and filled in, we decided to go for a little afternoon stroll. We all piled into one car and drove to the pretty little village of Minster Lovell. We walked across a horrendously muddy field, which turned out merely to be a small taster of what was to come for much of the rest of the walk. We arrived at an attractive old church, which sat beside an impressive ruinous shell of a former manor house. So for us, there were two ruined houses in one day.
We walked on alongside the wonderfully named River Windrush for a while, our shoes slipping all over the place in the heavily churned mud. The hike was only short (it took us 2 hours in total), but hard going. Our feet were heavy with caked mud, and we had no grip, but we waddled on, and were relieved when the path eventually led us onto a tarmaced road, which we gratefully stomped down back into the village, leaving a trail of brown sludge in our wake. The village itself was very picturesque, full of beautiful old houses and exquisitely thatched roofs. But we didn’t stay long. We scraped as much mud of our boots as we could, then got back into the car and headed home. J made a delicious and fresh buffalo mozzarella salad, which he mixed with left over pesto pasta, for a tasty afternoon snack, before all going off to soak in well-earned baths.
We headed out for a light supper in Burford – the only places that were open on a Sunday night were the town’s 2 pubs. We picked one, and had adequate meals, before heading back to the house that, thankfully, still stood in one piece.
CHELTENHAM AND SURROUNDS: SATURDAY 10TH JAN
Dan was feeling slightly better than the day before, which was good because today we were driving to Cheltenham to catch up with I & J, who were coming over from Bristol to see us. The drive to Cheltenham took us through a magical winter wonderland, with frost clinging to everything – the trees all looked as though they had been sprayed with white powder. J spent most of the drive with his mouth hanging open in awe, not quite believing the beauty of the landscape.
The frost thinned out and disappeared completely as we entered tropical Cheltenham, and we headed to the appointed meeting place. We found I & J, and then all bundled back into the car, and left Cheltenham to return to the white world surrounding it.
We headed through some marvellously named little towns and villages (Birdslip?), parked the car in Brimpsfield and set off on a little wander around the area.
In the centre of the village, we came across some adorable ginger spotted pigs, complete with rings in the ends of their noses!
Are spider webs ever as beautiful as when they are covered in frost?
We clambered over a style and headed down a path into a little valley. It was stunningly beautiful and wonderfully silent. We were even treated to the sight of a deer leaping agilely across our path! The path got dangerously icy in places, which just made it more fun, and we saw many spent shotgun cartridges strewn in little piles periodically along the path – this was huntin’ country.
We began the ascent out of the valley, and decided that the quickest way back to the car would be to take the road, which provided us with more exciting scenery.
Earlier in the walk, we had been passed by a large convoy of Range Rovers, all, we presumed, off for a shoot. We were proved correct, as we now passed a solitary flagger, standing bored and trying to keep warm, waiting for the action to begin. Slightly further up the road, a car, full of young hippy types, pulled up next to us and asked us if we had seen a hunt nearby. We pointed it out to them and cheered the protestors (we presumed they were protestors) as they drove off to fight the good fight.
We returned to the car, and drove to an isolated country pub, the Green Dragon Inn, for lunch. After lunch, we dropped I & J back in Cheltenham, said our goodbyes, and then headed back to Burford for an uneventful and relaxing afternoon.
The frost thinned out and disappeared completely as we entered tropical Cheltenham, and we headed to the appointed meeting place. We found I & J, and then all bundled back into the car, and left Cheltenham to return to the white world surrounding it.
We headed through some marvellously named little towns and villages (Birdslip?), parked the car in Brimpsfield and set off on a little wander around the area.
In the centre of the village, we came across some adorable ginger spotted pigs, complete with rings in the ends of their noses!
Are spider webs ever as beautiful as when they are covered in frost?
We clambered over a style and headed down a path into a little valley. It was stunningly beautiful and wonderfully silent. We were even treated to the sight of a deer leaping agilely across our path! The path got dangerously icy in places, which just made it more fun, and we saw many spent shotgun cartridges strewn in little piles periodically along the path – this was huntin’ country.
We began the ascent out of the valley, and decided that the quickest way back to the car would be to take the road, which provided us with more exciting scenery.
Earlier in the walk, we had been passed by a large convoy of Range Rovers, all, we presumed, off for a shoot. We were proved correct, as we now passed a solitary flagger, standing bored and trying to keep warm, waiting for the action to begin. Slightly further up the road, a car, full of young hippy types, pulled up next to us and asked us if we had seen a hunt nearby. We pointed it out to them and cheered the protestors (we presumed they were protestors) as they drove off to fight the good fight.
We returned to the car, and drove to an isolated country pub, the Green Dragon Inn, for lunch. After lunch, we dropped I & J back in Cheltenham, said our goodbyes, and then headed back to Burford for an uneventful and relaxing afternoon.
14 January 2009
IN WHICH I HAVE A LOVELY WALK, OH YES
Dan was feeling extremely poorly, so he decided to spend the day at home. I, on the other hand, was more than ready to go for a nice long walk. One of the circular walks in the Cotswolds guidebook provided by the cottage went close by, and was a bit over 8kms in length, so I set off by myself.
The walk was amazing – everything was covered in frost, and the heavy mist meant that visibility was poor.
However, the mist made everything look white and magical, and I realised that sometimes this makes the scenery even more beautiful – every new landmark appears out of nothing in front of you and vanishes behind you, lending an air of mystery and discovery even to the most common objects.
It also makes navigating by guidebook instructions amusing, as you can’t always see the “trees in the opposite corner” that you’re meant to head towards, and when you do, they loom up quite mencingly!
I was swaddled in numerous layers of thermal clothing and waterproofs, but after a quarter of an hour, I had to take off my jacket and hat and wipe away the sweat I’d worked up. About twenty minutes after that I touched my hair and realised that a frost was forming in it!
That was pretty much the most amazing thing that had ever happened to me, so I was glad that an old Welsh man and his dog appeared out of the mist and I could share my excitement. The dog even had frost on her ears!
About a third of the way through the walk I heard some strange swishing, crushing sounds, then a few gun shots – not too far away. Peering carefully over one of the drystone walls, I saw a few huddled figures standing at regular intervals alongside a field of dead corn waving large white, yellow and orange flags.
At first I didn’t quite understand what was going on, but I bumped into a couple of fellow walkers (from Leicester) who explained that it was a pheasant shoot: a number of beaters walked through the corn, herding the (somewhat farmed) pheasants towards the shooters, the pheasants would run until they had no room left and then take flight, and the people with flags would try to ensure the pheasants would fly in the direction of the guns. The pheasants weren’t all that stupid, however, and we saw quite a few take off in the wrong/right direction. I say the pheasants were ‘somewhat farmed’ because they were raised from chicks in a yard opposite the field, and then released into the cornfield and fed regularly until it was shooting season (one shoot a week for 14 weeks, I believe). I was in two minds about what I was watching – on the one hand, I am vegetarian and not particularly into the idea of shooting defenceless birds as a ‘sport’, but on the other hand, I doubted I would witness such an event again for a long time, if ever – and it does seem somehow quintessentially English. (More on this in the next day’s blog!)
I ended up walking with the Leicester couple the rest of the way to Burford, which was mostly pleasant, as they had spent the past week in the area and had some good suggestions for things to see, walks to do and places to go.
We were all impressed by the iciness and wintry appearance, especially as we made our way down the gentle slope of Dean Bottom, and the old medieval church of Widford appeared to our right.
We visited the church to see the wall paintings, dated from around 1350, and looked at (but didn’t explore) the ditches and mounds that are the remains of the medieval village.
We made it back to Burford after the last bit of easy strolling along the river.
Well, it was easy apart from the slippery ice, which almost did for one of my companions a number of times! We parted ways and I walked up and down the main street, ate my little roll, and then headed back towards the cottage.
I met up with M, A, E and L near the house and showed them the footpath to Burford.
It’s a very quick walk to the main street, down through a field and then straight over the bridge. We looked in a number of shops along the street – a cosy little second-hand-antique-collectibles shop was the highlight, and I bought a country gentleman scarf from the Oxford Shirt Co.
We had lunch at the bakery, which was bustling and friendly, and the meal was filling and warming.
As it gets dark at about 4:30, there wasn’t much chance for more exploring, so we had a lovely dinner and sat around in front of the fire watching DVDs, playing sudoku, and reading until bed time. LOVELY DAY!
The walk was amazing – everything was covered in frost, and the heavy mist meant that visibility was poor.
However, the mist made everything look white and magical, and I realised that sometimes this makes the scenery even more beautiful – every new landmark appears out of nothing in front of you and vanishes behind you, lending an air of mystery and discovery even to the most common objects.
It also makes navigating by guidebook instructions amusing, as you can’t always see the “trees in the opposite corner” that you’re meant to head towards, and when you do, they loom up quite mencingly!
I was swaddled in numerous layers of thermal clothing and waterproofs, but after a quarter of an hour, I had to take off my jacket and hat and wipe away the sweat I’d worked up. About twenty minutes after that I touched my hair and realised that a frost was forming in it!
That was pretty much the most amazing thing that had ever happened to me, so I was glad that an old Welsh man and his dog appeared out of the mist and I could share my excitement. The dog even had frost on her ears!
About a third of the way through the walk I heard some strange swishing, crushing sounds, then a few gun shots – not too far away. Peering carefully over one of the drystone walls, I saw a few huddled figures standing at regular intervals alongside a field of dead corn waving large white, yellow and orange flags.
At first I didn’t quite understand what was going on, but I bumped into a couple of fellow walkers (from Leicester) who explained that it was a pheasant shoot: a number of beaters walked through the corn, herding the (somewhat farmed) pheasants towards the shooters, the pheasants would run until they had no room left and then take flight, and the people with flags would try to ensure the pheasants would fly in the direction of the guns. The pheasants weren’t all that stupid, however, and we saw quite a few take off in the wrong/right direction. I say the pheasants were ‘somewhat farmed’ because they were raised from chicks in a yard opposite the field, and then released into the cornfield and fed regularly until it was shooting season (one shoot a week for 14 weeks, I believe). I was in two minds about what I was watching – on the one hand, I am vegetarian and not particularly into the idea of shooting defenceless birds as a ‘sport’, but on the other hand, I doubted I would witness such an event again for a long time, if ever – and it does seem somehow quintessentially English. (More on this in the next day’s blog!)
I ended up walking with the Leicester couple the rest of the way to Burford, which was mostly pleasant, as they had spent the past week in the area and had some good suggestions for things to see, walks to do and places to go.
We were all impressed by the iciness and wintry appearance, especially as we made our way down the gentle slope of Dean Bottom, and the old medieval church of Widford appeared to our right.
We visited the church to see the wall paintings, dated from around 1350, and looked at (but didn’t explore) the ditches and mounds that are the remains of the medieval village.
We made it back to Burford after the last bit of easy strolling along the river.
Well, it was easy apart from the slippery ice, which almost did for one of my companions a number of times! We parted ways and I walked up and down the main street, ate my little roll, and then headed back towards the cottage.
I met up with M, A, E and L near the house and showed them the footpath to Burford.
It’s a very quick walk to the main street, down through a field and then straight over the bridge. We looked in a number of shops along the street – a cosy little second-hand-antique-collectibles shop was the highlight, and I bought a country gentleman scarf from the Oxford Shirt Co.
We had lunch at the bakery, which was bustling and friendly, and the meal was filling and warming.
As it gets dark at about 4:30, there wasn’t much chance for more exploring, so we had a lovely dinner and sat around in front of the fire watching DVDs, playing sudoku, and reading until bed time. LOVELY DAY!
MAINLY MARLOW
On Thursday, Dan was feeling pretty ill, so we had a bit of a sleep in, then packed the cars and headed off to our cottage in the Cotswolds. We decided to stop off in Marlow on the way, because Dan’s family often had holidays there when he was a kid, and I still hadn’t made it there in all my trips to England. It was quite lovely – the winter sun was bright, the view from the bridge over the water was delightful, and the lunch we had at the Marlow Bar and Grill was very tasty (the chips were great, and I’d love to have the rich, fragrant mushroom risotto again).
Dan was feeling worse and worse, so M drove her car with D as a passenger, and I went in the other car with A. As we drove along the M40, we saw a few red kites, and we passed over the Ridgeway Path. I had a bit of a giggle to myself as I remembered the guidebook telling us that the noise from the motorway would soon fade (it didn’t!) as we entered the small stand of trees. The scenery was very different in winter than in autumn – the trees were for the most part bare, and the fog was creeping in along the valleys. We passed around the top of Oxford, and I noticed the big hill we’d skirted when walking the Thames Path in 2006. It is pretty awesome to think that we’ve covered quite a bit of ground during our travels!
We arrived in Burford as it was getting dark (so, about 4pm!), and after asking directions a couple of times we made it to our cottage. The place is beautiful – 3 storeys, with a kitchen, conservatory and lounge on the ground, two double bedrooms and a bathroom (with a claw-footed bath) on the middle floor, and two more bedrooms (1 double – ours! – and one twin) and another bathroom on the top. It is attached to Manor Farm, and sits on top of a hill, so from our window we can see a row of gorgeous Cotswold stone buildings, and we have a view over the fields and down to Burford. . . At least, we have a view if it’s not too misty! There are two fireplaces, too, so my childhood of building fires, and watching my parents build them, has helped us out – even though the wood hasn’t been properly dried, so it’s very fizzy and smoky and hard to light.
Dan was feeling worse and worse, so M drove her car with D as a passenger, and I went in the other car with A. As we drove along the M40, we saw a few red kites, and we passed over the Ridgeway Path. I had a bit of a giggle to myself as I remembered the guidebook telling us that the noise from the motorway would soon fade (it didn’t!) as we entered the small stand of trees. The scenery was very different in winter than in autumn – the trees were for the most part bare, and the fog was creeping in along the valleys. We passed around the top of Oxford, and I noticed the big hill we’d skirted when walking the Thames Path in 2006. It is pretty awesome to think that we’ve covered quite a bit of ground during our travels!
We arrived in Burford as it was getting dark (so, about 4pm!), and after asking directions a couple of times we made it to our cottage. The place is beautiful – 3 storeys, with a kitchen, conservatory and lounge on the ground, two double bedrooms and a bathroom (with a claw-footed bath) on the middle floor, and two more bedrooms (1 double – ours! – and one twin) and another bathroom on the top. It is attached to Manor Farm, and sits on top of a hill, so from our window we can see a row of gorgeous Cotswold stone buildings, and we have a view over the fields and down to Burford. . . At least, we have a view if it’s not too misty! There are two fireplaces, too, so my childhood of building fires, and watching my parents build them, has helped us out – even though the wood hasn’t been properly dried, so it’s very fizzy and smoky and hard to light.
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