Category Archives: Diary

Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 February 2024 Winter walking in the UK hills always constitutes some element of risk with the weather, but so far, two days into this five-day foray to the Lake District, I have certainly got lucky. I took an early train from Berkhamsted yesterday morning that got me into Windermere beforeContinue reading “Run To The Hills”

Thursday 1 to Thursday 8 February 2024 It is not my usual practice to Blog about holidays, but of course walking trips are a different matter entirely. Rachel and I have been fortunate to enjoy a fantastic first week of February on the Portuguese isle of Madeira, in what we gather were unseasonably warm andContinue reading “Island In The Sun”

Monday 29 January 2024 Over the last couple of weeks the endless rains of December and early January have abated somewhat, and the cold snap, now passing, has brought some wonderful frosty mornings to the Chilterns. Such occasions must rank amongst the finest times of the year for walking: low sun, long shadows, crisp air,Continue reading “Winter Winds”

Sunday 7 January 2024 With the festivities over, and with the weather at last turning from wet and wild to cold and bright, I have been tempted back outdoors over the last few days to recover some walking fitness. My walks have included a trip to the Malverns with Rachel, and I thought I wouldContinue reading “Call Me Back Again”

Tuesday 19 December 2023 So here it is – Merry Christmas! Where the year has gone I can’t explain – maybe it is all of my LETJOG Peaks walking trips that have helped 2023 to fly by so quickly! I just wanted to wish you all a Happy Christmas, and the very best for 2024.Continue reading “Winter Wonderland”

The Ridgeway: Day 5 – Princes Risborough to Ivinghoe Beacon (18.7 miles) Friday 17 November 2023 It has been a sunny privilege to walk the final and possibly the most glorious section of the Ridgeway on such a clear and fine November day, with the autumnal Chiltern woodlands at their best. I know the easternContinue reading “Friday Street”

The Ridgeway: Day 4 – Wallingford to Princes Risborough (22.7 miles) Thursday 16 November 2023 Descending yesterday, from the chalk uplands of the Downs into the Thames Valley I witnessed a complete change in the landscape; and today, almost from the start of my walk, the climb up into the wooded Chilterns marked a goldenContinue reading “Thursday’s Child”

The Ridgeway: Day 3 – Wantage to Wallingford (19.8 miles*) Wednesday 15 November 2023 I will start today with a thank-you to all those new to my Blog – I have had several ‘new-follower alerts’ in the last few days – and also to those who have been reading my musings for a while. ThankContinue reading “Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.”

The Ridgeway: Day 2 – Ogbourne St George to Wantage (23.5 miles) Tuesday 14 November 2023 My limited research tells me that parts of the Ridgeway have been used as a thoroughfare, and as a drovers’ path and trading route, for over five millennia, right back to Neolithic times. Along sections of wide grassy tracksContinue reading “Ruby Tuesday”

The Ridgeway: Day 1 – Overton Hill to Ogbourne St George (12.4 miles) Monday 13 November 2023 An early and very wet start greeted me today. The first day of any remote multi-day walk necessarily entails travel to the start point, and (along with the weather) a couple of train delays this morning certainly dampenedContinue reading “Rainy Days And Mondays”