Would you Adam and Eve it?

What a fantastic picture in the most recent Trail magazine. I've taken pictures of people making the jump but I haven't even dared to climb onto one of the stones.

It's fascinating to read that (officially)  not a single person has even been injured making the jump (mountain rescue records going back to the sixties). But even so, I'm sure I'll still bottle out of doing it next time I'm up there.

Met a handsome fellow while out walking today

I met a real good-looking chap while out walking today. Just in a field. I think he'd heard a female the other side of the hedge which was causing him to display, but I kidded myself it was for me.

In other news, and for future reference, there are still snowdrifts around, and not melting today as it was  still very cold. This is April, but the daffodils are really struggling and I've seen hardly any blackthorn flowers.

The trouble with the weather forecast....

... is that it's always wrong. A sweeping statement but here's some evidence.

I'm an unashamed fair weather walker and so plan my walking according to the weather forecast. But here's why I've been frustrated recently.

These are screenshots from the Met Office's own app - the official body in the UK for gathering data and forecasting the weather. They provide that information to everyone else who gives you the UK weather. They have a computer the size of a football pitch.

There's only the odd case of the previous day's forecast matching the next day's actual weather. Now I'm only really interested in the rain, but check out the temperature forecast for Sat 23 March when it was 5 days away. Predicted 8 degrees. The next day the same day's temp was predicted 1 degree, the next day 0 degrees and when it was one day away it was predicted -1. Good work folks!

To be fair, it's been an unstable period of weather, but really, if they can only predict the weather when it's more stable, at those times so can I by looking out of the window.

Yes, I'm English and proud, and love talking about the weather! Perhaps this is why we love talking about it....

Weavers' Way - diversions / Broadland flood alleviation scheme

A programme of flood defence work along Broadland rivers is responsible for some path closures. It seems fairly long-term as they've gone to the trouble of printing this message on the OS map! I've also now seen a message on Norfolk County Council's website.

But when I started walking the second half of the Weavers' Way I'd not seen any of these messages and this first notice just outside Yarmouth was a heart-sinking moment. The poster says "Not possible to provide a diversion" and suggests catching the train from Yarmouth to the Berney Arms.

Happily for me, This particular diversion starts after Easter weekend 2013, one week after my walk. There's no word on how long this closure will be in effect, so be prepared to catch the train or avoid this section completely, starting or finishing at Halvergate. Alternatively, you could investigate the path marked on the map as 'Paddys Loke' which looks like a good diversion, although you would have to cross the A47 and two railway lines (which is I guess why the council haven't suggested it).

The next diversion was in effect when I walked, between Acle Bridge and Oby. It's a long diversion, perhaps adding a couple of miles, but it is very easy to follow. Again no word on timing, but it looks pretty long-term as miles of wire and fence-posts have been put in along the diversion to keep you on track.

The last closure incident (nearly the last straw for me - these notices were becoming very frustrating!) is just past (or just before depending on which direction you're walking) Old Potter Heigham Bridge. This time there were no cordons or barriers, so I carried on without any problems. I guess from the rusty staples that this notice is old and the work has finished. (Please take the sign down NCC!!)

According to the contractor's website, we're now half-way through a 20-year scheme. The point is to improve access as well as to reduce the flood risk, so we can look forward to great paths, but also some inconvenience for quite a while to come.

Note that this work affects the section of Weavers' Way between Potter Heigham and Great Yarmouth. The first half of the long-distance path is I believe unaffected.

Navigation down!

I met more than my fair share of unexpected problems while walking half of the Weavers' Way last Sunday

This is what's left of my Explorer OL40 and the story of how I nearly had to manage without both map and phone.

I will take any opportunity to tell anyone why it's a daft idea to rely on an electronic device for navigation. Relying on the wayposts and fingerposts is also a great way to get lost. Even on a well-maintained route like the Weavers Way, there are spots with a choice of direction and no disc to be found. Written instructions and sketch maps are also just as dodgy, one wrong turn and you're lost.

The best way is surely to avail yourself of all of these useful tools - but consider the map the primary means.

My complete faith in the map has been shaken a little by Sunday's misadventures. In many years I've not thought that it could let me down.

On the marshes I was feeling every knot of the very strong wind which met no obstacle on the flat marshland. I can't remember how, but it managed to snatch the map from my grasp.

The Explorer immediately opened up like a giant sail and sped off at a rate I couldn't hope to follow. Fortunately it took a dive into a ditch full of water, but slightly out of reach and submerging itself. I had a second to consider whether it was better to spend the rest of the day with a map but with a wet leg and foot. Happily I managed to fish out the soggy mess with a stick.

The wind did serve to blow dry the map, while at the same time snatching off bits of vigorously-flapping papier mache.

It speaks of the quality of the paper and printing that the map was usable for the rest of the day and still is, aside from a couple of holes and missing corners.

Had I lost it, I would have been reduced to relying on the waymarking because of a cock-up on the phone charging front.

Only twenty years ago we would all have been without the mobile phones that we now take so much for granted. I think the loss of this lifeline was more of a problem to me than the loss of the map would have been.

So.. lessons learned...

I'll consider a map holder. It's a bit of a nuisance to re-fold the map when crossing a fold and you do look like an idiot but it keeps the map dry and securely fastened to the walker.

I won't forget the charging lead again (lessons learned the hard way are easiest remembered).

More pictures from this walk are on Flickr

Weavers' Way part two: windmills and big skies

Distance: 31 miles
Walked: Sunday 24 March 2013
Total miles walked this year: 92

I was sad to wash the Norfolk muck from my boots yesterday. I was born and raised in Norfolk, lived there for thirty-odd years but now that I've been away for some years it feels more like home than ever.

I've seen pictures of Broadland's flat horizon and I've holidayed on the Broads, but on Sunday when I walked the second half of Weavers' Way (I walked the first half around this time last year) I saw countryside that was new to me. The windmills, half a dozen in view at one time. The reeds. The easterly wind blowing in from the sea with nothing to stop it. And the huge sky which simply couldn't be any bigger.

Weavers' Way is sixty miles and can be broken down into up to seven sections. For a good all-day walk and it breaks down perfectly into two equal sections at Stalham, which happily has a fantastic chip shop.

I walked the first half; Cromer to Stalham and for convenience of transport I then walked the second section in reverse; Great Yarmouth to Stalham.

I'll be writing about some misadventures separately, and adding details of the second half of this long-distance path to my site at uk-walks.info.

More pictures from today's Weavers' Way walk at Flickr

Rutland Water out of season

Distance: 21 miles
Walked: Thursday 21 March 2013
Total miles walked this year: 61

Not the finest day, but the finest this week. And it was very good to be back at the reservoir for the first time this year.

I've logged the distance as 21 miles. My website gives the official distance according to Anglian Water of 26, but I've measured this three different ways and believe it to be more like 21 including the peninsula.

There are a number of advantages to walking the route out of season. One is that it's so quiet. I saw very few other walkers and cyclists. They're abundant as soon as the holiday season starts. Another is that it's more comfortable walking in the cooler weather.