Ivanhoe Way (over two days)

Distance: 19 miles
Walked: Saturday 10 August 2013
Total miles walked this year: 195
Route: Anticlockwise from Stanton under Bardon to Ashby

Distance: 18 miles

Walked: Sunday 11 August 2013

Total miles walked this year: 214

Route: Anticlockwise from Ashby to Stanton under Bardon

As a training walk for doing the whole lot in one go, I walked the route over two days. I'm aiming for 12 hours this year and my speed here was certainly up to it - average more than 3mph each day.

It was a little bit sad to see signs of autumn, but then again, my first blackberries of the year were delicious:

 One of the first signs of leaves turning, the black spots that appear on sycamore. Supposedly a sign of good air quality.

 Paths were still passable despite some crops being head-height

 Conkers, anyone?

 Not very filling but it's great to find wild raspberries:

 Some curious fellas:

Met a handsome fellow while out walking today

Distance: 18 miles
Walked: Monday 1 April 2013
Total miles walked this year: 110


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.

Blackfordby Spire

Distance: 7m
Walked: Sunday 17 March 2013
Distance walked this year so far: 40m

I'm getting a bit fed up with slopping around in mud, you can see from this picture that there's water just standing on this field and the footpath. More of a paddle than a walk. But some blue sky and nice views.

I  had noticed that an older sign marking 'The Heart of The National Forest' had disappeared, and today there's a shiny new one. It'll look great when all's out in leaf.

Details of this route are here

South Derbyshire 18m circular walk

Distance: 18m
Walked: Wed 13 March 2013
Distance walked this year so far: 33m

Some sunnier pictures from last Wednesday's walk (the hail was short-lived).

This walk starts and ends near my home, walks alongside Foremark Reservoir, goes through Ticknall, by Calke Abbey and the Ferrer's Centre craft centre.

More pictures from today's walk on Flickr

The route is here

Unforecast hail!

Still breaking in my new boots and also breaking in my legs after a winter lethargy.

The forecast for this Wednesday looked good and 18 miles seemed about right, so I tackled my South Derbyshire 18 walk

The forecast didn't mention hail! It's still muddy but a different mud to a week ago, less wet, more gooey. Aside from a very brief hail shower it was a fine and pleasant day and most of the paths are good.

Ashby de la Zouch to Ferrer's Centre - 10m walk

Distance: 10m
Walked: 10 March 2013
Weather: Misty, snow on ground, mud

This is a variation on my original Ashby Ivanhoe walk (5m),  adding some distance and arriving at the Ferrer's Centre at the half-way point. Coffee and loos are to be found there. It starts and finishes at the Beeches pub too, and we all know that a pint tastes so much better after a good walk.

I've added the new longer walk to UK Walks here

And photos from today's walk are here

Don't go this way...

Or 'I don't like mud, get me out of here'. Or 'Mud, glorious mud'. I've well and truly christened the new Alt-bergs

I was wishing I'd bothered to put gaiters on but when you sink to your fetlocks into liquid mud I'm not sure how helpful they are. This is the Ivanhoe Way. I hope it dries up a little before I attempt the whole route again later in the year.

But going out today has it had its rewards.

More pictures from today on Flickr

Trying not to take the same ol' snowdrop picture

Mum and I were talking about how we tend to take point-and-click pictures when we walk. She laid down a challenge - we should get more creative and make it a competition.

So I put the thinking cap on for a while and came up with an effect that I wanted to try. Not an original idea but I'll take full credit for the execution:

Fantastic day for walking today and with the snowdrops in full effect it would have been wrong not to nip over to Dimminsdale on the Derbyshire / Leicestershire border. A round trip to Breedon Church made it a nice 6-mile leg-stretch.

More pictures from today here on Flickr

grass or concrete?

Here I'm standing in the middle of the Holywell site just on the edge of Ashby, the Beeches pub is down there somewhere to the left. I'm using the public footpath here, everyone has a right to walk through and enjoy these lovely views. There's a planning application in to build here 400 houses, a shop, school and other facilities. It's in the middle of The National Forest with Prestop Park Wood just in front and to the right, and Ingles Hill Wood behind me. It looks better as it is, I think!

More photos of this morning's walk in my set Walking in and around Prestop Park Wood