Stupid Oclock

The first walk of the year and the chance to test out the new bits and bobs that were picked up at the outdoor show.

To make the most of the abundance of darkness we decided a nice walk around Woburn Abbey but in the early hours of the morning.

So as everyone was leaving the clubs/pubs for a taxi home the team set forth for a nice walk at 4am, a lot of people would question our sanity of this but we had good reason to start early.

After a quick injection of caffeine the team set off, 8 miles isn't a huge distance but having to figure out the walk in the pitch dark made things a bit more challenging.

Everyone was in good spirits (sleep deprivation has some interesting side effects)

But as you can see below we were smiling away.

As we ventured round admiring the night sky (if only the aurora wasn't a few days earlier)

Part of the walk involved walking alongside the local safari park. This was eerily quiet but at least we wouldn't of seen anything that wanted to creep up on us. But we were fortunate enough that all the animals had a bit more sense than us and were tucked up in bed for the night.

The night navigation was difficult and we even missed a gate when the path veered off which made the team almost continue up a stream instead of sticking to the path.

Half way round we decided to stop off at a local pub for breakfast in their beer garden.

After breakfast the sun was now beginning to rise and the visibility had increased dramatically.

this allowed the full view of a lovely muddy field to march through.

But as we hit the 3/4 of the way round marker the sun finally popped its head up to say hello.

As the walk was coming to an end the final stretch took us alongside a deer sanctuary where there were numerous herds basking in the morning sunshine along with a rare black squirrel dashing between trees. It was a nice finish to the walk however everyone was looking forward to being back in bed by the end of it.

The Outdoors Show

Prometheus, Medusa and Mnemosyne headed off to the outdoors show (Theia was unavailble to join us). Time to buy some kit for this 'ere walk. First on the list was trekking poles, Medusa and Prom decided to colour cordinate with lovely silver poles, whilst Mnemosyne wen't for an electric blue set.

Next on the list was hydration packs, 3 litres was decided to be enough. With that much water per stage, it'll be a race to each check point and the nearest toilet!

Alas no deals on bulk buys of hiking socks. But we ended our day out by having a wander around the boat show. Whilst those boats looked fun we all decided there was no way we could fit them in our walking packs.

Hexton Hill(s)

On a grey overcast December Sunday morning the OUCHers all meet up by the Raven pub in Hexton, determined to rack up some more miles, preferably of the hilly variety. It had been a while since they had all met up so once there were many hugs before they set-off and lots of gossip to catch up with along the way.

The first part of the walk, heading out of Hexton towards Barton-le-Clay, went smoothly enough. The terrain was pretty flat, allowing everyone to warm up their walking muscles, with only a few twitches at the lovely view of the Barton Hills to the left of them that they would soon be climbing.

Having quickly passed through the outskirts of Barton-le Clay, the OUCHers soon came to the edge of the Barton Hills Nature Reserve and were able to size up the first hill of the day. Initial reactions were good: "Just the sort of walk we need!" and it wasn't long before all four were making their way up Barton Hill. The blustery conditions did wonders for everyone's complexion and everyone agreed that the views from the top were breath-taking. (There was little discussion about this...) Following the path near the crest of the hill, they then passed by some pretty deep dry valleys, which are apparently "very unusual in this part of the country".

The next section of navigation proved a little confusing for Medusa as too many paths presented themselves and the walk directions seemed to apply to the first, or maybe the second, whilst her compass suggested the third. She chose the second and the team pressed on. They passed a small gorge (which, Medusa noted uneasily to herself, didn't seem to be on the OS map...), stumbled across a small group of possible poachers and their catch of rabbits(avoiding all eye contact seemed to be the appropriate greeting), and then came to the main road and what looked like Barton Hill Farm. Following one of the many signs for footpaths, the OUCHers crossed the field a little gingerly, as there didn't actually appear to be a path and headed to the small clump of trees, as directed by the walk guide. Medusa noticed that her growing sense of unease was getting worse as she still couldn't see the next set of hills, when Prometheus helpfully exclaimed, "Isn't that the Raven Pub over there?" Medusa learnt: when in doubt, always trust the compass...

Over lunch, amid cries of "How did I manage that?" and the more consoling "Well, at least we've all done it now" (thanks Mnemosyne!) an alternative route was quickly devised.

The new route passed south through Hexton, then skirted the edge of Furzens Wood and continued south until reaching the main road. Then the team headed north east, towards Pegsdon Nature Reserve and Telegraph Hill. As the team approached Telegraph Hill, they noticed that Mnemosnye, who had been battling with flu all day, was beginning to flag. They also noticed that the sky had gone grey and that it was beginning to rain, and so decided to bypass the final two hills and head straight back to the pub. This turned out to be a very wise decision as the top of Telegraph Hill looked miserable in the rain and there was a lot still to plan over a hot meal and a pint!