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!
