Tuesday 27th December 2011 (Day After Boxing Day)

I came back from visiting my friends in Hertfordshire today... Thanks for a brilliant stay!!!!!

I travelled from Derbyshire to Hertfordshire... it's great to have fantastic friends... I had such a brilliant time... totally podged!!!!!

Sunday 25th December 2011 (Christmas Day)

Another year on and all is great... I went to the farm for Christmas Dinner with Donald... they do really well and put on a brilliant spread... I think it was a lovely festive meal - I did enjoy my day.  In the evening I called in at Steve and Hannah's to see how Neve was getting on with her Christmas Day.. all good there!!!

Saturday 24th December 2011 (Christmas Eve)

I wrapped presents and took out card - I think most of the day was taken up with that activity!

Friday 23rd December 2011 

Disaster strikes - my all singing, card making, music playing, TV watching, photo storing, music making, film making computer has given up the ghost!  Gone to meet it's maker.... terminal I think... My most important posessions are in order... my computer - my car and my phone - everything else I can do without!

Thursday 22nd December 2011

My Christmas shopping starts today!

Wednesday 21st December 2011

I worked today and went to the Dewprop Ikeston Junction in the evening with John and Annie, thanks for inviting me!

Tuesday 20th December 2011

I worked again ans went to Weatherspoons for a mixed grill in the evening!

Monday 19th December 2011

Back to work after 2 weeks off - I'd rather be on my Cruise - Dave went home today.  I went to the farm to see the the old folks after work - all ok there I think!

Sunday 18th December 2011

Dave is still with me and I took him to the Sheffield Carols at the Pub in Worral - Yorkshire to meet up with John Cater.  The Pub was crammed and the singing fantastic!  Later I visited Linda in hospital she is recovering nicely thank goodness! In the evening JC - Dave and myself went to the Butchers Arms for dinner...

Saturday 17th December 2011

Dave bought me back up to Derbyshire - thank you... Weatherspoons for dinner!

Friday 16th December 2011

It is the end of my holiday today.  I woke to the ship having a bit of a sway.  I had set my alarm wrong 5:30 instead of 6:30 what made it worse was that the clocks were an hour ahead anyway - so 4:30 really!  Because of the swell the ship was 2 hour late into Genoa.  We all waited in the theatre until is was time to disembark whick came about 10:30.  At the port side coaches waited and then took us to Nice Apirport - a two and a half hour ride away. It followed the coast road - beautiful.  The flight left on time after a 6 hour wait at the airport - On arrivel at Heathrow Dave was waiting for me - fantastic - just what I needed after a long day travelling!  Thank you.  He took me back to Buntingford for the night.

  It was great to see my friend for coffee and chat

Tuesday 11^th October 2011

  A work day again – in the evening Steak Night at Weatherspoons.

Wednesday 12^th October 2011

Working day and evening

Thursday 13^th October 2011

Good news the tree in my garden is going to get pollarded by the electricity company that has the plot next to mine! Curry night – guess where!

Friday 14^th October 2011

Working today but out for a beer with my mate John T.

A brilliant day at the coast with Linda – Flamborough Head and Scarborough.

Sunday 16^th October 2011

I had a great ride on the Ecclesbourne Railway from Wirksworth to Duffield – worth a trip although the main journey is by railcar. In the evening I had a meal with John C.

Monday 17^th October 2011

I worked day and evening.

Tuesday 18^th October 2011

Working in the day and a Weatherspoon steak in the evening.

Wednesday 19^th October 2011

Another working day.

Thursday 20^th October 2011

My father had his eye operation today which was a complete success thank goodness – I stayed over at the farm to make sure all was well with them.

Friday 21^st October 2011

A day off and lots to sort out – A evening drink with John T

Saturday 22^nd October 2011

A call in at the farm to monitor my father who was fine then a journey to Hertfordshire for the evening.

Sunday 23^rd October 2011

A drive back from the south and a farm visit – all still fine – An evening meal at the Butchers Arms with John C.

Monday 24^th October 2011

It was great to spend some time with Belinda – great to catch up.

Tuesday 25^th October 2011

A working day and Weatherspoons day.

Wednesday 26^th October 2011

Dave is up from Hertfordshire for a few days – more working and Weatherspoons!

Thursday 27^th October 2011

On a First Aid course during the day and guess where with Dave in the evening!

Friday 28^th October 2011

Work and Weatherspoons – I think we are keeping them going..

Saturday 29^th October 2011

A fantastic day on the North York Moors Railway which ended up at Whitby – a great day. We went to the Newdigate for our meal this evening.

Sunday 30^th October 2011

A trip to the farm to find Donald there as well – an evening meal with John C.

Monday 31^st October 2011

More day and evening work.

Tuesday 1st November 2011

Work and my usual Weatherspoon steak trip on a Tuesday.

Dreams can come true.

What a fantastic walking holiday I have had.  It as was not just a holiday, it was a challenge, it was one of those special things that one has to do in life at least once more.  It was a dream come true to complete the 191 miles of some of the most beautiful and demanding walking country in our land - the Offas Dyke Path.

I am so impressed with the friends who came with me.  They are the best company one could have on such an adventure.  The weather was just stunning, sunshine and hot most of the way, thank you “Weatherman”.  All our overnight stops ranged from good to superb. The luxury of having our heavy bags taken on every day was inexpensive and made all the difference to me being able to finish my walk. Everything was as perfect as it could be. How wonderful to have this plan come together!

Leaving home at 8:00 am on the 22nd April 2011, I was the last person to be collected by Dave Woodlands who had offered to be our transport to Prestatyn and then bring us back from Chepstow 13 days later at the other end of our expedition. What a star!  Our friend Peter met us as at the official start on the prom at Prestatyn at 11:00. After a cup a coffee we set off south into the hills.  

View of Prestatyn - Friday 22nd April 2011



The path on route to Bodfari - Friday 22nd April 2011



About to leave Fron Haul Bodfari - Saturday 23rd April 2011



Climbs of over 4000 ft and 19.5 miles to walk the Clwydian Range - Saturday 23rd April 2011



The Jubilee Tower in low cloud Clwydian Range - Saturday 23rd April 2011



Path through the scree Eglwyseg Mountain - Sunday 24th April 2011



Towards Llangollen - Sunday 24th April 2011



The Llangollen Canal Trevor - Sunday 24th April 2011



Telford's Pont Cysyllte Canal Aqueduct - Sunday 24th April 2011



Steep climb south of Chirk Castle - Monday 25th April 2011



Offa's Dyke near Craignant - Monday 25th April 2011



South of old Oswestry Racecourse - 25th April 2011



On Moelydd at 934 feet is a great view point - Monday 25th April 2011



The Shropshire Union canal nearing Welshpool - Tuesday 26th April 2011




Offa's Dyke near Montgomery - Wednesday 27th April 2011



The view looking north from Drewyn Farm CWM - Thursday 28th April 2011



Nigel on another down hill on route to Newcastle - Thursday 28th April 2011



Steep down hill again near Newcastle - Thursday 28th April 2011



Halfway? - Thursday 28th April 2011



Lunch - Thursday 28th April 2011

John temporally joins the gang at Knighton - Friday 29th April 2011

The rolling hills south of Knighton - Friday 29th April 2011

John leaves the southern bound band - Friday 29th April 2011

A lovely wood north of Kington - Friday 29th April 2011

The Golf Course above Kington the highest in the land - Friday 29th April 2011

Leaving Kington on route to Hay on Wye - Saturday 29th April 2011

Hergest Ridge my most favorite hill in the world - Saturday 30th April 2011

Hergest Ridge north of Gladestry - Saturday 30th April 2011

The Church at Newchurch - an osais on the walk with tea, coffee and squash! - 30-4-2011

Nearing Hay on Wye - Saturday 30th April 2011

Really steep and long climb out of Hay-on-Wye - Sunday 1st May 2011

On route for the Back Mountain - Sunday 1st April 2011

Sunday 1st April 2011 - On top of the Black Mountain

Monday 2nd April 2011 - The climb back to the top of the Black Mountain

Monday 2nd April 2011 - The view off the Black Mountain - fantastic!

Tuesday 3rd April 2011 - Heading south leaving the Mountain behind

On the last days walk - climbing out of Redbrook - Wednesday 4th May 2011

The last few 100 steps on the Offas Dyke.

My 191 mile walk was all but over, my leg hurt badly as I had dragged it like it was a brick towards the finish. I'd had the injury for about 40 miles and had coxed it on over a number of days.  My spirits were low and I just wanted to get to the cliffs and stop! The last mile goes through a housing estate and playing on a wall were three young girls probably aged about 12 years old.  As I limped past I expected some churlish comment from them as often kids are prone to do…. But no! One of the young girls said “Are you a tourist”.  I replied “No, not exactly, I’m a walker” not really knowing what to say and what might be coming next.  “Where have you come from?” asked one of the others.  “Prestatyn” I said.  “Your kidding, what today” she replied  “No it’s taken nearly two weeks, it’s nearly 200 miles, it’s a great walk.”  “Where do you stay at night?”  “Bed and Breakfast” I replied.  “There’s no B&B’s down there” another said.  “I know, I’m walking to the cliff, that is the end of  the walk and then I’m going home!” There was some more chat including me saying that when they were old enough they would be able to walk the Dyke themselves. “You are an inspiration to us all” one of the girls said in a way that I felt was meant.  What lovely children and what a brilliant thing to say to me - So thank you to my impromptu welcoming committee, you lifted my heart and put a fantastic memory stamp right at the end of my personal challenge! 

Time is tripping by. The years have taken flight and the older I get, the more I realise that the things I love to do most in life are becoming harder to undertake. I’m a visual person, drawing, painting and photography. The joke is that with age, the one thing I really need is great sight. If I could keep the same pair of Tesco glasses for more than a week without loosing them then perhaps I could see the detail that I need to accomplish my future works of art!

I can see more problems with growing age apart from failing sight. I adore the thought of climbing mountains and walking here and there at will. In my life I have walked many of the Long Distance footpaths of our nation. In addition I have climbed so many hills, far to many to mention by name and have ambled across fields and moors in every corner on our land. How marvellous it has all been. May be all this is time limited and what I once loved to do with effort will no longer be possible for me as the years march on!

In 1991, one of my greatest out door discoveries was that fantastic of all Long Distance paths, the Offas Dyke. It’s wonderful woodland walks, it’s hill top strolls with magnificent views and it’s loneliness and freedom. For me, travelling on foot along this superb path provides me with the most memorable of all my walking experiences. I have attempted the 177 miles 4 times but only completed the whole route once. My first attempt South to North finished at Pool Quay near Welshpool some110 miles into the walk with my toes looking and feeling that they were about fall off. They didn’t of cause, but may have done if I’d carried on. They took some weeks to repair properly. My next attempt was to walk South to North again and I pulled a muscle in my shin on the second to last day of the walk. I ended that walk at Bodfari at the northern end of the path and only a handful of miles to the finish. For me it was a very big disappointment in not to get all the way. My successful Offas Dyke long distance hike was North to South finishing in glory at the cliff outside Chepstow two weeks after my start. That particular event was the most wonderful walking holiday ever. I had one more attempt in 2003 South to North which ended abruptly when one of our company pulled a leg muscle. This unfortunate thing happened somewhere remote between Knighton and Montgomery. We all had to be rescued by taxi!

So as you see this walk is not a stroll in the park. It presents a significant challenge, and guess what, 8 years on from our last excursion on that king of paths, my walking friends and I are going to attempt the whole thing again. This time North to South. I have decided that age can make things like this more difficult not only because of failing fitness may become an issue but also funds may dwindle as work prospects become more uncertain especially in the job climate of 2011. Who knows, I may not be able to afford it again even if my health stays good. So in my sixty'ith year I am going to rediscover all I love about the English Welsh border country with it’s ups and downs, woods and rivers, villages and towns, sun and clouds. I will feel the wind in my hair and hear the sound of the sheep drifting over the hills from Prestatyne to the Sedbury Cliffs. What a brilliant way to approach my big birthday!

Monday 28th March 2011

Today saw a rare event when I went to the farm and collect the folks and took them out! It was only an excursion to Derby to fined some equipment for my mother, it all went well and I think we all had an interesting outing!!!!  On my return home I went for an evening stroll around Shipley Park - 3 miles

Sunday 27th March 2011

Today we travelled home from Ross on Wye visiting Worcester where the sun came out! In the evening I Sunday dinner with J.C. at the Butchers Arms. After I spent the rest of the evening at Unstone.

Saturday 26th March 2011

The weather was a little grey today but just right for a walk up the Wye - the round was about 7 miles. In the evening we all went out for a Nepalise meal - which turned out to be fantastic.... brilliant Phil!

Friday 25th March 2011

I worked in the early afternoon then made my way down to Ross on Wye for my Wirksworth group of friends yearly outing to far off places. We stayed at the Royal Hotel and eat there in the evening.  Linda couldn't come as she had a bad cold.

Monday 7th June 2010

John Taylors Birthday today - Happy Birthday to you!

Linda and I arrived home this morning at 1:30am after driving aprrox. 600 miles from St Auvent Central France.  A week last Saturday we drove to Bournemouth staying over at John and Irene's house (thank you you two!) visiting Linda's son in Poole and my cousin Sally and family in the New Forest. Sally makes the most fantastic Teddy Bears - one called Bentley in coming my way!  Sunday evening we sailed on the over night ferry to L'Harve arriving in the morning.  The drive to the house was easy on the wonderful French roads arriving at about 2:00 pm. We have had a glorious week mostly in the sunshine visiting the local towns and villages including Oradour the French town left in ruins to this day, after being destroyed by the Nazis in 1944, killing 642 of it's inhabitants - a very sad place.

Sunday 30th May 2010

Jennifer in Australia's Birthday - I hope all is well - Happy Birthday to you! Xx

Tuesday 25th May 2010

My Birthday - thank you everyone who made it very special again. We had a lovely meal and great company at the White Post Stanley to finish the day off...

Sunday 16th May 2010

Riverdance - What a wonderful show - the dancing was a amazing!

Monday 10th May 2010

John Roberts Birthday - Happy Birthday to you!

Sunday 2nd May 2010

Linda and I visited  Sudbury Hall - the Museum of Childhood, well worth a visit if you haven't been.

Friday 23th April 2010

Linda has a problem with leg and ends up in hospital for a few days.

Monday 26th April 2010

Last week has had it's ups and downs. On Friday my friend Linda ended up in hospital with a bad problem with her knee and is still there! Also on Friday after my hospital visit I drove to Hertfordshire to have a late dinner with my mates... it was a great evening thank you, and well worth the 120 mile drive!  I returned on Saturday. 

Tuesday 20th April 2010

Hi everyone.... I seem to have been taking my time adding to my blog and so much has happened since January.  In February I went with my friend to stay in Whitby for a week... we had a great time out and about and eating fish and chips at the "Magpie Restaurant” On our final day we had deep snow!  My March the main event was that I finished my salaried job and took early retirement, not to say that I have done nothing since then, I have been working flat out - infact I have worked more since I finished than I did all last year when I was part-time – What seemed to have happened is that I just became unemployed and now have to work for a living - My retirement do was fabulous, thank you everyone who turned up to wish me well! Soon after my leaving do I went to Dublin to see Mike Scott and the Waterboys at the Abbey Theatre - brilliant - "An Appointment with Mr Yates" - they were excellent, a great mix of music and at the end of the evening they really rocked.  This month’s adventure, I flew to Limoges France to meet up with my friend who has a house near there. I spent nearly a week seeing the sites and now I can speak fluent French - I got home just before the volcano irrupted and the lack of planes!!

9th November 2009

Today has been beautifully sunny, it's great not to have to go to work when the weather is like this... I took the 59 bus to Morley Arms House near Breadsall and followed the Portway route back... leavin it near Dale Abbey to take the green lanes back home.  A fantastic walk. (6miles)

Hagg Lane near Stanley Village - Derbyshire

8th November 2009

I've had a lovely day! I went walking with John Cater from Ashord in the Water to Monsal Dale Head and back. (5 miles) In the evening John cooked dinner...

Monsal Dale Viaduct