Buckingham - Lenborough - Hillesden - Twyford - Poundon - Marsh Gibbon linear, 9.5 miles

An invite to a recently-repatriated friend's birthday celebration was the excuse for this lovely linear walk in the melting snow. The relentless sun warmed the land slightly and the wind dropped sufficiently to make it almost perfect conditions for winter walking.

Having taken a lift across town to save a mile and ensure I reached my destination before sunset, I set off from the very south side of Buckingham. I managed to put my right foot through the thin ice covering a puddle on my very first step into the wilderness, soaking my sock and encouraging me to stick to the grassy snow. I headed off towards the sun and through Lenborough - removing my medium fleece as I was already overheating - to Hillesden along paths I've walked a number of times. I checked my route and headed along the Cross Bucks Way towards Twyford.

I was impressed how well marked this footpath was. Other than a couple of minor deviations and some concern I was on the wrong side of a hedge, I ended up exactly where I planned to come out, behind the old Seven Stars at Three Bridges Mill. A short hop across the countryside took me past the pigs and toward the church into Twyford village.

Despite having walked from Twyford before and visited the church beforehand, I did a typical 'me' thing and totally ignored my innate sense of direction and knowledge and followed the first 'Public Footpath' sign I came across, which led me back out of the village to the road junction that heads to Charndon. This wasn't a particularly costly mistake in terms of time but it added just over a mile to my overall journey, and it reinforces the need to check my position and direction properly every time I'm on new territory.

The rest of the walk was on paths I walked with my good friend in the summer, which offered a striking contrast between seasons. At the height of the warm season, the route was vibrant and full of life and comment from the local wildlife. In the snow, barely a wood pigeon fled, a buzzard was the only bird of prey seen and robins were my only regular companions. I saw a couple of hares, obvious against the white backdrop, and evidence of other animals from their tracks, but on the whole it was a quiet walk.

My sense of direction appears reasonably acute, although often fortunate. On arriving at Marsh Gibbon, I had clues from the map of the general area of my friend's new house but no specifics. I took a marked path between houses and came out onto a road. I looked left and right, wondering which way I should head, when I spotted my friend's car peeking out from behind the very house I'd just walked past!

Nine and a half miles, just under four hours, no stop for lunch as planned and a maximum of fifteen minutes spent stationary. I'm definitely worn-into my boots now and I only had a couple of twinges once I'd taken them off and settled down. I felt my lower legs and the soles of my feet start to ache slightly in the last mile or so of the walk but that soon disappeared once I stopped.

This was a lovely walk with a great group of people and brilliant celebrations at the end. In time I hope to take it again in both directions - outward to visit my friends and home again the next day. That's a good challenge and when the weather improves I'll be raring to go!

Stonesfield and Coombe circular visiting North Leigh Roman villa - 6.6 miles

This was my first proper walk in some weeks owing to shorter days and rubbish weather, so I've been itching to get out for a while. I packed a good lunch, my medium fleece, gloves and hat and got picked up by my parents at 9.30am.

We made our way over to between Woodstock and Witney to Stonesfield and started on our way. Immediately we were greeted by a kite and a couple of buzzards which set the tone for much of the wildlife we'd see on the walk, along with a cold Scandanavian wind rushing toward us. The first section was a straight mile and a half of old Roman road heading east towards the outskirts of Blenheim Palace, then a muddy twist and turn in a southerly direction within Blenheim's walls and under cover of bare trees.

After the woods and hills and a brief stop for refreshments, we headed west on the road through the pretty and tightly-packed village of Coombe for a mile or so, then north back towards Stonesfield. As we descended out of another hilly copse, mum announced 'a surprise' approaching.

The surprise, although less of one since it was indicated, was a stop for lunch at the very visible remains of North Leigh Roman villa. Low walls encompass a large courtyard and a beautiful mosaic is covered with a modern building for preservation. We took a filling if chilly lunch and headed back the mile or so to the car.

This was a beautiful walk full of distant views, little streams, bridges and minor hills. It wasn't particularly challenging - despite pushing myself hard up a couple of hills - but I appreciated that after so long out of practice. It felt great getting home and I slept very well. This if definitely a walk to take daughter on sometime in the future.