A fresh and foggy late-winter's day greeted us as we set out for this walk, making it feel like mid-November instead of the first week of February. The drive took us out of Buckinghamshire, through Oxfordshire, into Gloucestershire and finally to Warwickshire - four counties in less than an hour. Once fully bagged and booted, our start was interrupted as dad couldn't find any GPS satellites despite being out in the open and on top of a hill. It took a few minutes to get reception and we were on our way.
First there was forest, then a little road, then a deceptively long, straight and steady climb. I felt like challenging myself so I started at a good pace and continued up without dropping a beat. There's a wonderful feeling of exhileration upon reaching the top of such an ascent; a pounding heart, heaving lungs and adrenaline all combine to encourage you to push yourself again when you're next faced with such a challenge. Looking down the hill you've just climbed adds to this rapture as you take in what you've just achieved.
Again more lovely woods, sometimes muddy but always beautiful. All this interspersed with steady climbs and descents and breathtaking views of what I believe was Warwickshire. There was a great sweeping view of a valley between Bourton Downs and Hinchwick Manor which I'll definitely have to repeat and perhaps return along the valley floor in future.
It was clear from the outset that we were setting a good pace; our usual speed has been around 2.7mph whereas today we kept it at around 3mph despite the tough, often muddy terrain. I'm really pleased with that pace as it's what I'd expect to do across flat ground for a couple of hours at a time with no trouble - to do it across hills and through muddy woods is an achievement for sure.
We lunched near a burial mound with a view of what was to come after we'd recharged - a steep drop to the valley floor and climb up the other side to the top. I shot up the ascent and we kept the momentum going at a fair old crack, stopping for a quick break after around an hour. A few beautiful country houses dotted the route until the final climb up to the car - a long, long stomp up a hill of varying inclines on mud and leaves, which was really tough going but again elated me at the top.
I allowed myself a couple of deep yawns in the car on the way back - a sure sign I've worked myself pretty hard. I slept very comfortably overnight and don't feel anything untoward in my legs or feet today - another thing to be pretty pleased with myself for. If my body can take that kind of punishment over a day's walk will no ill effects, despite me thinking I'm a bit out of practice, has got to be a good thing.
A couple of nature elements to note: the birds were singing again after a noticeable absence, and the snowdrops were out in force. Here comes the spring!
