Walking Boots

These boots were made for walking 30 years ago, I don't wear them very often, as they are very heavy and I have a lighter, softer pair of 'Aigle' boots that I tend to favour, but today the oldies saw action as we climbed up and up in the warm, breezy air, onto The Roaches.

We parked at the roadside and walked up towards the rocky outcrop, not a soul in sight, just us, the birds, bees and butterflies and the distant 'baa' of the sheep mingled with the crow of a cockerel from a farm in the valley below and the cry of a curlew overhead.

We rested awhile and gazed at Hen Cloud bathed in sunlight it was then we saw our first fellow walker, coming down from the summit, in the distance. Beyond we spotted a Peregrine Falcon, soaring away over the landscape, above this famous landmark.

Further up we came to a forest, it was cool and shaded in here and there was something so special about it, I said it was like a 'fairy glade' and so it seemed, lush and green, light but shaded, joyful bird song accompanied us as we walked.

By now we were nearing the top and we clambered up through this gully in the rocks and out onto the other side. The view was amazing.

I don't know if these pathways are very old or not, but to me they seemed ancient; as I trod on the stones I felt as if I were walking where generations had walked before.

It was time to return to the car as lunch was calling and we still had the Meerbrook Scarecrows to visit, but they deserve a post of their own.