Lone Rangering (Adopt-a-path stuff) Blanchland and Edmundbyers

One of the ways in which the imminence of a TGO epic becomes obvious is my routine walk around a whole bunch of paths around Blanchland and Edmundbyers. I’ve been doing these paths twice a year for yonks now, with a few minor additions here and there. Its a fifteen mile trundle and , on a day like today when the amount of green in the countryside is almost breathtaking after that long, brown and white winter and the sun is shining and there’s a lively moorland breeze to play with whatever hair you have left and there’s a PEK and tomato butty and an orange in the pack……

I didn’t take the dog on this one. The reason for this is the fact that the ever-so-laid-back Galloways at Pedams Oak once mugged me when I had the dog and it kind of put me off. Its just as well, really because the fields are full of fairly new young lambs just now and wandering through a lambing field with a dog isn’t really such a good idea. I suspect the local sheepfarmers have had enough challenges this year without me and superdawg  causing panic with the new lambs – even though Bruno would be on a short lead. By the time I’m back from the TGO challenge, the lambs will be more able to cope with stresses like this.

So, on my own And With Nobody With Me, I trundled off for a six mile circuit in the morning and a nine mile circuit in the afternoon. Apart from the usual mud in Deborah Wood (Didn’t I go to junior school with Deborah Wood…?) the only problem I found was a bunch of fallen trees on Path No 1 in the Parish of Hunstanworth. This path is also falling to bits, and has been so for several years. It gets ever so slightly worse each year. I’ve reported it to the Council, which is just what I’m supposed to do.

In other places, there were no special problems. New waymarks have appeared and some encroaching gorse has been trimmed and there’s a bit of erosion on a moorland path. This is a bridleway and is very popular with yer cyclists. The surface is shaley and pretty tough, though. Today there were five cyclists and ten walkers.

Cracking day today – almost warm, but with a strong headwind. But blue skies. I did find a small patch of snow in an old quarry. Actually, it was quite a big patch of snow. My camera failed to record the pic I took, though. I need a new camera. Again.

So, that’s that till October, when I’ll do it all again.

Now for the TGO. Incidentally, there’s now at least three blogposts with TGOC 2013 gear lists. FFS!. Pieblog readers may be relieved that I haven’t got the time to do a gear list.