Old Walks

Moss under Oldbury Hillfort


The weather is wet and miserable, even the race course was squelching under foot this morning, the sky had dark grey-purple clouds and the wind stung the cheek with its coldness. When the weather is bad autumn is a miserable affair, fireworks leave the dog a shivering wreck, they have been going on for days now, no gentle bangs but its as if someone is dropping bombs on the far side of Bath.
There are walks I have'nt been to for months, Brockham Wood for instance, walking down the path to emerge at the old Roman crossroads, now bisecting the golf course, past the horses and geese in the field and then skirting round to the next wood, with that beautiful panorama of the low-lying land that Bristol sits in. With all this rain it reminds me of the story when there was a terrible flood in 1607 century (Bristol Channel Flood) and thousands were drowned.
But not to dwell on ceaseless rain and water, following the old track one comes to Pipley wood, Moss jumps over the stone stile, and I follow him down the steep slippery path to the grassy knoll below. This wood clings to a steep slope, in some places it can be very dangerous, the paths through the wood are boggy, fallen trees strewn around, and yet if you sit on the bench someone has managed to get down here, the views are beautiful.

Early morning lazy sheep

View from Pipley Wood

River Kennet in Flood last year