This evening I decided to walk down to the lower fields which I haven’t done yet this year as the fields have been rented out for sheep. They are now in the far field so thought I’d explore…soon wished I hadn’t!!!

The sun was out and casting lovely shadows through the trees and across the fields. The only company I had was two magpies that seemed to be following me!

It was quite muddy and squelchy along the bottom of the field and the water in the storm ditch was running high and loud.

Only one tree down in the lower field from the bottom wood. All in all we’ve been lucky with these storms.

I decided to walk up the track to the road then back up the road and through some higher fields which would take back to the top fields.

My mistake was entering the track!!!

It was very muddy looking and wet..but I’m used to that so ok..

It turned out to be far worse than I anticipated, but by the time I’d started up the track getting in deeper and deeper and feeling the mud trying its best to suck my boots off my feet it was too late to go back!! For the best part I managed to walk along the edge holding onto the fence for balance until I got to the top of the track.

There I had to squeeze past some sheep holding gates but the mud on the other side was so slippery I was at serious risk of ending up on my arse!!!

I didn’t want to risk going back or going on..so dilemma! I retraced my steps past the holding gates a little way and managed to squeeze through a gap in the hedge that is a regular deer track. There I made my way back up to the road and continued on my way to the next fields.

They were not much better..very squelchy and the footpath wasn’t seeable so had to pick my way around the edges of the fields until I was back on a track I knew.

I did find a pretty little stream though and saw the deer in the distance. Unfortunately my ‘squelching’ meant they saw me too!!

Finally I got back up to the up and over stile and back into the top of our fields… felt like home!!

A brief stop to look around me… It was nice to see the deer were back out of the wood and grazing so I obviously hadn’t frightened them that much! And the sun was now setting..a lovely orange colour setting a hazy look over the valleys.

Disappointing to see no moon again though, but it was getting too chilly now to hang around.

Hopefully it will dry up soon, but that’s not a walk I’ll be doing again for a while!!

Becky Power, 17 March 2022