...make sure you don't overtake the person in front! This, according to LM, is the cardinal rule of countryside walking. Effectively it meant we weren't to overtake him although, seeing as he said it was a rule he learnt at school, I'm sure the person in front is meant to be an adult. Even when negotiating tricky steep bits LM would only accept help if we swore to go back to our designated places once the hazard was passed.
Highlights of our walk included LM showing us where rabbits lay their eggs (who knew?) and the white knuckle walk along some extremely slippy mud, bordered on one side by a ditch & the other by an electric fence. Whichever way you fell you'd had it.
As the pioneer of the group, leading the way through dense jungle (well the brambles & nettles were encroaching on the footpath), LM took great delight in announcing what hazards lay ahead. Surprisingly for our neck of the woods there were many deep rivers to be crossed - although thankfully none of them went above welly height. At least they washed off some of the mud.
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| LM & one of the 'big rivers' |
LM was enjoying himself so much he didn't want to go home ... until, that is, he saw the steep hill that had to be climbed to get back. Then he stopped dead & said plaintively "I wish it was lunchtime" as if that would magically transport us home. Luckily a breeze blew down a flurry of leaves that we pretended was snow & that got us going again.
