Out at the weekend with the Chester and District Walking Group. A couple of my friends have joined and the newest recruit is Tony G.
Tony doesnt have a lot of outdoor gear, so I lent him some of mine.
As you can see from this picture, there was snow on the ground, which made the adventure all the more photogenic.
Thawing from hillsides like this one very muddy, and I began to regret wearing cross trainers rather than my Karrimore walking boots. I suppose its down to personality’s. I tend to big things up and exagerate. The walk leader Christine, is charming and very level headed.
When she said it was very muddy, my mind converted that into “a bit muddy”. When in reality, she was quite correct, and in places it was horrendous (my poor Merril Moab trainers are ready for the bin).
Additionally, poor Tony sustained a foot injury. It was obvious he couldn’t complete the walk (although he’d done half of it). I saw a loose rock on a nearby drystone wall, and thought of putting him out of his misery so that I could continue the walk with the rest of the group.
I decided that were better than animals, and instead walked back to the car park with him. We weren’t able to join everyone for a drink in the pub, but we had an enthusiastic talk about walking, in the car on the way home.
Finally, a shot of me in my new Rohan walking jacket. I always prefer lightweight thigh length waterproofs in sensible colours, as they can be worn anywhere from an alpine walking holiday, to a day tour of Hong Kong.
My previous jacket (a Haglof) was tragically stolen, but every time I put this one on I like it more and more. You can buy one like it at Rohan.