Who would have thought ......... 13th May 2020

Wednesday 13th May 2020

If you had said to me a few months ago that I would find something so simple as a walk that was not around our estate so exciting, I would not have believed you!  For the past 8 weeks the car has sat in the drive and we have just walked around our estate.  To say it is unbelievably boring would be an understatement.  We do have grass spaces and have managed most of the time to maintain social distancing.  The trouble is that it gets busier every day.  Our biggest problem is the runners - well not all of them, but there are sufficient that come up from behind with no warning and make no attempt to keep their distance.  We have 8 quiet roads to cross, so it is one long training session for Monty, but he is very good and sits and waits at each one before proceeding.  As you can see from the picture below there are (in most parts) quite wide grass verges to enable us to keep our distance.  

Monty has been 'bomb proof' as far as bikes go since he was small (tow path training!), but he is a timid soul and hates the noise small wheels make and also that of bouncing footballs.  8 weeks of close contact with a lot of those and he is getting more used to them. From today we were allowed to go out in the car to get to somewhere else to exercise, so we decided to go for it!

Chris ran the engine yesterday and checked the tyres, so we were good to go as soon as Tesco had delivered our weekly shop.  We went the long way round both going and coming home to get the engine up to heat and what a treat we had when we arrived at a bit of towpath we know is usually very quiet with no moored boats on the towpath side.  We were prepared to give up if it was busy.  As we arrived two cyclists appeared on the road form the footpath - I enquired if it was busy - they said they had not seen anyone, so off we went.

It was utter bliss.  To see the canal, vegetation, wide open sky and well just anywhere that was not our estate and also very quiet was just amazing.  We did meet one other couple - we found a slightly wider bit, tucked ourselves into the fence with our backs to them as they went past.  Not 2 metres apart, but we reckon safer than the estate which now people can go out for as long as they want and as often as they want will, we think, get busier and busier.  

The camera worked overtime!  It is a stretch we know and love, but I never thought it would mean quite so much to me!

 One happy dog!

  

First bluebells we have seen this year!

 We did resist the temptation to have a go on the swing!  I would love to be have been watching when someone rigged it up there!  It can't have been easy.

 To the top of the path and through the gate

along the footpath

to be rewarded with wide open space -  the first we have seen for 8 weeks

 Almost back where we started - it was good to see a few boats afloat

 Behind the towpath were a lot of very free range chickens

Turn right before the paint shed and you are back onto the road.

It was blissful on so many levels.  I will never take my freedom for granted again.

Having said that we will not be going far for a very long time, but if we can continue to find isolated walks we will both for our sanity, our health and for Monty who was quite surprised when he was told to get in the car this morning!

ps - my enthusiasm and excitement got the better of me!  I must add that the only reason we chose this bit of towpath is purely because we knew it was likely to have very light, if any footfall, and most importantly that there was very little chance of anyone being moored along here.  We are aware that there are many of you who are 'hunkering down' in an effort to keep safe and understandably do not welcome footfall.  Had we come across a moored boat we would have turned around and gone home.  We have been walking this stretch for around 9 years and have never yet seen anyone moored, so it was a safe bet that we would not put anyone at risk.