It doesn’t have to be pointy to have a point...

common HAIRCap moss

I've read a couple of interesting articles this week; one from Stuart Maconie about the pleasures of walking in the Midlands, an area overlooked by many, and another about the joys of walking on the flat.

We can't all be lucky enough to live close to, or in, one of our stunning National Parks, and lots of us are a long way away from the coast, mountains, high hills or dales and, with work and family commitments, it isn't even always possible to get there on a regular basis; for some, it may just be a precious week or two a year.

However, for those of us who like to walk daily, we sometimes have to choose routes that are convenient and fit into our busy lives. Some people (and I know quite a few) don't actually want to walk up hills and down dales, some will only walk in good weather and some don't like to walk recreationally at all. Bro and I have a large dog who needs a lot of exercise and is walked twice a day. Every day. Even Christmas Day. In rain, sleet, wind, storms, mist, hail, snow, fog or shine.

naturally beautiful

this will all be bluebells soon

We don't unfortunately live that near to a National Park or the coast, but we do have the lovely Oxfordshire chalk landscape to walk in, but inevitably, we have to walk close or closer to home on occasion and these walks, frankly, are not always as inspiring as they might be.

Some routes, because of time constraints, we've done dozens of times in one form or another and we're going further and further afield to try and find new areas. So yesterday, I thought I'd take the camera and do a walk in an area we've been to many many times before and see what there is of interest by looking properly.

It was a flat walk of around four miles in Oxfordshire. To be honest, it did make the walk more interesting and made us pay more attention than usual to our surroundings. As the chap who wrote the article said, there doesn't have to be a panoramic vista, a trig point, a ridge to walk or a peak to bag; you can get as much pleasure walking on the flat, and I’d have to agree.

enticing valleys

great to see new, traditional hedging

home made mounting block

lovely rich soil, but how did that single tyre track get there….?

big skies

Lots is being written at the moment about walking and our mental health and the concerns over obesity, so wherever it is, whatever the weather, whatever you prefer, however long or short, the most important thing is to keep doing it!