Whatto! Walkers.....
Despite all this snowy weather bringing the entire country to a halt...
...it didn't stop me venturing outside on foot...
...to tackle this brisk freshness....
...which is our British Winter!
I'm not a great fan of being cold....
...and the propect of a long winter doesn't particularly excite me either....
...but I'm always amazed by how the body deals with icy coldness....
...once one starts to actually...
...(as Deliah Smith would say) "get a move on!"...
The tingling in the fingers....
...the slight stinging in the ear flaps and the nose appendage....
...are all slowly replaced....
...by a radiating glow of warmth....
...generated in the very core of ones body...
....that spreads ever outwards!
I took a hat with me....
...which made me look like a complete fruit...
...or if you prefer....(and I do)...
...a ruggedly handsome lumberjack.
I also had some gloves....
....but I very quickly dispensed with both....
...once that warm glow started to kick in they just weren't needed anymore.
For today I had decided to tackle one stretch....
...of the famous 'Weavers Way'...
This is an old Roman route which was also used by the Railway line....
...before Lord Beeching suddenly decided he should tear them all up.
(One must remember that not ALL Lords are good)
The entire route is about 60 miles in total.....
...and stretches from the North Norfolk coast....
...southwards.....and then Eastwards....
....to Yarmouth..
..where it stops.
You can't go any further....
...because you fall into the sea.
With the crunching snow underfoot...
...I set off to see how far I fancied going.
It was snowing lightly....
...which is much preferable to rain....
..that would simply soak one through entirely in a matter of minutes....
...and I'm not a fan of wearing overtrousers whilst walking either....
...because the insides get ringing wet with sweat!
Yuk!
Speaking of Yuk!..
Another good thing about snow...
..is the fact that it shows up dog poop very well!
The Weavers Way path itself....
....flies out straight ahead of you like an arrow ....
...with ever changing trees and fields nestled either side....
And along one section....
...I was joined by some telegraph poles....
....whose lines were buzzing and crackling grumpily above my head.
One can also find the last of the Autumn fruits...
...clinging bravely to stripped-bare branches....
...awaiting their final fate...
....and the abandoned clumps of twigs....
....squatting obstinately...
...into the crooks and hollows of lofty branches...
...that had recently been home to all the birds....
...who have lone ago migrated to sunnier climes....
There were still signs....
...here and there....
...of the last of the Autumn leaves....
...who finally get their chance....
...at last to become flowers!
As their lush greenery withers....
...to the rich rusty browns and warm golds of Winter....
...and they shiver delicately in the harsh ice wind
The snow also accentuates features....
....that one wouldn't normally notice....
...as white lines of snow....
...highlighted each individual branch....
...in this mysterious wooden marshland...
There was also the usual collection of grazing animals to be seen throughout the walk....
But I'd never expected to see quite so many of these....
...Look how many black sheep there are in this family!
Strong, pale horses munched determindly....
.....on remaining clumps of crispy grass....
...one raising it's head wearily...
...checking me out...
...as I approached...
Sorry...I didn't think to bring any carrots!
....and fresh from some recent Nativity scene....
...these couple of little cuties....
Awwwww!
...and of course....
...a walk like this just wouldn't be complete...
...without the obligatory...
...Llammas.
Yes Llammas!
I must admit....
...that WAS a surprise.
Some of the trees had completely sheltered the surrounding area...
...from the worst of the snow...
....creating a lush oasis amongst the barren ice....
...but the nearby brackened water....
...lies still and lifeless....
...showing no signs of warming up....
...just yet..
Other trees stood proudly alone...
...unable to offer protection....
...but silently surveying their territory nonetheless...
As I walked...
...the steady rhythm of my footsteps...
...made me think of a chant that I love...
"We are the flow...
...we are the ebb....
...we are the weavers....
...we are the web"...
..which I thought...
...at that moment...
...was particularly apt.
I love the abstract shapes that nature creates....
...and on days like this...
...with the contrasts being even more accentuated....
...one sees things differently..
This remined me of a river estuary viewed from the air....
...and the water courses that I'd watched being made...
....as the waves seeped slowly back to the sea...
...down a sandy beach in Malasia.....
Even the water is given a new identity.....
...as Matisse-like shapes take life...
...in the snow and ice....
...and in amongst all this decaying of life....
...are the signs that support and accomodation is being offered...
...to new life.
You may just be able to see...
...the frosted snail that's chosen to hibernate...
...in the hollow of this rotting stump.
...and the same stump offers a home...
...to this frost bitten fungi...
I like Ivy...
....(although having a tendency....
....to eventually strangle it's host to death....
...is never a good thing)
...because it creates some of the most evocative and sinuous lines in mid-air....
...squirming it's way through the arms of it's unwitting host
Eventually....
...after about 5 Kms....
...as my legs finally indicated to me...
...that NOW might be a good time...
...to think about turning around....
The usual signs of human life appeared again....
....houses began to become more frequent....
...and reminders of summery leisure pursuits...
....stood incongruously against this wintery backdrop...
...now with only the patient norfolk reeds...
...as silent spectators.
A small carpark...
...with no signs of any recent traffic on it...
...reminded me that although this is the end of this particular journey....
...it can also be the start....
...of the next leg of my walk Northwards.
Tallyho!
Best Wishes - Lord Noel
