Another month has passed and it feels like summer has arrived. We didn’t see an awful lot of spring this year but a mutual sigh of relief could be herd at the belated passing of winter.

05/05 – 17 miles – Black Mountains, South Wales
07/05 – 17 miles – Exmoor
10/05 – 4 miles – Wrington, North Somerset
13/05 – 13.5 miles – Sugar Loaf & Crug Mawr (with Brunel Walking Group)
17/05 – 2 miles – Long Wood, Cheddar
20/05 – 10 miles – Wellow, BaNES (with Brunel Walking Group)
22/05 – 4.5 miles – Wrington
27/05 – 10 miles – Dartmoor
28/05 – 2 miles – Tyntesfield (National Trust)

Total for May 2018 = 80 miles

Any month bearing two British Bank Holiday weekends is likely to encourage significant time spent outdoors.

I made it across the River Severn and returned to the Black Mountains, on my own, for the first time this year. All previous visits, since August, had been with the group.

Two days after that (because we did have one Bank Holiday weekend with cracking excellent), I’d found my way down to Exmoor, for the first time in over eighteen-months, if I’m not mistaken.

Now, I’m not the biggest fan of moorland walking – and, aside from the journey time and distance, the expected ‘lack of views’ is not a thought that I find encouraging.

However, I made it down to Dartmoor – for the very first time – and days before the month of May would draw to a close.

I was hoping to be able to spend a full weekend down there but decided to cut my trip short. During my single day on the ‘Moor, I came to realise that a walk across moorland can be quite interesting… It’s all about features (namely tors) that you decide to include along your route.

I look forward to going back one day. I somehow made the mistake of leaving my camera at home and was left with my phone to rely on for photography… I’ll have to re-do the route (or, one very similar) and make up for this – along with my navigational errors towards the end!

Another walk in the Black Mountains (or is it the Brecon Beacons National Park?) was with Brunel Walking Group, where we climbed to the top of Sugar Loaf, soon to be followed by Crug Mawr and a former hillfort. One of the most challenging walks I’ve done this year.

I’m glad to have made it to two group walks in May and I’ve completed the month without leading a single route of my own (that won’t last until July).

Bluebells have come and gone. But we’re definitely heading deep in to summer time. Warmer weather has arrived and will hopefully remain. I have a lot planned over the next couple of months and it may not quieten down before the end of August.

Total for 2018 so far = 322.75 miles

Remember, I’m not actually aiming for the thousand, this time… Just keeping track of what I might do in a ‘normal’ year.

Thanks for reading.