We’re approaching the end of September already (dare I say it) and, here I am, trying to catch up with the events of August!

01/08 – 4 mile RUN – Wick St. Lawrence, North Somerset
02/08 – 10.5 miles – Mendip Hills
03/08 – 7 miles – Congresbury to Puxton, North Somerset
05/08  – 4 miles – Black Down (Weston-super-Walkers)
06/08 – 4 mile RUN – Wick St. Lawrence
08/08 – 4 mile RUN – Wick St. Lawrence
12/08 – 4 mile RUN – Wick St. Lawrence
16/08 – 5.75 miles – Crook Peak, Somerset
19/08 – 3.75 miles – Cheddar Gorge (W-s-W)
23/08 – 18 miles – Exmoor from Dulverton
30/08 – 13 miles – Chew Valley, BANES (Brunel 20s & 30s)

Total for August 2020 = 78 miles

Another month that started well with a regular routine of runs. Somehow, that petered out before September rolled in. I’m not sure why… A change in the weather may’ve had something to do with it. I was also possibly resting my ankle – a persistent niggle that reoccurs now and again.

A few local walks fill the gaps in between. Some shorter than others.

 

I was very pleased to get out to August before the Bank Holiday. I had thought about wild camping on Dartmoor that same weekend… But the weather turned from Saturday afternoon and didn’t really turn around until Monday. People are quick to forget how much it frequently rains in August!

Part of this 18 mile day involved successfully locating the Caratacus Stone near Winsford – I’ll be writing about this walk quite soon.

With my Meetup group, we managed to complete two evening walks not too far from home. One finished in darkness and saw us all rummaging for a headtorch. We did another evening walk in September but, BST running low, we won’t do anymore this year. I’m looking to continue a series of day walks on the weekend but, with Boris’ new laws on group sizes, there’s a bit of a challenge to it.

It was good to get out with my long-unseen friends from the Ramblers over the Bank Holiday weekend. We’re allowed to meet in groups of up to thirty but leaders, like myself, are still required to fill out a risk assessment and orchestrated a booking system that we’re not used to.

I’ve had not-my-first new pair of walking boots for the year (La Sportiva TX4 Mid) and they’ve been through their paces (and plenty of mud). Aside from an early issue of ankle-rubbing, they’ve been very comfortable. I just hope to try and keep them clean!

In spite of all the rain, there’s been plenty of colour about on the hills and moorland.

Litterpicking was a habit that I started in July. Some walks yielded a greater collection of rubbish than others. It’s not hard to find the hot-spots in any area. I was going to write a separate post on this.

But a good total for the month and, no doubt, my single best effort of 2020 so far! There’s a strong possibility that September will surpass this, having just spent five nights in Yorkshire and with a big walk to come along this weekend.

Current total for 2020 = 463 miles

Thanks for reading.