Walks in 2010
Writing this on Christmas Day 2010, my memory of the beginning and end of the year is of walking plans altered because of ice and snow. We had nearly finished the Nar Valley Way in 2009, but inclement weather meant that our final leg, past the source of the River Nar to Mileham, had to wait until February 2010. In January, we restricted ourselves to walks much nearer to home - the photograph to the right shows our home village of Denver in the snow.
Similarly, we started walking the Angles Way on 8th November, but so far we have only managed the first leg, from Great Yarmouth to Fritton. The weather in December turned positively arctic. We got off relatively lightly in West Norfolk, but it was nevertheless both too icy to want to drive too far and too cold to want to be out walking for too long. On Christmas Day we had a short, though thoroughly enjoyable walk on the Sandringham Estate (leaving just as the royal-watchers were arriving!).
Between the ice and snow at the beginning and end of the year, we had some most enjoyable walks. We walked the Weavers' Way (from Cromer to Great Yarmouth) in a series of one-day legs between February and October. The walk crosses a remarkable variety of countryside, so it's a bit difficult to sum it up in one photograph. I've selected a view from part-way across the Halvergate and Wickhampton Marshes, which were muddy, poorly-signposted but wonderfully atmospheric.
Richard bought me a balloon flight for my birthday in 2009 and I eventually managed to get the flight in 2010 (after more waiting around for the weather...). We took off from Thetford Rugby club and landed close to Barningham, and we flew close to Knettishall Heath, the end of the Angles Way and the start of the Peddars Way.
Further from home, we returned to the South West Coast Path in April, walking the leg round the Lizard Peninsula from Penzance to Falmouth in April. The weather was good and it was a thoroughly enjoyable walk - and we are now more than halfway round the whole path; only another 300 miles to go! In June was walked St Cuthbert's Way; walking across the sands on the Pilgrims' Route to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne was particularly memorable.
I haven't been outside the UK for work this year, but I've had enjoyable trips to Northumberland, Glasgow, Nottingham and the Cotwolds, and Richard and I had a most enjoyable few days in Shropshire, en route to a meeting. We climbed up through the Carding Mill Valley (as we had when the children were small) onto the Long Mynd.
The most exciting news of the year relates to our children. Michael and Heather are buying a lovely little house in Sheffield and have announced their engagement. Helen has started a PhD at the University of Warwick and she and Tom are living in Kenilworth.
We spent Easter with Helen and Tom in the Lake District, enjoying the walking (the photo was taken on Coniston Old Man), visiting Richard's brother Phillip and researching Sally's family history in the Frizington area. We have also discovered family links closer to home in East Anglia and I've been to the Isle of Wight a couple of times to see my sister.
Sadly, it hasn't all been good news. A friend from Willingham days, Duncan Tanner, died suddenly in February. The photograph shows happier times; Duncan and Christine's silver wedding anniversery (with their children Eleanor and Megan and three friends) in Beaumaris in 2007.
