Yesterday (Thursday, 27th November 2008) I did a slight variation on my Kensworth-Totternhoe walk – an earlier such walk is described on my web site here: http://www.petes-walks.co.uk/Chiltern%20Hills/Totternhoe/Totternhoe%201.htm
I needed to sort something out before I set off, so I didn’t start walking until about 10.20am. I therefore shortened the walk slightly, by going round the near side of the quarry rather than the far side (which I’d walked on Tuesday, anyway). I got some photos of a Buzzard in the valley behind Kensworth, but not very good ones as it was quite high up.
It was no hardship to walk over Dunstable Downs for the second time in three days – it was quite sunny at this point and so the views were again very good. I had yet another annoying incident with a dog, as I walked down Green Lane in Dunstable – it leapt around me barking, and actually bit the sleeve of my coat. The woman owner and her two daughters just walked off when I angrily suggested they should keep their dog under control.
Further on, I saw a lot of Redwings in the berry-laden hedgerows along the track from Sewell to Totternhoe. As I passed by the cement works at Totternhoe, there were more Redwings and a few Fieldfares. I had my lunch on a bench along the path between Totternhoe Knolls and Totternhoe, about 12.50. The skies had now clouded over and were ominously grey, so I decided it was better to stop then rather than wait until I got back to the Downs in case it was then raining. In the event, there were just a few spots of rain for a couple of minutes or so.
I took a slightly different route to the top of Bison Hill, partly so as not to repeat the route I’d taken on Tuesday. I then took a rather convoluted route back to Whipsnade, where I saw some Long-tailed Tits as I passed the Tree Cathedral.
I then took the path through the churchyard at Whipsnade, following the path to Holywell and then taking the all too familiar route back from there via Dovehouse Lane and the Whipsnade Road. I got home about 3.20pm.
Weather forecast is not looking too promising at the moment, so I’m not sure if I’lll manage a third walk this week.