07/06/2009 by pete.

I have just updated my web site, “Pete’s Walks”. There are a few more photographs, but the major addition is a journal for The Dales Way. It is not very detailed, as I did the walk five years ago and I was writing it from memory with very few photographs to help me.

The next long-distance path I shall probably do is The Beeches Way, a 16-mile route west of London. I shall probably split it into two 8-mile walks, doing them in both directions.

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29/05/2009 by pete.

I’ve just updated my web site again. Having photographed another couple of moths, I’ve now separated the moth photos from the butterfly photos.

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26/05/2009 by pete.

I’ve just updated “Pete’s Walks” again. I’ve added the Ver-Colne Valley Walk, a two-day walk I did over the Bank Holiday week-end, and a few dragonfly/damselfly photos (something I’ve meant to do for ages!).

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22/05/2009 by pete.

Last night I updated my web site “Pete’s Walks” - there was a slight technical hitch, but I think I’ve sorted it out now.

The main thing I’ve added is a journal for the Chess Valley Walk, which I did on Wednesday (10 miles each way). There are also a few more photos, including four new wildflowers.

Tomorrow I hope to walk the first half of the Ver-Colne Valley Walk.

I will continue to add walks straight to the web site rather than to this blog (see the “Latest Walks” section of the web site). I will use the blog just to report on other things, such as visits to nature reserves.

A couple of weeks ago I had all my furniture and belongings brought out of storage and delivered here to my parent’s house. It’s been a struggle fitting things in, and a lot of stuff has had to be dumped or recycled. But we’re getting there - I just have masses of boxes and things to sort out in the garage now.

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26/04/2009 by pete.

I’ve just updated my web site. There are some more ‘Latest Walks’ and a few more bird and wildflower photos.

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19/04/2009 by pete.

I have just updated my web site “Pete’s Walks“. There are some new wildflower and bird photos, but the major change is that I’ve added a “Latest Walks” section with details of about 20 walks that I’ve done over the last three months or so.

From now on, I won’t be saying much about my walks on this blog. Instead I will be adding walks to my web site as and when I do them. I will update the “last update” date on the Home page each time I add a walk (rather than update the “Latest news/Site history” page each time).

I will just add entries to this blog when I visit wildlife reserves, etc.

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16/04/2009 by pete.

Yesterday (Wednesday 15th April 2009) I did a figure-of-eight walk in Ashridge. It was basically my ‘Alternative Ashridge Walk’ slightly amended to form two loops, each one starting and ending at the Bridgewater Monument.

I will eventually put brief details and photos on my web site - meanwhile there are photos from this walk and Monday’s walk on this thread on the WildAboutBritain site:

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/walking-cycling-and-camping/48320-where-did-you-walk-today-14.html

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14/04/2009 by pete.

Yesterday (Monday 13th April 2009) I did one of my favourite local walks, to Hudnall and back from Kensworth (again!). For the first time in more than two years I walked it in the anti-clockwise direction, though, so it didn’t seem over-familiar.

The walk will soon be appearing on my web site, where I am currentlay adding a ‘latest walks’ section.

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08/04/2009 by pete.

Yesterday (Tuesday 7/04/09) I did another very long walk, from Kensworth to Toddington and back, a total distance of 20.2 miles. I hope to eventually write the walk up and put it on my web site. Apart from the initial section from Kensworth to Dunstable Downs, the rest of the route was the same as Day 8 of my Berkshire-Essex Walk (part of the northern alternative of the Icknield Way).

The day started of cool and rather grey, though there were patches of blue sky amongst the grey clouds. By the afternoon it was much sunnier, but it was very windy as I returned across Dunstable Downs.

There were lots of Lesser Celandine and Violets again, and I saw a few Cowslips too. I found my first Common Chickweed, and saw Hairy Bittercress for only the second time. I saw few birds, but did see a couple of Buzzards near Wingfield. The highlight was seeing Roe Deer - I saw them three times, which is possibly as many times as I’ve ever sen them on all my previous walks since I’ve been back in Kensworth.

I found the walk far harder than the walk from Woburn to Ampthill I did the other day, though the distances were similar. In fact, after I’d walked 15 miles (which is the usual distance I walk) my legs felt much more tired than they usually do at the end of a walk, so I found the last five miles a bit of a struggle. This was definitely a walk for the challenge, more than for the enjoyment!

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05/04/2009 by pete.

This morning I went on a three-hour local walk - I had the specific intention of looking for Wood Sorrel in Great Bradwin’s Wood, near Studham. I’d seen it growing there last Spring, and some photos of this attractive wildflower on the WildAboutBritain site inspired me to look for it again.

I took my usual route to Holywell, via the Whipsnade road and Dovehouse Lane, then crossed a huge field to reach Byslips Road - I heard and then saw a Buzzard near Oldhill Wood. There were just one or two Bluebells flowering in Byslips Wood, and then I followed the ‘public highway’ to Roe End ( a green lane between hedges, that is signed as a ‘public highway’ rather than footpath or bridleway).

From Roe End, I turned right onto the farm track to Beechwood Home Farm. I turned right again, pasing the farm and entering Gravelpit Wood, where a female Muntjac crossed the track ahead of me. Further on I entered Great Bradwin’s Wood, and was successful in seeing Wood Sorrel.

I followed the path across the top of Studham Common, and passed near to Studham church. I then followed the bridleway to Whipsnade Zoo. As I followed the zoo fence I spotted a clump of Bluebells in flower. I then made my way along the old lane between Holywell and Whipsnade, turning off right to go to Whipsnade Church, and then returned home via Whipsnade Heath.

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