It had rained for days, weeks, it seemed like endless months and then, one Sunday, it suddenly stopped. The ground would be water-logged and our boots would likely sink in to the mud to a depth of a foot – but it felt so good to finally get out and hike.
It was at this point, where the path started to incline towards Old John, that I started to fall a little behind my husband and the boys, as I was carrying our 15 month old daughter. It is not so much that she is heavy (although certainly a lot heavier than she was!) but that she likes to swing her arms around pointing out birds and trees, which makes it a bit tricky to walk in a straight line.
Winding our way back through the bracken, we get ready to jump after our son, who has a fascination with water, and grab his hand. However, he successfully resisted the stone steps leading down into a deep mossy pool.
Even the collapsed ferns look beautiful, creating stunning layers of autumn colour against a blue sky.
The temptation for water could not be resisted forever and our son walked straight through a babbling stream on the way back, luckily only minutes before our hike ended.
It took a full seven days for his walking shoes to dry out 🙂
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The collapsed ferns are lovely.
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I love ferns 🙂 they grow a bit *too* well here to grow lots of them in my garden though!
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Lovely colours and hike
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Thanks Derrick – we do get a very colourful autumn here 🍁
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Well – I received the alert for this one and could comment but not like
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The “like” is showing on the page 😃 (many thanks) Fingers crossed WordPress have fixed the bug now.
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Getting our shoes wet was something my mother would despair about. Mind you, for me as a young boy it was the sea and salt water that fascinated me. Following a receding wave in and then run back again when it rolled back, was my favourite pastime then.
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My mother is the absolute opposite – she always got so muddy when I was little that it looked like she had been on a totally different walk to the rest of us – my daughter has inherited this ☺️
I love waves too … it is the main downside to where we live, in the Midlands, three hours drive from the sea 🌊
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7 days!!! My goodness, hope he didn’t need them in the meantime!
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He had to live in wellies … which in hindsight might have been a better pick for the walk 😃 I eventually found sticking them over the tumble drier worked a treat which, funnily enough, is where they are again at the moment…
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Oh, the pics make me want to join you! I can almost smell the ground and the air, that fresh wet smell.
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I’m so glad – that’s everything I’m aiming for – you’ve made my day 🌞
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I used to love walking on the moors 🙂 🙂 Including a link to my post tomorrow.
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I can’t wait for the ground to firm up a bit though – seven more pairs of completely muddy boots this morning! 🙂
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Ugh! 😩
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What gorgeous photos! As kids, my brother and sister and I were always getting “soakers” (soaking wet shoes). The landscape there looks similar to where my spouse’s family lives in East Sussex, although I see from your tags it’s Leicestershire.
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Excellent. We have declared from now on that all wet-through shoes be called “soakers” 😃
Yes – we’re in Leicestershire, it’s been a long time since I was in Sussex but I remember the forests and rolling hills seemed very similar 🙂
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You took me along… what a beautiful hike full of colors and laughter. Yes… I heard your children giggling as they ran through the mud!
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You are right Nancy 🙂 There is a lot of giggling, mainly from our youngest son. Our eldest two sons are constantly plotting sieges and finding hideouts in trees and our third son always sings or mimics the birds. I carry our baby daughter and she constantly chatters all the way.
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I love a good moorland walk, but not so much in the mud. Very intrepid!
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We have to get very used to mud here … it’s only between June and September that the forest floor is dry 😀🌿
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Oh dear. Constant muddy boot cleaning then.
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Absolutely ☺️
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Loved that you took us along with you on this beautiful hike. And boys will be boys when the see water lol. Lovely pictures. 🤗🧡
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Thank you Sue 🙂 Indeed re boys … our third son (in the photo) actually carries around two changes of clothes in his rucksack, as well as a waterproof swimming bag and a towel – that’s how often it happens! 😀
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🤣😂🤣
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These are beautiful shots 😊
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Thank you very much! x
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