Where do ( did ) you walk locally in 2024?

[lovingkindness]

... skidding in mud and slime, hour after hour on a cold foggy day. A couple of shortcuts to end it all.

Circuit no. 239 (16 kms): Montaillard via Barbaste - Lausseignan - Xaintrailles.

http://cdt47.media.tourinsoft.eu/upload/Fiche-Rando-239-Lavardac-2020.pdf





... in the middle ages a rather nasty goat's cheese with an acrid bite to it was made by the peasants of Lausseignan. It was said to be capable of ulcerating a delicate palette. In those days the area was covered in twiggy heather bushes and cistus - good for goats but nothing much else. Today the heather and cistus have been replaced by vineyards and pine forrests. I didn't see any goats...


J.-B. Truaut. Lavardac et ses environs. 1851.

 

[J Willhaus]

Today we walked on the Laramie Greenbelt next to the Laramie River. Pleasant sunny day in the 30's and 40's F (about 3 or 4 C). Unseasonably warm. Did not see any beavers or muskrats today as the river is frozen over. No birds either. Just some other Wyomingites out walking their dogs.

Did not go up to the mountains this weekend. I am sure there were hundreds of snowmobilers out and about there. I spent a good part of the weekend with retirement and moving operations. We bought a new battery-operated chainsaw for cutting firewood on our upcoming really long summer camping trip to Alaska. Also bought one of those emergency gizmos that will jump start your vehicle battery AND air up a flat tire. Bought an emergency triangle reflector for just in case we are on the side of the road with a repair somewhere on the Alaskan Highway.

I boxed up a bunch of stuff we are not using and won't use the next few months to take to our new home in Missouri in mid-March over spring break. Also took stuff to the Goodwill donation box and to a friend who I gifted a wine rack. It feels good to simplify and recycle. Our house in Missouri belonged to my grandmother and has been used as a getaway second home by mom and stepdad. Now it is only occasionally used by Phil and I and my brother and his family. We will home base out there for the next few years between trips and volunteering.

 

[Theatregal]

After workout in the gym I had enough energy left for a walk. Gorgeous weather.

What a glorious looking day! I always enjoy seeing that cobbled path !

 

[Theatregal]

I love the frozen photos, but I confess to a leap of delight on seeing these in a local park...I did not expect them this early in the year. Leap is figurative, by the way.

And I was thrilled to see these heralds of spring during my lunch time walk a few days ago! They're starting to pop up all over Victoria. Snow Drops, also known as, as I've just learned... Fair Maids of February, Purification Flower, Candlemas Bells, Candlemas Lilly and my favourite...Little Sister of the Snows

 

[Theatregal]

A wonderful Sunday morning walk at Whiffen Spit in Sooke, about 40 km from Victoria. After, I'd hoped to treat myself to a day off lunch at beautiful Sooke Harbour House (last photo) but it was closed for renovations. So lunch in the village at Mom's Cafe - a cozy little diner.

 

[MontanaBill]

Missoula Montana, 7.4 miles.

 

[lovingkindness]

Missoula Montana, 7.4 miles.

...that makes 11.909 kilometers according to google... roughly 3 hours walk? Hi there @MontanaBill.

 

[MontanaBill]

...that makes 11.909 kilometers according to google... roughly 3 hours walk? Hi there @MontanaBill.

 

[trecile]

A small mountain near my house. It was sunny up there while the valley was blanketed by a sea of clouds.

It's also a good place for hill training with a road that's about 800 meters with 150 meters of elevation gain.

 

[Kirkie]

No filters, colours exactly as phone captured them Some signs of future daffodils, some already in bloom... and a contrast. A shop newly opened on the site of one recently closed. Such is life...

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

Last evening in the hills above Los Angeles at sunset with the L.A. skyline in the background...

 

[nycwalking]

Last evening in the hills above Los Angeles at sunset with the L.A. skyline in the background...

Nice.

We’ve been enjoying spectacular weather alongside wonderful sunsets.

Buen camino.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

This is sort of a cheat because it was taken last September at the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland. It shows the stile on the way down from the watchtower to where the bus used to pick people up to go back to the parking lot.

This morning before getting out of bed it occurred to me to issue a warning to all you intrepid walkers that the private bus service was suspended during the pandemic and hadn't been restarted. There were signs with the schedule posted along the cliff trail but they didn't indicate that the busses weren't running. The signs are for a private service posted on private land so the park can't do anything about them. Check with the park to see if the bus service has resumed. We were fine; although we thought the busses were running we turned around at the stile to walk back anyway.

 

[davejsy]

Les Platon in Jersey at the weekend. You can just see the trail on the right hand side of the photo near the sea. A beautiful round walk

 

[Annette london]

We had intended to walk from the Parador in Teide to Vilaflor but the bus was late going up so a 4 hour trek to part of the ridge and back

First view of Teide,the highest one in Spain
How we would love to walk up again and stay in the refuge before going up to the caldera again 10 years ago
A shame that we are now older and fatter so not this time!

A first view of Teide and the Ermetia in the background hard enough path and we were slower as stupidly not acclimatised to the altitude

The intended ridge in a photo but got halfway at least so managed to get the bus back at 4

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

This morning walking along Capistrano Beach. Storm coming in tonight

 

[lovingkindness]

... in the footsteps of pilgrims past, across le Plateau de Coubel to Saint-Pastour.

Map: Voie de Vèzelay (variant) /GR 654 est

 

[Annette london]

A visit to Las Vegas…
No not THAT Las Vegas
This one is in Tenerife
Forest and open stony trails
Mud dwellings
Lots of water channels
Abandoned terraces once used for growing fruit and vegetables
We got to the Risco de Muerte but decided to give that one a miss

 

[Annette london]

Up again to the col Ucanca
No altitude headache this time
On the path, a lovely pine tree surviving against all the odds
Decided to go down the Ucanca valley to Vilaflor but finding the path was tricky and most of it was covered with stones and boulders so we ended up clambering down instead of walking until we reached the forest path which was fine
A few cairns were dotted around at the beginning but we wondered if these were more for hunters than walkers
Got to a track and knew we were going to miss the bus so hitched a lift from a lovely French couple …..so thank you French angels!
Yesterday I forgot to mention that TWICE, we got lifts from a German man and then a German couple ..so thank you German angels.
PS…I think we’ll have to join the EU again after all this!!

A memorable walk today but I don’t think we’ll be repeating it any time soon

 

[lovingkindness]

...from Cambes-de-Pujols around Le Vallon du Ruisseau-de-Lalande, with a shortcut. (10 kms). Circuit no. 330, Lot et Garonne


Église Notre-Dame, Cambes-de-Pujols

 

[SabsP]

View attachment 163274

View attachment 163268
...from Cambes-de-Pujols around Le Vallon du Ruisseau-de-Lalande, with a shortcut. (10 kms). Circuit no. 330, Lot et Garonne

View attachment 163273
Église Notre-Dame, Cambes-de-Pujols

Did some research on the Église Notre-Dame, Cambes-de-Pujols. Just wonderful. Can you visit it on certain times?

 

[Tia Valeria]

Bad weather and other matters have limited walking and also reading the forum.
However a previous walk took us along the sea wall at Teignmouth, the trains run along the curved section before heading (to the left in the photo) into town. There is an old story about the 'Clerk and Parson' rocks at the headland.
The catkins are at the road side on a local walk yesterday. too muddy still to walk the footpaths ...

 

[MontanaBill]

 

[lovingkindness]

Did some research on the Église Notre-Dame, Cambes-de-Pujols. Just wonderful. Can you visit it on certain times?

Bonjour

Yes, I think so. Monsieur le curé lives in Villeneuve-sur-Lot. To make contact, here's a link to the parish of Saint Joseph de Villeneuve:

Paroisse Saint Joseph de Villeneuve - Diocèse Agen

 

[lovingkindness]

View attachment 163306

Hmmm... what's a 'Finn Spin'?

 

[MontanaBill]

A ride with our dog Finn just to stretch his legs -- it's an efficient way to get him some action which he needs. He's tethered, and he doesn't try to cross in front of me, so it works well.

 

[lovingkindness]

A ride with our dog Finn just to stretch his legs -- it's an efficient way to get him some action which he needs. He's tethered, and he doesn't try to cross in front of me, so it works well.

...so it's not about fishing!

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Kiwi spotting in Tāwharanui Regional Park, predator free sanctuary.

Kiwis are nocturnal and are unable to see in the red spectrum and so when Kiwi spotting you need to go after dark and use a red torch. This makes it hard to see the Kiwi in a video and so I added an arrow

Photos of the tramp during the day to follow.

View attachment VID_20240203_215020527~2.mp4

I went with a small group of people and I managed to see four Kiwis before I decided that I was getting tired and if you have seen four Kiwis you have probably seen them all .

The group spotted another after I had left that was much larger and was presumed to be a female.

I also learnt that male Kiwis have a mostly high pitched call that can be heard a long distance away whereas females have a low guttural call that sounds like they are annoyed with something .

The park is on the end of a peninsula and is surrounded by a predator proof fence and has intensive predator trapping within the park. As a result there are abundant native birds, skinks and insects .

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

females have a low guttural call that sounds like they are annoyed with something .

Maybe because of this:

 

[Bradypus]

Sunday afternoon 6km stroll to the pub along the cycle path. Having a pint of Bishop's Finger before walking back the same way. My route takes me over a railway line and the M4 motorway. Today I stopped on the motorway bridge to take a photo of something that conspicuously isn't there. In the 1980s a thirteenth century church in the enclosed stand of trees at the centre of the photo was dismantled stone by stone. Then rebuilt as part of the collection of buildings at the St Fagans outdoor museum just outside Cardiff. The population around the church had moved to the new town which grew up a couple of km north of the church site and it had fallen into disuse.

St Teilo’s Church

museum.wales

 

[Annette london]

A lovely undulating walk from Chio to El Jaral and 13 km
Lots of cactus fruit seen in abandoned fields and terraces and also known as Prickly pear or Chumbo in Spain
Needs to be picked with gloves or in my case a thick tissue or the tiny spikes covering it will get embedded in ones hand
A coffee half way in Cherche
Passed 3 Barrancos with good paths and marked with yellow and white paint
The little island of L.A. Gomera in the distance
Apple blossom in bloom

 

[lovingkindness]

Église d'Estussan, Lavardac

...from the medieval bridge at Barbaste into the outer reaches of Les Landes forest, feet dragging in sand. Gloomy picnic, mouldy bench. Into the woods after Lausseignan, then onto the hamlet of Estussan; descending from Porteteny to the Baïse Valley. 16 kms, on a vapourous day.

Map no. 224. (1- 9) followed by Map no. 244 (1, 5-4)


Moulin des Tours, Barbaste

...pilgrims pass by Barbaste (Lavardac) along a liaison from Bergerac to Montréal-du-Gers/ GR 654 est.

 

[Kirkie]

Yesterday, on a brand new Public Holiday, honouring St Brigid, I met another forum member for coffee and a chinwag.
Edurne, who served us, is from Pamplona!

The following is from The Journal.ie

Double Take: The little-noticed laneway called Misery Hill in Dublin​

The unlikely association with St James in Dublin’s Docklands.
ADJACENT TO THE Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin’s home to feel-good musicals and heartwarming stage productions, is a narrow road named Misery Hill.
You would be forgiven for assuming that Misery Hill was either an area associated with plague-related deaths or a particularly poverty-stricken part of The Pale.
So where did the unfortunate place name come from?

Speaking to The Journal.ie, Cathy Scuffil, the resident South Central historian with Dublin City Council, recounted the fascinating story of Misery Hill, dating back to the medieval period.
In the 1200s, Dubliners assembled on James Street, nearby the Guinness Storehouse, approximately forty-five minutes away, on foot, from Dublin’s Docklands.
This location would be the meeting point for those embarking on a pilgrimage to renew their souls on the Camino de Santiago.
The group passed through Dublin via Trinity College and Hawkins House, hidden behind D’Olier Street, until they reached locations known as hostels or hospitals.

“These sites were built specifically, presumably by monks,” Scuffil suggested, “for the pilgrims to receive basic first aid and medical treatment before they boarded the ship to Spain.”
During this time, there were two locations for these early institutions. One along the quays nearby Hawkins Street, the other at Misery Hill.
The hospital situated at Misery Hill was for people of lower social classes. Due to the very basic attention to detail given to the building, it was known, at the time as ‘Miserable’, which transformed to ‘Misery’.
The area has held that name for over eight hundred years.

Today, these infrastructures have been replaced with modern high rise offices, hotels, restaurants and apartment buildings.
Scuffil says that Misery Hill continues to provide “a link in the chain of Dublin’s long-established connection to the Camino.”

Saint James – Santiago, in Spanish – has a long-standing presence in Dublin. The logo of St James Hospital features a scallop shell, along with emblems of shamrocks. The scallop shell is, as Scuffil informed The Journal.ie, “a symbol of St James and by wearing a motif of the shell on a chain it marked you as a pilgrim.”
The newly opened place of worship on the site of St James Hospital is called Camino Rest.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Tāwharanui Regional Park, north of Auckland

 

[Annette london]

A tough walk yesterday and although we’ve been up there before, it was about eight years ago and we were eight years younger
Got the bus to the Parador at 2,000 mt (6561 ft) and up we went
Breathing better this time

A few runners looking like stick insects passed us so I reckon about 2 stone off of my person would make it a whole lot easier, but then again they were more than half my age so maybe not!

A good stony zig zag path got us up and what a view
It’s 2718 metres (8914 feet)
Teide opposite with an amazing landscape surrounding it

Apparently the last movie “the planet of the apes was filmed here)
Pictures from above and below the mountain
It was a bit of a rush though…16 km in 5 hours as we didn’t want to miss the bus
Made it by 5 minutes!
Only one bus a day goes up to the park and leaves again five hours later

 

[Annette london]

A walk on the GR 131 from the Parador to the village of Vilaflor, the highest village in the Canaries.
Also called the Camino de Chasna,it’s been in use for over 1,000 years and the connecting route between the north and south of the island

The GR 131 has been 20 years in the making and crosses all 7 of the Canary Islands
It takes in some of the best scenery that each island has to offer as well as plenty of heritage

The way is well marked with the red and white markers of the GR paths in France for example
Paths vary between stony, smooth and sand surfaces
The scenery too varied between black volcanic ash mountains and pine forests
A few of the paths were completely made made loose volcanic ash

Some recent forest fires had blackened many of the trees but apparently Canary pines are incredibly resilient and grow back shoots and branches quickly

Although the sign initially stated 15.4 km, our smart gizmo recorded 18 km but we did make the bus in plenty of time, this time!.

 

[Theatregal]

A pleasant, calm morning walk along a Vancouver Island oceanside trail near Victoria. Signs of spring with blooming Osoberry bushes.

 

[ShoshTrvls]

I was in Puerto Rico this past weekend. It felt familiar.

 

[JimG59]

A beautiful walk today up the Kilpatrick Hills to Loch Humphrey north of Clydebank in Scotland. I haven’t walked up here for months and it was good to get on this type of terrain to prepare me for the Camino del Norte in September.

It was 10 mile door to door. We plan to do this walk 2 or 3 times a day over the spring & summer.

The boat in the photo is sailing up the Clyde to Glasgow.

 

[SabsP]

A beautiful walk today up the Kilpatrick Hills to Loch Humphrey north of Clydebank in Scotland. I haven’t walked up here for months and it was good to get on this type of terrain to prepare me for the Camino del Norte in September.

It was 10 mile door to door. We plan to do this walk 2 or 3 times a day over the spring & summer.

The boat in the photo is sailing up the Clyde to Glasgow.

Unfortunately cannot open the pictures.

 

[Annette london]

Unfortunately cannot open the pictures.

They are beautiful
I took a screenshot of a few so hope they came out

 

[lovingkindness]

...striding along the Southdowns Way, over The Seven Sisters to Eastbourne (UK) , 16 kms. Yesterday afternoon...




..and as light faded a murmuration of starlings formed and reformed about the pier.

View attachment Video_2024_02_13_22_03_00.mp4
Eastbourne

 

[lovingkindness]

...then struggling in wind and rain, walking from The Seven Sisters Country Park via Cuxmere Haven to Seaford. Flattened by powerful gusts.

Chancing upon a fashion photographer who said, Shall I take your photo? ...i would have included it here except it wasn't mine to share.

Cuxmere Haven...
......
....................
...then to Seaford

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Each February I like to re-energise by heading over to one of my very favourite spots on the planet, Waikawau Bay, Coromandel Peninsula.

It is close to the northern end of the peninsula and borders the Pacific Ocean. It is normally a 3.5 hour drive from where I live in Auckland but last night there were a couple of accidents on the motorway leading south out of Auckland and so it took me 5 hours to get here and I arrived after dark. I didn't want to put the tent up in the dark and so I slept in the car.

It wasn't a very comfortable sleep but the upside is that I awoke before dawn and decided to walk the 50 metres down to the beach and this is what I saw as the sun came up.


I was the only one on the beach and there are only around 12 other vehicles in the Department of Conservation campsite and so I have the place almost to myself

 

[JimG59]

Unfortunately cannot open the pictures.

Not sure how they never appeared as thumbnails, must practice a bit.

 

[Bradypus]

Outside the swimming pool this morning. Blackthorn coming into blossom. It is just over two weeks since I bottled my 2023 patxaran and the cycle is starting again. The Welsh sakura! Though perhaps not quite as dramatic as seeing cherry blossom on the Kumano Kodo.

 

[Kirkie]

A beautiful walk today up the Kilpatrick Hills to Loch Humphrey north of Clydebank in Scotland. I haven’t walked up here for months and it was good to get on this type of terrain to prepare me for the Camino del Norte in September.

It was 10 mile door to door. We plan to do this walk 2 or 3 times a day over the spring & summer.

The boat in the photo is sailing up the Clyde to Glasgow.

Because it is close to my heart, I wanted to see them. I managed on my phone.

 

[SabsP]

Belgian seaside Ostend.
Exceptionally good weather today.

 

[Kirkie]

Nothing more local than the view from the front door.. at about 17.18 gmt

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Better than Galicia, 20 mussels for €14 in Coromandel.

When I was in my early teens I took off one year and lived on the beach over summer and mostly survived on mussels that I harvested from the rocks. These days they are much harder to find in the wild unless you dive.

These ones are from a nearby mussel farm.

 

[KariannNor]

The sun is coming back, here in South of Norway we today have daylight until 5pm

 

[Arctic_Alex]

The sun is coming back, here in South of Norway we today have daylight until 5pm

Yes, regarding the light here it feels almost like spring! Strange, isn't it ;-) It amazes me every year how fast it all changes.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Coromandel Peninsula, Pacific coast.

 

[SabsP]

Some more pictures from Ostend. 17k walk to Middelkerke and back.
Walked past Raversijde with the impressive bunkers of WWII, part of the Atlantikwall.
Then also time for my favourite dish of shrimpcroquettes.
Artwork in the evening, called " Dancing Waves".

 

[Theatregal]

A day off hike in East Sooke along the Coastal Trail on Vancouver Island. Intermittent rain, beautiful Arbutus trees, a seal petroglyph and a little rock nest beside the path.

 

[SabsP]

A six k circular walk through the Bellevuebos. No pictures. It was extremely muddy and I had to focus really hard not to fall. Had my sturdy Hanwagboots but next time it will be wellies, like my walkingpartner cleverly chose to wear.

Here is a promovideo from the walk.

Bellevuebos - startplaats Hemelspark (rood)

Het Bellevuebos is een van de zeldzame plekken in Haspengouw waar je geniet van het echte bosgevoel. Dit hellingbos op de steilste flank van de Winterbeekvallei is een van de grootste...

www.wandeleninlimburg.be

 

[Bradypus]

A surprise today on my regular walk to the swimming pool. A new very colourful and beautifully crafted metal bench. Daffodils are a very popular national symbol here in Wales. And coming into bloom now. Always a pleasant reminder that winter is going to end eventually!

 

[Flog]

It was too nice a day to work, so I took off with a friend across the Dublin Mountains to Enniskerry, we covered about 23km. I've trodden the same path so many times, it's almost routine, but my friend who's new to it, was enthralled and has now decided she wants to get a tent and come back and walk the rest of the Wicklow Way, four or five days of good walking.. when the weather gets a little warmer. Camping is a good option, as most accomodation along the way is well off the path.

St. Bridget's Day is three weeks behind us now, but never too late to pick a some reeds to make a few crosses for friends..

 

[DoughnutANZ]

View attachment VID_20240222_134523769.mp4
New Chums beach, just north of Whangapoua, on the Pacific coast of the Coromandel Peninsula.

According to Instagram it is one of the top ten beaches in the world.

I am not so sure about that because there are, in my opinion, other beaches just as nice in the area.

I think that one of the attractions is that it is not an easy beach to get to if you don't have a helicopter or a boat.

I have neither and so like all the other people who don't have helicopters or boats we walk this trail to get there.



Once you get to the beach there is plenty of shade under the Pohutukawa trees.



And of course the beach itself



And the sea

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

According to Instagram [New Chums Beach] is one of the top ten beaches in the world.

And looking at the video I was wondering where the people were.

I have neither and so like all the other people who don't have helicopters or boats we walk this trail to get there.

Well, that explains it.

 

[Bradypus]

Pontarddulais. West Wales.

On my way to the pub. Apologies for the quality of the shot. Zoom on a phone camera. But this character caught my eye. When I was a child in the 1960s the entire UK red kite population was about 20. Confined to a couple of very remote valleys in mid-Wales. Now in their thousands and covering a lot of the UK. One of the iconic species for wildlife conservation. I was distracted at a cousin's funeral in Oxford watching one swooping and diving over the crematorium gardens. Sure Andrew wouldn't have minded!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

When I was a child in the 1960s the entire UK red kite population was about 20. Confined to a couple of very remote valleys in mid-Wales. Now in their thousands and covering a lot of the UK. One of the iconic species for wildlife conservation.

Fifty years ago I took a wildlife management course in college (way outside my major). A paper was assigned on an endangered series. Bald eagles and perrigrin falcons were two. They have come back well enough that I've seen both land in trees in my yard in suburban Boston. I wrote on the likely extinct black-footed ferret. Some time ago a dog brought dead one to a rancher who recognized and reported it. Others were found in the area. With management there are now enough that the wildlife people rent them to ranchers to keep prairie dogs under control.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

I took our white lady to the mountains as she is in season and it just does not work out well at home with a young male dog who just discovers his hormones . So she and I are sort of outcasts, hiding in a cabin far away from home
After yesterday's heavy storm, today the weather was just perfect for a short walk to Nikkaluokta chapel, located at a scenic spot on the local hill.

 

[lovingkindness]

Hello @SabsP, @mspath and all. I trust this message finds you in good spirits. Once again my 90 days in Europe have ended and I find myself pilgriming in grim weather. A couple of weeks ago I set off from Eastbourne, England following the 1066 Country Trail to Rye, the Saxon Shore Path onward to Elham then the Elham Valley Way and North Downs to Canterbury Cathedral. Here I found refuge with a little family living within the Cathedral Precinct. Tonight is my 4th night's rest... tomorrow I have an agency interview. Here's hoping some work comes from it...

...all this to say, that I am still out and about but not always able to write to everyone on the forum. I do think of you all each day...


Canterbury Cathedral


Ps...the other day I met a lady who makes toy mice for feral cats in Cyprus.

......

 

[SabsP]

Wonderful to hear from you @lovingkindness ! Wishing you all the best with the interview. Fingers crossed.
Due to all kind of practical stuff and bad weather I hardly walked but I did go to the gym. Meagre substitute I know .

Ah the toy mice!

 

[Theatregal]

A walk at Rithet's Bog in Victoria. An important nesting sight for Red-wing Blackbirds. I was thrilled to see a small flock of about 8 Cedar Waxwings, all feeding on the remaining Hawthorne berries.

 

[lovingkindness]

...little children with blueberry eyes inching their way closer, closer, closer, whispering their names, dancing at my feet...

Day 17: Eastbourne via Canterbury to...?
Bitter winds, days of sleet. All the world inside. For a moment, watery blue skies. Walking the ancient walls of Canterbury until there, by a glassed in monument, a niche perfect for trumpeting ditties and nursery rhymes...

 

[Kirkie]

A gift of a morning...




View attachment IMG_2100.mov

 

[SabsP]

5.5 k around Heks.
Marl cave and bats.
Squared farms.
Woodland.
Promise of spring.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Walking a happy dog for her birthday walk

 

[Bradypus]

A day trip to Knighton on the Wales/England border. My free bus pass (the qualification being advanced age) also allows travel six months of the year on the very scenic Heart of Wales railway line. A brisk walk uphill to the Spaceguard observatory in the hills above town then a more sedate stroll back down for fish & chips and local cider and perry. Plenty of red kites and buzzards and sheep and lambs on the way. All a bit camera shy unfortunately. There are worse ways to spend a bright spring day!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

On today's walk in the woods Peg said brightly "That's the first one this year." A little while later a cheery "Another one." She wasn't talking about wildflowers; she was walking into cobwebs.

I have her walk ahead of me because the other way around I have to stop a lot, turn around and check if she is still in sight. The cobweb encounters are a bonus. Especially later in the year when she's not as happy to walk into any.

 

[Bradypus]

The cobweb encounters are a bonus. Especially later in the year when she's not as happy to walk into any.

Walking the Camino Frances in January last year I saw quite a lot of the very dense webs that processionary caterpillars make in trees. My Canadian companion on one day had never encountered them before. Well worth keeping a safe distance from any very dense gossamer webs you find in Spain. Very nasty things to bump into.

 

[KariannNor]

I took our white lady to the mountains as she is in season and it just does not work out well at home with a young male dog who just discovers his hormones . So she and I are sort of outcasts, hiding in a cabin far away from home
After yesterday's heavy storm, today the weather was just perfect for a short walk to Nikkaluokta chapel, located at a scenic spot on the local hill.

Oops, that smell can drive male dogs crazy from a long distance, I know, and same house with a pubertal one, oops trouble. . Nice pictures and she's a beauty

 

[Theatregal]

A walk on Iona Island. I was hoping for a sighting of early arrival Tree and Violet Green Swallows. None. Still too early! But lots of Red-wing Blackbirds (one who was very curious) and two Cooper's Hawks!


View attachment IMG_6999.mov

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

We had a beautiful walk yesterday, we had that spring feeling.



And the storks are back on there nest.

 

[Bradypus]

Another walk down the line of the old - very old! - Carmarthenshire railway which is now a cycle path from Cross Hands to Llanelli. Starts very near my house. I walked it quite recently and posted about it here - post #91 above. About 17km today. A brief stop for some bilingual poetry then on to meet my old friend the giraffe on the edge of Llanelli. Only to discover that he now has company! More or less life-sized. Probably something to do with global warming....

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Another walk down the line of the old - very old! - Carmarthenshire railway which is now a cycle path from Cross Hands to Llanelli.

@Bradypus, you may be interested in reading a bit about the cycle path poem here:

Tracks

While traveling in Ireland I spotted this monument near my hotel in Belfast and stopped to take a look. The inscription really spoke to me and enforced by love for traveling the world. “Tracks” Dow…

davetaft.com

I looked for an easier to read version of that poem as the idea of following the tracks of those who went before appealed to me. That's because this morning I did my annual 7 km walk down the highway to the auto shop. I've reported before that I've imagined my 8 times great grandfather walking down the same road to court grandma. Traffic wouldn't have been as heavy.

Peg hurt her knee a few days ago and she had real problems just walking around the house but she just told me she's up for our easiest walk later today.

 

[Bradypus]

I looked for an easier to read version of that poem as the idea of following the tracks of those who went before appealed to me.

On my first Camino I met perhaps 30 other pilgrims over 800km and spent many nights in refugios alone. When I got back to the UK a friend asked if it had been a lonely experience and at first I could not even understand the question. The awareness of previous generations had been so powerful that I never once felt lonely. Much the same feeling walking on a path which was built more than 200 years ago and has seen many changes over the years.

 

[Bradypus]

A PS to the post above (#177). Just beside the bus stop on my way home. Apparently the site of the first purpose-built Mormon church outside the continental US. Didn't know Llanelli had so many claims to fame!

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I made my annual pilgrimage to the Pasifika festival today to reconnect with by birth roots in Fiji and to get a good Fijian goat curry!

Here are a couple of photos and videos

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This one is especially for @VNwalking

this sign says that they have a Vegan option for the hangi. I guess that the only problem is that, as you know, the vegetables are cooked in the same pit as the meat.

This last one is for my man love @Rick of Rick and Peg

 

[MilenaS]

The spring finally came to my part of Norway! So I used the chance to do a beach walk. Cold, but amazing to feel the sun in my face.

 

[SabsP]

Almost 8k. around Diets-Heur. Small paved roads and rather uninspiring. Quiet and dry though.
Tombstone from 1702.

The village was already mentioned in 1278.

Diets-Heur - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[lovingkindness]

...just catching my breath. Here's a little of what I've been doing lately:

*From near Rochester to Canterbury Cathedral: 3 muddy days along the North Downs then a corrugated heave over the Stour Valley ....


..In a village somewhere beyond.... there is a woman known for her kindness to strangers and pilgrims. She has worked amongst prisoners and asylum seekers, established an orchestra, filled an old 18th/19th century town house with interesting books and simple treasures. A friend of hers who believes in a higher power that guides the feet of those who 'listen' and causes paths of like minded souls to cross, smiled when I asked if there might be anywhere for a pilgrim to shelter in the village. Yes, she said, Follow me...

...so, there I was, happy as can be dining in a high-ceilinged room on omelettes- mushrooms-new potatoes-and-salad, ginger-pudding-with-stewed-rhubarb-smothered-in-cream-followed-by-lemony-ethiopian-coffee, zooming along a myriad of conversational threads with an elderly angel. Oh, what fun!


That day the sun appeared with icy blasts from the East...









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(Turn the volume up ...)

 

[Kirkie]

...just catching my breath. Here's a little of what I've been doing lately:

*From near Rochester to Canterbury Cathedral: 3 muddy days along the North Downs then a corrugated heave over the Stour Valley ....

View attachment 165957
..In a village somewhere beyond.... there is a woman known for her kindness to strangers and pilgrims. She has worked amongst prisoners and asylum seekers, established an orchestra, filled an old 18th/19th century town house with interesting books and simple treasures. A friend of hers who believes in a higher power that guides the feet of those who 'listen' and causes paths of like minded souls to cross, smiled when I asked if there might be anywhere for a pilgrim to shelter in the village. Yes, she said, Follow me...

...so, there I was, happy as can be dining in a high-ceilinged room on omelettes, mushrooms, new potatoes and salad, ginger pudding with stewed rhubarb smothered in cream followed by lemony ethiopian coffee, zooming along a myriad of conversational threads with an elderly angel. Oh, what fun!

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That day the sun appeared with icy blasts from the East...

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(Turn the volume up ...)

How do you spell jealous?

 

[lovingkindness]

How do you spell jealous?

...c-l-e-a-n-c-l-o-t-h-e-s...

 

[SabsP]

My favourite mistletoe.

 

[lovingkindness]

"snap"...................... mistletoe, UK

 

[mustang2actual]

Walking in the Southwestern USA. First is the Hoover Dam area. Then the next 2 are in Antelope Canyon north of the Grand Canyon. Thought the dinosaur fossil tracks were something were so unique. Spur Cross is a nature area in the Sonoran Desert that includes Elephant Mountain. The trails in Arizona are so similar to the Francés in Galicia that I feel transported. We’ll definitely be back on the Camino this year - the training is going well.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

 We had a nice walk around Gorinchem today,
First we had coffee in a old WW2 bunker (safety first)



In the back wall of a staircase leading to the water, two figures are carved into the brickwork, an adult and a child, walking hand in hand. The hands are embossed in metal.
View attachment 20240314_114318.mp4

 

[CA_Pilgrim]

I've hike roughly the first 350 miles of the California Mission Trail. So far I've been to 9 of the 21 missions from Mission San Diego to Mission La Purisima. This is the second time I've done the mission hike. I completed the entire 800+ mile trail in 2014/2015. Currently taking some time off. My wife and I are planning a May/June Portuguese Camino. This will be my second Camino, I did the CF in 2022 starting in SJPDP.

The Mission Trail took me through some amazing sites, along the Pacific Ocean, through LA, and the agricultural fields of the the Central Coast (where I live). Attached are just a handful of photos that i took along the way. I substantially compressed the photos to save on system resources, but they should be good for computer viewing. Enjoy!

 

[mustang2actual]

I've hike roughly the first 350 miles of the California Mission Trail. So far I've been to 9 of the 21 missions from Mission San Diego to Mission La Purisima. This is the second time I've done the mission hike. I completed the entire 800+ mile trail in 2014/2015. Currently taking some time off. My wife and I are planning a May/June Portuguese Camino. This will be my second Camino, I did the CF in 2022 starting in SJPDP.

The Mission Trail took me through some amazing sites, along the Pacific Ocean, through LA, and the agricultural fields of the the Central Coast (where I live). Attached are just a handful of photos that i took along the way. I substantially compressed the photos to save on system resources, but they should be good for computer viewing. Enjoy!

@CA_Pilgrim that’s some spectacular acreage. The Mission Trail is on my list.

 

[mustang2actual]

A day off hike in East Sooke along the Coastal Trail on Vancouver Island. Intermittent rain, beautiful Arbutus trees, a seal petroglyph and a little rock nest beside the path.

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Those petroglyphs are quite nice to see @Theatregal

 

[nycwalking]

North Jetty Marina Del Rey, (Los Angeles), California.

The wind was strong so planes landed at LAX over ocean as opposed to taking off over it.

Many folks just park, sit in car, and enjoy the quiet.

If you look closely snow-capped mountains are in the distance.

 

[SabsP]

As was to be expected: mud.

 

[Bradypus]

On the way to the swimming pool this morning. Suddenly aware that I was being watched...

 

[Kirkie]

Down at the Docks. The annual Aware Harbour to Harbour walk. I missed it, again! However, I followed the crowds and found someone to take a donation. A 26km walk. I was lucky to meet two Camino Society members who had called in to the refreshment area. My only photo avoids catching anyone, though there were hundreds around me!

 

[Flog]

What better way to honour Saint Patrick than to climb The Reek. Yesterday morning the tools were dumped out of the van and replaced with sleeping bags, tent, stove, pots, pans and food and drink provisions for a couple of days. We set off down the west, my son and I, where we spent the night on Achill Island. Peeking out at the rain this morning, we were determined, regardless. By the time we found ourselves at the foot of the mountain at midday, the clouds and rain had all but blown away as we started our ascent. A stiff southerly wind greeted us as we came around the shoulder and forced us to brace against it all the way to the summit, me exhausted and Jem still with a spring in his step.. well, he's half my age. You can have four seasons in the space of an hour in Summer when the annual pilgrimage normally takes place, the last Sunday in July.. never mind mid March. But we were rewarded with glorious views across Clew Bay with its hundreds of little islands, we were rewarded with cheesecake too.. given to us in Dublin with promise that it would survive uneaten to the summit of Croagh Patrick..

 

[Flog]

Down at the Docks.
View attachment 166199

Beautiful old vessel.. it looks like the 'Albatross', a lightship that was moored together with the 'Coningbeg' two miles away in Dun Laoghaire harbour, throughout my childhood. I would listen to the foghorns at night lying in bed, echoing across the bay..
Nice childhood memories, safely tucked up, imagination running wild..

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

What better way to honour Saint Patrick than to climb The Reek.

We went part way up The Reek (Crough Patrick) six months ago and in good weather. I posted about it in last year's thread.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to the Irish and those who wish they were and to those who are Irish for a day.