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The following story came out of an email I sent to good friend and fellow OFC member, Jill Rowland. The rain started as we drove towards Deene in Northamptonshire, the start of our walk, but what an eventful walk it would turn out to be!  Cobie and Carol We knew this particular footpath went through a very boggy area, reminiscent of the Everglades, having walked it a couple of times before, but not recently. Bailey went ahead over a very tricky sloping, slippery stile in to the next field and just as he got over, a herd of very frisky bullocks came thundering by him like something out of the Wild West! Luckily they stayed well away from us, but we then had to do some serious bog hopping to get across the field. Carol didn't have her pole to help her balance and after plunging one leg into the deep mud, she gave up and walked the long way round. But then, try as we may, we couldn't find the stile into the Everglades. The whole area was fenced with three strands of barbed wire and seemed a definite no go area now. We finally gave up on that and rather than face the bull again, we trespassed back to the road, where we had to climb over a padlocked gate. This episode must have taken us a good 45 minutes and we were still only about half a mile from the car! By this time we were saturated as it was too warm to have our hoods up, but we pressed on, following our previously intended route of return. It was very wet with low Lakeland-like cloud and after about a mile on good paths we had to struggle round a huge set-aside field that had just been cut, so all the long, wet vegetation was wrapping itself round our feet! Then we started crossing a good uphill path through crops, but we were soon walking as if in high heels with heavy mud-encrusted boots. It was still bucketing down and as we'd had enough we decided to call it a day! After all, walking's supposed to be FUN...Right?  Gnome in a tree - don't ask! It was at this stage that we heard the tractor that had been mowing in the distance fast approaching! I was halfway through the hedge and Carol was panicking behind me as we've had a run in with an angry farmer before. Anyway, thank goodness this one was great and set us on the right track, showing us where we had gone wrong. Apparently the paths on the map in this area bear little resemblance to the actual routes on the ground! I think he was glad of some company and we spent about 20 minutes amicably chatting in the rain. In hindsight, we wished we had thought to ask him about the gnome! But all was not over yet! We eventually got back to the main road and decided to detour into Deene Park by the lake and church rather than walk back down the road. As we were crossing the dam, Cobie (Carol's dog) suddenly found a spot where he could enter the lake - not a good idea! He emerged a moment later absolutely covered in black mud and slime, looking for all the world like the creature from the black lagoon! |  Oh well, it might not have been one of our better walks, but it was still nice to get out in the fresh air.  |
We found a concrete jetty and managed to get him in some clean water, but then as we set off back to the car Bailey decided to take a short cut across the corner of the lake on some vegetation that was actually weed, and he fell in! Now anyone who knows Bailey is well aware of his utter distaste of the wet stuff and he looked the picture of misery standing there covered in chickweed. I think hysteria had set in by this point and Carol and I were rolling about with laughter, but Bailey was not amused! He slunk off towards the car in a right huff. Talk about if looks could kill!As we peeled off our sodden waterproofs at the car, Carol suddenly said with a smile, "Oh well, it might not have been one of our better walks, but it was still nice to get out in the fresh air." I could have hugged her! That's what good walking friends are for! |
