Welcome

Thank you for coming to my website! These pages contain a record, in pictures and narrative, of a number of more recent positive experiences, especially walks, in my life that I would like to share with you, the visitor to my website.

My main section is on the walks and hikes I have undertaken, either as part of a group, or solo. A good walk is one on which you meet nice people and have good exercise, but of course, there is also the additional dimension of trying to appreciate the history and the cultural heritage of the landscape through which your feet actually tread! For this reason I also have a section on "Diverse Themes", which tries to capture some of these additional interesting aspects.

This view, near Hollingbourne in Kent shows that the countryside around the Capital can be quite hilly and varied. Here we are - on a Sunday walk - rising to higher things on our way to the village of Wormshill, with its interesting time-honoured church of Saint Giles.

I hope you will find that these modest pages will evoke your interest and as you are visiting them, you can say that you are seeing something that may be new. If so, they will have fulfilled their intended purpose!

Just a quick point. You can access my sections on "Walks", "Diverse Themes" and "Read Me", directly by clicking on the blue tabs near the top of this page. However, to give you an initial flavour of what you will see in these pages, you will find below, short overviews of the main ingredients of the sections on "Walks" and on "Diverse Themes".

Walks & The Great Outdoors

The walks that you will discover in these web pages are mainly based in England, in the "Home Counties" around the Capital and in the Lake District. However, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Somerset and the Forest of Dean are also represented. Further afield, my ramblings have taken me to Wales, to Scotland, and to Odin's Forest near Heidelberg in Germany.

The Great Outdoors with a vengeance! We have more or less scaled the heights of Pavey Ark in the Langdales (Lake District), and this is the view that greets our eyes. Stickle Ghyll is far below us to the left, and the valley of Old Dungeon Ghyll - from which we have ascended - lies beyond.
It's time for a well-earned break. A lunch break with a view.

I like to think that walking and hiking are important aspects of a reasonably healthy lifestyle - exercise and discovery of new experiences. Indeed, life is a continuous learning process that moulds both the individual and those around him or her. Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis. Times change and we change within them. The coming year will bring new experiences and challenges - a process of constant renewal. That's what life is all about.

For many walks I have given their paths in terms of longitude and latitude, so that you can, where appropriate, superimpose the paths on Ordnance Survey® and OSM® maps, as well as seeing the heights achieved.

Some walks are part of a several day visit arranged by groups to which I belong. In this case I also include a description of other activities which bring out the historical features of the locations visited. The number of walks and visits I describe here is being expanded and depends only on the personal time which I am lucky to find!

Click here for the main page on

Walks

Diverse Themes

Many of the themes in this section focus on the particular historical and cultural aspects that are associated with a good walk. Essentially, there are more dimensions to a good walk than just going through a landscape from A to B, or even just the challenge - as laudable as it often can be - of traversing that landscape. One of the important aims of this "Diverse Themes" section is to capture the rich harvest of historical and cultural experiences (such as Village Churches, Great Houses and Heritage Railways) arising from many a good walk.

The table "is laid" at Penrhyn Castle in North Wales.
Cultured living on show!

To emphasise the "diversity" of this section, I have also included some "none-walk related" items. For example, my modest "writings" include an amateur dabble in poetry and a more academic look at the maths underlying Multiple Choice Questions! A look at some impressions of the avian world will also not escape your notice!

Being taken for a ride and going round the bend
- on the Dean Forest Railway.

As you know, life is busy, and that is usually positive! However, I have quite a few things waiting to be assembled and written for these pages. When each item is ready it will feature on this my web site. Subject matter is varied, but then, so is life!

Click here for the main page on

Diverse Themes

Read Me

The "Please Read Me" or "Terms & Conditions" (T&C) page may seem a tad formal, but it is intended to maximise your enjoyment of the pages on my web site. In addition, I have designed my website so as not to generate or place on your PC any cookies. Hence, this site is not subject to the requirements of the EU cookie legislation introduced on May 26, 2012!

So, I wish you Happy Browsing!