Hi all, happy Sunday! We have made it through another week and I think we should all be proud of sticking to the guidelines and looking after ourselves and others.
Now’s the perfect time, for every single one of us who can, to make the most of where we live and appreciate whats on our doorstep.
Mum and I made the most of the sunshine on our bank holiday Monday by going on an 11 mile hike in our local area along the Gordano Round
We (well technically Mum) plotted a route from our front door to my Grandma’s house so we could give her a wave from the edge of her driveway.
Even if you don’t live locally to me, you should take a look to see what green spaces you have near you and get adventuring.
I made sure to take my proper camera with me so I could share my lockdown social distancing adventure with you.
So after it being months since I last put them on; I put on my walking boots and set off exploring with Mum and the dog.
Fairly early on in our walk we came across a field full of buttercups so I let Amber off the lead and took a series of pictures of her running through them — thankfully we haven’t found any ticks on her. I think she looked rather cute!
Have a look through this series of pictures to see her run/bounce closer:
We came across a few people on our walk but had no issues keeping our distance (except one occasion where a quick scramble up a bank on a narrower path was required).
I can’t believe how hot it was – I did mostly manage to avoid sunburning but a lot of the walk was very exposed so if you do head out make sure you put sun cream on* more regularly than I did!
*I’m sure you already know to do that so really this is more of a mental note to remind myself; I am a fair skinned ginger who needs constant suncream application!!
Anyways back to the walk: We did have a couple of rest stops, mostly for the dog who is very much an old lady and hasn’t walked 15km plus in a long time — I admittedly was also very appreciative of the breaks as I was one sweaty betty
We even came across some aspiring entrepreneurs in the form of two – at a ‘guesstimate’- 10 year old boys selling contact free ice cream on their driveway. We thought it was an excellent idea and a well timed refreshment for us
If you are local, and out for a walk, and in need of a cold refreshment; they were selling a variety of ice creams for £1 each along cadbury camp lane.
At first I tried to be a lovely daughter and offered to buy my mother an ice cream with apple pay on my iphone, but the universe told me it was not the day generous as their contactless card reader wasn’t working and instead they needed a card number which I didn’t have saved on my phone. This meant: Thanks Mum for the ice cream!
The surprise ice cream may actually be the highlight of the walk… sad I know but it was SO HOT AND IT WAS SO YUMMY!
I’ve found that it’s so important to get out and breathe in the fresh air, now more than ever, as it’s a great way to feel refreshed and positively affect your mental wellbeing.
I’ve had a few moments where I have found myself to be struggling these last few weeks but it’s amazing how much good just stepping out the house can do for your brain, it really relaxes me to feel the breeze and put fresh air in my lungs.
My walk just goes to show there is so much you can do locally without needing to travel too far to other places.
As much as I might miss Dartmoor at the minute, I personally don’t want to travel far, even though it has been allowed by the UK government, as it can increase the spread of the virus and I don’t NEED to go anywhere. And if you have the green spaces near you, you may as well explore what’s on your doorstep, you never know what you might find on your local adventures
When out on your adventures; be safe, keep your distance, and most importantly relax!
I hope you’ve all been enjoying the weather, I like to think that this sunshine is the earth thanking us for not polluting it as much as we had been doing before lockdown.
Keep safe and well. Remember that this is only temporary and try to find the positives in the situation we are currently finding ourselves in.
Thanks for reading x
p.s. If you’re reading, thanks Mum for plotting this lovely hike and buying me ice cream x
Abi’s Life in Writing 