A solo walk again today, for logistical reasons. I did a circuit that I did a fortnight ago, but in the reverse direction, always worth doing, I find.
I added on another previously done circuit, so that I could test a 'better route' for part of it, that I spotted after our return. This did indeed prove to be better and will be noted for any future repeats.
This led me back to the circuit that I started on and I returned to the start.
It was noticeable that things were a bit drier than a fortnight ago, and that there had been quite a bit of damage in the form of fallen trees in the interim period of rough weather.
This tree nearly defeated me. Too strong to burst through, but not hefty enough to get over with confidence that it wasn't going to drop you five feet onto the splintered wood below. There was also the risk of it falling further, if you disturbed bits to get underneath. I managed to pass it, but it needed some care. Whilst clambering over it, I realised that I had only passed two humans in the 15km to that point...
It was also noteworthy just how much growth there had been in the past fortnight - that was just a muddy riverbank on the first pass.
One of the people that I met was this chap, a noted individual in the bloodstock world, out exercising a horse who has had a year off after injury, but looked a lot fitter than I was by that point.
It was helpful that they were approaching from that direction, as the path on the far side of the hill behind them tends to have bramble trip-wires, if nobody has passed recently.
The bridge that I laid a fortnight ago is still in place and functional.
In the top left, over the stream flowing in. It would be hard to get past this section without it - the water is 6" deep, the mud is very slippery and the branches make jumping across it rather awkward and risky, even though the level has dropped a good bit now.
All in all, it was a good day, but 20km is taking its toll on me now, the last couple of miles was a bit slower than the rest. It did drizzle very slightly for ten minutes, but otherwise it was OK, apart from still being very windy in the exposed parts*.
* Not my exposed parts.