Countryside 1

It was a stunning day. We went down to breakfast and watched a few golfers wandering aimlessly about the course under an unblemished canopy of blue. The sun was beating down and it was already getting quite warm.

The first thing on the agenda was to take the Silver Vixen across to Malvern for the Quilt Show. We headed off and soon got stuck behind a silver Renault Clio who was so worried about exceeding a speed limit, that the hat that was driving reduced speed to 5 mph beneath the limit. As we entered a series of roadworks with and advisory 20mph limit, this became silly. The Gorse Fox had instantly assessed where this person was headed; and so it was that we followed her all the way to Quilt Show.

Having dropped off the Silver Vixen, GF headed back to the hotel and donned his walking boots. It was time to take a stroll.

He headed down Puckrup Lane towards the River Severn, turning south just after the old, disused railway bridge. The ground was still a bit squelchy here, where it had obvious flooded during the winter, but it soon firmed up as he headed across the fields.

Because of the routes of the Public Footpaths and Bridleways, GF was a bit further from the River than had hoped, but the views were lovely, and so quintessentially English.

Everything was so lush and the green was so fresh and vibrant. Being May, the trees were in blossom.
The GF had been going for some 30-40 minutes and had not seen another human being. This, somehow, makes you feel as if everything in view is yours - you do not have to share it.

Looking back they way he had come, the fields were dappled with drifts of buttercups, and in the background the Malvern Hills kept watch over the Worcestershire and Gloucestershire countryside.

As the Gorse Fox followed the paths, the route got more challenging. This section followed the old railway embankment and was quite overgrown. Nettles grew above waist height, and in a number of places there were trees or branches down across the path.

The Gorse Fox had to scramble across and balance upon a number of fallen trees, and managed to finally emerge at the far end with only a moderate number of stings and scratches.