Maintaining my fitness

In my last epistle I wrote about how my DelvFire was inspiring me to greater fitness. Averaging 10,000 daily steps over a week was always likely to be a challenge, and even more so in the dark, cold and wet winter months.

One friend suggested that I get myself a dog, but that's a non-starter. Happy I am to pet other folks' pooches but the thought of having to walk one of my own on cold, wet mornings is too ghastly to contemplate. Perhaps I've lived too long with cats. Another 'helpful' (?) suggestion was a daily walk to the newsagent but that didn't impress either. I just know that the Daily Whatsit would lie unread several times every week. A subscription to The Guardian Online suits me fine.

And therein lies the problem. There's very little that I have to do that involves much walking. Shopping might have been a contender if I didn't live at the top of a fairly steep hill. Walking down to the town is a delight, as is walking back up again, so long as I don't have much to carry. For my twice or thrice-weekly top-ups at Co-op I gladly resort to the car.

Oh, and before you're tempted to suggest it, I abhor gymns, even though (for my age) I think I look quite good in leggings and a lycra top. Spending hours walking, running, cycling or rowing and getting nowhere would soon blow my tedium valve.

What I needed was a moderate walk in lovely countryside and not too far from my home... and now I have one. I don't walk exactly the same paths every time but the basic route changes little. Most importantly, having done it several times in the past few weeks I can testify that it's not become the least bit boring. As well as the constantly changing forest scenery, there are people to meet, their dogs to pet, squirrels and deer to spot and even the occasional boar to snarl at.

Here are a few photos, taken recently as I walked.

Coal mining has left its mark throughout most of the Forest of Dean. This old shaft at Moseley Green is simply marked "Independent Coal Pit No.6 (disused)" on the 1904 OS 6 inch map. I bet it didn't look this pretty when it was operational.

This uninteresting spot always raises a smile as I walk past. On holiday here, several years ago, S- and I were caught in an enormous thunder storm. With the flashes and bangs growing ever closer together, we thought it unwise to stay among the trees, so crouched down here on the left with only an umbrella for shelter.  Then I remembered that the umbrella had a metal top!

At this point Blackpool Brook has flowed 2 miles from its source near Speech House. The next time I see it, it will have grown considerably.

 

Central Bridge is so called because it was supposed to carry the Severn & Wye Railway over the Forest of Dean Central Railway, but the latter was never built. On a grey December day it wasn't looking very colourful, so below is a picture of it in July 2014.  As I wrote earlier, the scenery of the forest is constantly changing.

I did say that Blackpool Brook would grow a bit! Malards Pike lake succeeds in looking beautiful at all times of the year. 

11,844 steps.  Mission accomplished.