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We felt the need to get out for some fresh air. We decided to do one of our favourite walks, not because it is spectacular but mainly because it is fairly local, just about the right length, and ends at a pub. The walk is circular and starts at The Old Swan at Swanbottom.
As we drover over to Swanbottom we left the bright skies of our side of the hills which were replaced by the fog on the Wendover side! We parked up outside the pub and headed down the path that runs to the left of the pub, and eventually got to the woods were we turned right and then came out at the filed that always seems to have stubble no matter what time of the year. Often you can see yellow hammer here. Once across the feild we headed across the road and along the footpath that eventually crosses Arrewig lane, at the house that has a very only combine harvester in an open out-building which is near the footpath.
Once through the garden we headed down a hill and into a woods where we headed right agin and kept in the woods for quite some time. There are lots of holly trees in the woods but although there were the odd berry on the ground there we almost none in the trees themselves, perhaps the birds have stripped them bare during the cold snap? I suspect not as I think we would have at least seen some in the trees, perhaps they were all males or female trees?
The weather then changed, it started to drizzle, we really had picked the best place to go for a walk today. Out of the woods by taking another right we headed up the hill away from the woods and cam across that lane with a funny name again. You come out at a large barn complex, and have to walk down the road for 100 yards before picking up the foot path the other side of the road. You then head down for a while before picking up a footpath that leads across a horses field that comes out at a road junction (T) on the corner of a woods. Out the other side of the woods, having kept rightish, we hit a field and then a road.
Just along the road the footpath goes through a farmyard, and then enters a wood which must be really close to The Lee. The path through the wood is always very muddy, but today the ground was still just frozen enough to keep us off of the mud. Just before you get to a house there is a footpath junction that heads towards Swanbottom. Another road to cross and then just up the path turn left past the large house with the horses field and you are back at the pub.
They do good food at the pub, father in law and I had fish and chips, Helen had veggie burger(not on the menu, but available to those that ask), and sister in law had proper burger. We had not seen many birds perhaps the weather was to blame, they were all on the other side of the hill in the sun maybe?