Standish Woods

Posted on 25 Oct 2021 by Phil

We braved the rather showery weather to return to Standish Woods, not far from Quedgeley. After a bit of a struggle getting the National Trust car park ticket machine to actually work, we set off into the wind and headed to the nearby Topograph:

Rocco was his usual happy self, even without a stick:

From here, we headed downhill to the woods:

And I found a couple of sticks for Rocco:

Then into the woods, and the slow climb back up:

Lovely views from the top:

A nice walk, and the showers were not a problem!

Robinswood Hill

Posted on 24 Oct 2021 by Phil

Rocco and I are staying with Steve and Toby in Quedgeley, and a Sunday tradition is a walk around the local country park at Robinswood Hill.

Quite a climb to start with; the path then contours through the woods and up the hill.

And finally, we get to the top:

Extensive views over Gloucester and Cheltenham, plus a rainbow for good measure.

The far right hand side of the rainbow was very close to Gloucester Cathedral!

Unfortunately you need rain to produce a rainbow, and it was a bit drizzly (and windy) at the top.

So time to head back down!

A good walk – Rocco did like chasing his sticks!

A Happy Rocco

Posted on 10 Jul 2021 by Phil

Had our regular walk at High Elms this morning, and, finally, I’ve managed to take a reasonable picture of Rocco running towards me. Unfortunately, this was just after he’d rolled in something, which is probably why he was looking so pleased…

There seemed to be a problem with the car parks at High Elms this morning; mine was the only car in the main one:

and the other one was still locked:

A Cold Weekend

Posted on 14 Feb 2021 by Phil

No fresh snow for a while, but the temperature has remained below freezing all week, so the paths through woods were frozen solid, and consequently quite hard to walk on. The one benefit was returning home with a clean dog – this photo was taken almost at the end of our walk in High Elms:

We went to Shoreham Woods on Sunday. I normally avoid this path because it is so muddy during the winter, today it was just rough walking on ice:

Rocco enjoyed himself though:

The views from Polhill Bank are always nice:

And the paths along the Darenth Valley:

Rocco enjoyed himself crossing the large field:

And then back home, with a clean dog yet again!

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud?

Posted on 7 Feb 2021 by Phil

There have been far more “wet days” this winter than I recall – not so much heavy rain (or at least not when the dog needs walking), but consistent rain making everything VERY wet. Even High Elms Country Park, which normally isn’t too bad in the winter, has been suffering with muddy paths this winter.

Today’s walk was in the National Trust “Petts Wood & Hawkwood” estate. Rocco loves going there as there are plenty of rivers and ponds to get wet and muddy in.

However, the paths were really muddy today, and with a light dusting of snow and some strong gusts, it wasn’t always that pleasant walking!

Rocco was enjoying himself though:

Further on, it didn’t get much better:

Though the heathland looked pretty:

Rocco needed a hose down once we’d returned home!

A Frosty Shoreham Woods

Posted on 10 Jan 2021 by Phil

A cold morning, so two pairs of gloves and a woolly hat today!

So we’re off to Shoreham Woods.

3° below zero according to the car, so at least most of the muddy paths will be frozen. Unfortunately, my least favourite path down the hill was a combination of uneven surfaces and icy puddles – quite a struggle to stay upright!

It was nicer further on at Polhill Bank, and while I retied my shoelaces, Rocco enjoyed shredding the stick he’d carried for the last mile:

With no one else around, and the mist suppressing distant noises, it was eerily quiet:

Later, we had to get past some ponies to get to the stile. But these ones are no problem – they must be really used to dogs by now:

Disappearing Path

Posted on 9 Jan 2021 by Phil

A cold and misty morning today, though with no wind. High Elms is starting to dry out a bit after the last storm, so Rocco returned much cleaner than before!

This is the path across one of the fields, and yes, it does go somewhere eventually!

Boxing Day at Shoreham Woods

Posted on 26 Dec 2020 by Phil

The woods were almost deserted this morning; in fact I only met three other dog walkers the entire time. A bit warmer than yesterday as well, though less sunshine.

Rocco likes these woods as it is very muddy, and there are plenty of sticks for him:

If there’s an opportunity, he does like to chew them into small pieces:

Shoreham village looks nice as always:

And the path across the fields unusually didn’t have any cows in it:

Kyd Brook

Posted on 15 Nov 2020 by Phil

Very heavy rain overnight, though it had eased a bit by the time I took Rocco for his morning walk. We went to a rather muddy Petts Wood & Hawkwood – one of his favourite walks as there is a lot of mud, water and sticks!

Kyd Brook was seriously in spate following the overnight rain – I’ve not seen that much water in it for a fair while:

Rocco leapt in as usual, but really struggled to swim against the current, and only just got out again. At which point he ran over the bridge and got in that side. Again, he was swept down the brook and this time, he really did have a hard time getting out. Luckily after that, he treated the brook with a bit more caution!

This bit further down is normally about 6″ deep with a little “beach” to the side: