Although the winter months give time to plan the walking season ahead, they also allow space to remember past walks. Perhaps nothing has been committed to paper or even digital imaging, but the walk remains embedded in the subconscious.
The memory was jogged this morning as we glanced outside to see a rare frost cloak the ground and a wintry sun and blue sky brighten the summerhouse. Two walks were brought to mind.
The first was a walk in Swaledale, up on Fremington Edge. It was a clear, bright day. The layers had been stripped off as we walked up the fellside path to the ridge path. By the time we were walking by the wall, we were down to short sleeved T-shirts even though ruts were ice-filled. It was such a refreshing day.
The second, was a new year's day walk from Stake Moss to Thoralby in Bishopdale. Again it was a beautiful, crisp day and we were by no means the only walkers taking advantage of the glorious weather. Our rucksacks carried our packed lunch with mincepies. As we walked along the footpath over Stake Allotments, we were met by a couple of sheep. Okay, nothing unusual in this you might think. What do you expect when you are walking in sheep territory? Two ewes are picturesque. However, these particular sheep thought we were 'their person' coming to bring them something. Word quickly got out, and from all corners of the fell trotted the sheep towards us. We'd never experienced anything like it before. Before long, we were being pursued by a hundred or so sheep. Perhaps they had detected our mincepies? As they trotted behind us within a metre of our heels, cute felt intimidating. For half or mile or so we felt like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Eventually we passed through a wall boundary, leaving the sheep behind us.
We've not had it happen to us since. It's amazing what a glance outside can do to evoke memories.
