Rainy days

My goodness have we had rain, it's poured from the heavens along with strong winds which must have made walking the Wall a real challenge over the last few days.

There are sections of the Hadrian's Wall Path that get really boggy and if you don't have good walking boots and gaiters you could get into trouble.

I've just bought a new pair of boots, the do say waterproof on the label but I've yet to find a pair of boots, that aren't rubber, that actually do what they say on the label. Still there's always a first time.

I've been waiting for a break in the weather to get out and see how comfortable the boots are, just after tea tonight there was a chink of light in the sky and hoping that a sunset might be in the offing I set off for Caw Gap.

Rather than go up the steep path I followed the track that skirts around the edge and discovered a quagmire.

Took me ages to work my way around it and all the time I could see lovely light on the other side of the crag.

Scrambling up the grass bank I came to a herd of cows, I'm not usually nervous with cows but these had some very young calves. I took my time passing through them, making sure I didn't get between a cow and her calf.

I also talk to them all the time, nothing but gibberish and they do sometimes roll their eyes at me but I got through unscathed, to the spot I'd planned for my photograph.

It was a very windy, I use a carbon fibre tripod because it's light enough for me to carry but in a good wind it's not that stable. Even worse I was on tussocky grass.

I settled down to wait for some colour in the sky and got the fright of my life when a couple of cows came up behind me and snuffled loudly in my ear.

Nothing much happened sunset wise and the cows were becoming curious so I decided to cut and run, well more cut and crawl as I didn't want to spook them. Don't know if you remember I had a bad fall a few months back, that was at Caw Gap as well, and I'm beginning to wonder if it's jinxed for me.

Nice big moon tonight so maybe I'll get a sunrise outing tomorrow.

Couple of Radio 2 presenters are walking the Hadrian's Wall Path and were getting lots of nice publicity - wish they'd brought some of that southern sunshine with them.

Catch you later