16 April Ramblers Walk: Through Bourne Woods

By Tony Attwood

There are signs that can be seen as welcoming, and then again, there are signs that seem a little more daunting, not quite saying, “Hello walkers, please come along, you are most welcome to engage with our footpaths and other whatnots, for we recognise your right as taxpayers and citizens to be here.”

And indeed I was much relieved to find that this particular sign did not apply to my fellow travellers or meyself, if I may be permitted to use the phrase in this particular context.

No, the sign most clearly did not apply to us as we were gathered in one of the most easterly parts of our remit for our walk within and around the woodland.

And indeed, as I stepped back a way and took in the gathering point, it was a singularly positive-looking arena with only a limited number of other walkers and wildebeasts assembled for their own enjoyment, as of course they are fully entitled so to do.  As are we.

And so we parked in most acceptable surroundings and gathered our thoughts and water bottles, closely listening to the last-minute instructions of our leader and ensuring that everyone who should be there was there and no outsiders had ventured in without paying their dues.

There was indeed only one thing that might cause us any delay in venturing forth or in fact come to that venturing fifth, and I am delighted to say that did

not hold us up one jot.  Nor indeed one iota.  It was another sign.  And indeed, if you peer closely, there was another right next to it.  For it seems we had stumbled into an outpost of the National Sign Museum, which is venturing ever further afield in my experience, warning us not to step here, to avoid something else there, or indeed to take care of “Forest Operations” which in this case seemed to be the planting of vast numbers of exclamation marks!

Quite why we need these I cannot tell, for there was no one there to ask, but I can only assume that it is a breeding problem, but delicacy forbids that I venture any further into that topic.

Thus forth we did once more adventure, and yes, there was a wonderful set of pathways between the woodlands, and most exciting and pleasant it was to discover this area, in which footpaths had indeed been cleared both for our convenience, and I suspect as fire breaks too.

So onward we walked, with more details and exciting pics to be revealed next time.  Although for clarity’s sake I should make it fulsomely clear that the next post does not exist at the moment in which I am posting this post, which should not be confused with the one before last, as that would be most misleading.