High Up on the Pewsey Downs...

Some incredible light today on yet another insanely long walk...

From Oare in the east (north of Pewsey), up into Ruish, squelching through sodden tracks and mushy paths, up onto ancient ridgways along the Pewsey Downs and all the way along to Knapp Hill (the name of which suggests flint tools and is the site of a Neolithic camp). Plenty of sheep, white woolly dots underneath a Wiltshire sky, brooding one minute, bright blue the next.

Looking over the Vale of Pewsey we see a few bonfires, backlit and one of my all time favourite clumps anywhere, Woodborough Hill (at least today I found out its name and I walked along as far as it is). Over the opposite ridge are the firing plains of Salisbury Plain Military Area - and there were the occasional crumps and booms, followed by backlit white plumes. Military planes and helicopters kept the skies busy (but not overly so).... 

I hadn't been on these parts before, I had been partway along a few years ago but the conditions, especially in winter are difficult and the winds can blow cruelly. I had retraced my steps that previous time, only going one quarter of the distance along that I managed this time.

I guess that now I must be a bit fitter, a bit better prepared - at least out of the chilling wind and in the sunshine, it was almost spring-like pleasantly warm. Birds tweeted and daffodils sung triumphant in their blooms of bright yellow.

Of course, I had to return back to the bus route home and so that involved dropping right back down into the valley - more squishy muddy tracks - on the road to Wilcott, branching off along the stretch of Kennet and Avon Canal east of Pewsey Wharf. On a few previous occasions, I had walked west along the canal from Pewsey Wharf and there are many moored barges but on the stretch I went along today, almost none. A canal that was almost like a river - a strangely still, unflowing one...

I had a bit of time before the bus and so got to the stop with 15 minutes spare. Twenty minutes late the bus was and it was getting very cold and now dark.... A double decker lurching and pitching trying to make up time over the winding and undulating roads of Salisbury Plain is like a ride at Alton Towers (perhaps not) and we did make up fifteen of those twenty minutes, but it still took 2 hours! I saw a massive bulbous orange moon rising over the night horizon above Amesbury from the top deck, so it wasn't all bad!

Tons of pics taken and so choosing one difficult and I didn't want to rush into it - I wanted to show a bit of this fabulous area at its best, after all. You might be surprised that most were taken with my 70-300mm Tamron VC telephoto (with a polariser - many consider landscapes are only taken with wideangles...and such for polarisers too)

I missed a Blip yesterday as I had done chores like paying the rent, getting my hair cut - and buying the latest Bond movie 'Spectre' on DVD, as it was released yesterday. Missing it entirely at the cinema I was keen to give it  a spin - two and half hours is LONG film - and whether it was actually any good or not (the committee's still out) I do find that I simply don't enjoy Bond flicks as much as I used to...Next thing I knew, it was bedtime!

No commenting or such tonight as I'm tired and bowlegged, as you might expect, walking and clambering up clumpy clay and chalk slopes for 15 miles. And it's after midnight! Better luck tomorrow! 

And it looks set for an even brighter day here tomorrow, but I won't be walking far!

Love you ALL!! Goodnight.