Getting a breath of the new year's air

After yesterday's drizzle which seemed to stay all day, today dawned brightly. Unfortunately I didn't really wake up until about 10-30am but it meant I'd had a good sleep at last.

We headed off for a short walk at one of our favourite viewpoints, Coaley Peak, which sits on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment overlooking the Severn Vale and the Forest of Dean beyond. We walked to the trig point which looks south towards Uley, Cam Long Down and Stinchcombe Hill and stood just looking. Woodpeckers saw this from there.

On our walk back to the car I liked this view west towards May Hill on the far distant ridge, beyond a long meandering bend in the River Severn. The frost had remained wherever there was shadow and I liked that the molehills show that their occupants also like their homes with a view. The combe below is a favourite view of mine at all seasons. The road which climbs up it to the top of the escarpment is the latest iteration of an ancient long distance trackway. It originally came from Arlingham, which has been a key fording point of the River Severn since before the Romans came to rule this valley. It later became a droving road for the animals of Wales to be brought to market in Bath, Salisbury and even London.