First steps

So, of course, the first question is: why?
Why am I writing this blog?

Well, I'm not the world's most gung-ho rambler, I don't own a pair of gaiters and I'm not exactly a "stile guru" (it's a bit difficult to look stylish in Gore-tex, even if I do vehemently oppose the wearing of "hiking trousers"), but a few years ago a friend recommended the Time Out Book of Country Walks, and since then myself and Mr Davis have wandered up and down a variety of hillsides, mainly across the countryside within easy reach of West London. We've got marginally fitter, substantially muddier, eaten a variety of pub lunches and the occasional cream tea and seen some stunning countryside, wildlife, even the occasional historical building.

I've been posting a few photos and random comments from recent walks on Facebook over the past couple of weeks and been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who've been asking me about them, so I thought it might be a good idea to start a record of where we have been walking and when, just in case anyone fancies doing this themselves (or just likes to see what we have been up to)

Obviously there's some self-interest here too - if I can create something that we can refer back to it in the future, at the very least I'll avoid doing today's walk again and of course it means I don't have to remember the last time we walked the Wendover loop!

Also, as per usual, I have started January full of good intentions to get out and about and walking regularly over the course of the year - I'm hoping that by keeping a record of walks, it'll help me keep up some momentum (rather like giving up smoking and then not being able to smoke because you've told everyone you know that you've stopped). I know I won't walk every weekend - and I know I'm likely to slacken off when it starts getting hotter - but if when I do I post something here, that might just be another incentive to get my lazy slacker self into gear.