January Stroll 2007 by Ed Doughty & Dave Mundy

I must be a glutton for punishment as following on from our walk at Christmas I asked Dave if he fancied going out for another early morning walk. I thought that by now Dave would be in need of some more exercise. There was of course an ulterior motive, to try out my new wide angle lens and tripod. I suggested that we go to Mill End and take the route that had been the Club's end of summer walk last year led by Rod Bird. Dave didn't come on that walk so it would be all new to him and my plan was to stay away from the River so as not to let him get any more killer water shots!

Dave came to pick me up at 7:15am with strict instructions to bring some coffee. We found the car park and start of the route OK but once into the woods I realised that we had gone the wrong way. Stupidly I didn't bring the map that Rod had sensibly provided on the end of summer walk. Luckily I remembered that there was a path running along the top of the hill so all we had to do was to go up through the trees to meet it. What could be easier I thought but I'd forgotten I had Dave with me. We'd only gone up a few yards when he started to moan, 'Where are you taking me, up the north face of the Eiger?' came the cry from somewhere below. Anyway with a couple of stops on the way for Dave to use his oxygen mask we made it to the top, Sherpa Tenzing would have been proud! More to follow....

If I'd have known we were going mountaineering, I'd have got someone else to carry my camera bag. Of course Eddie boy wanted me to bring the coffee, does he have any idea how much a full flask weighs? Still Ed has a fair bit of weight in his camera bag, as he is not called Ed (Lens For Every Occasion) Doughty for nothing. If only he'd brought a map with him instead of half a dozen lenses, we might have had more idea where we were going?

As I was trudging up the steep hill, pretending to take a picture after every 5 steps so that I could have a rest, I discovered the real reason I like to walk alongside the river, it is usually flat there as water very rarely goes up steep hills.

Mr. Fitness himself of course wanted to try out his latest wide angle lens. When he had this on his camera, I had to stand about 30 yards behind him, otherwise he moaned that either myself or my shadow were in his viewfinder. We were blessed with a lovely clear bright day, but it was very cold so we had to keep wrapped up, and nothing tasted better than our hot coffee out of the flask. I know it was hot as I managed to drop the stopper into my cup as I poured it out, and got a nice shower of coffee to prove how hot it was. I really was having a butterfingers morning as I managed to drop my polarising filter in the long damp grass, and watched it roll down the hill a bit for good measure.

The red kites were up above circling effortlessly around as they do. They really are a magnificent sight if you catch some light under their wings to show up their distinctive markings. It is great to see their numbers increasing, and it seems that now wherever you walk around this area you will see at least one, gracefully gliding along. It was a marked contast to the sight that greeted us in the woods. Rather sadly we found this pigeon wedged in a tree, perhaps he had been flying at speed and wasn't concentrating, and didn't know the tree was there, obviously had the same map as us.

I often wonder what normal people make of us photographers. I mean what must they make of a couple of fully grown (definitely not mature) blokes on a freezing cold morning, lying down in the cold damp grass pointing their cameras at an old farm implement and a tree? It is a strange hobby we have, I thought as the biting coldness of the frosty grass crept through my trousers and froze my skin. Other sane people are at home having a delicious breakfast or another hours lay in under their cosy duvets, and there we are out in the cold taking pictures of dead birds. You know what, I think they have it all wrong, we are the sane ones out and about early in the morning, seeing what nature has to offer us in the way of views and fresh air, and I bet our coffee tastes better out in the fresh air on a cold winter's morning. Everyone should give it a try, I reckon, and they might just find out how good the countryside is around here.

-- EdDoughty - 21 Jan 2007