I’ve been ridiculously busy over the last month or so, Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions every weekend, (I’m an assessor now!) working out my notice, including the school being visited by Offsted in my last week. At the same time I've been developing my website and promoting my business to anyone who stood still for long enough. I said farewell to colleagues and pupils as I take the plunge into the unknown world of being completely self employed.
What was half term became very relaxing half term in the Galloway Forest Park with just a couple of short walks of the not very adventurous kind.
Walk one: Around The Beeches, starting from the Barr Trails car park, a very familiar route, made special this time by the setting sun lighting up the forest and turning it, and Felix the dog, orange.
Walk two: Castle Kennedy Gardens, we’ve walked around these gardens alternate summers for the last 20 years. When we first visited my son was a toddler, and the route was enormous. This is the first time we have visited in the spring.
The round pond lilies were not in flower but the Azaleas and Gunnera were, and were beautiful too.
We walked the route in about three quarters of an hour, put the dogs back into the car which was parked in the well shaded car park and had lunch in the Tea Rooms. It was a lovely drive out over the hills from Barrhill and we drove back along the coast on the A75 through Ballantrae and Girvan.
Back in England now I’m looking forward to more Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, a day out in the Brecon Beacons with fellow ML people, two days with primary school children to walk up Sugarloaf Hill in the Brecons, and a Silver Duke of Edinburgh expedition in the Forest of Dean.
What I am really exited about is my first ‘The Walking Woman’ adventure, a 5 day walk along Hadrians Wall from 9th to 13th July. There are places available on this trip.