The Bridgewater Monument, Clipper Down, Barley End, Pitstone Hill, Tring, Northchurch Common, Aldbury, Ashridge
Birds tweeting, real birds with real tweeting that is, a cool breeze, blue sky and it is 5.30 in the morning. Waking up for another walk as we get going again on 1000miles4hope. So different to the same time in January and driving round the M25 to get ready for a London Loop section. Feels good and time for a tweet. I am learning this alien form of communication as I go and send off my first tweet of the day.I arrive at The Monument at Ashridge at 7.30 am to be ushered in to a parking space by Trevor. Lots of cars around me and seems I am expected and I am very surprised to see so much activity this early in the morning. There are about 40 cars parked in a line, a van serving breakfast and a number of big trucks clearly getting ready for something. As Emma gets out of her car next to mine I say hello and ask what is going on.
Emma is in charge of wardrobe and tells me they are doing a shoot of a Little Red Riding Hood theme for a Sky advert coming out in the next two weeks. Rob arrives like a film star and also wants to know what is going on. Finding out it is not for us we move our cars to the visitor centre where we belong. Can't wait to see the ad. Look out for it and you will know we were there.
Rob sees me in my David Villa Spain shirt as I explain I have some Spanish blood in me somewhere way back on my mothers side. Then it is on with the 1000miles4hope tee shirt and ready to walk. This is a delightful walk we did last year as preparation and remember as being hard. Today we found it easy after our Offa's Dyke training. Everything seemed flatter and the steep bits shorter and easier. Amazing. Not having seen each other for six weeks there is lots to catch up on. Rants about Capello, the economy, what is going on with family and friends and looking forward to the next football season kill three hours straight away and the first nine miles fly by. 
We did get lost at one stage but fortunately met another Trevor out walking Maisie who could redirect us. Trevor is a keen birdwatcher and told us red kites and quails are features of this region. His wife is interested in wild flowers and we were told the most interesting wild flower locally is the squinancy wort which cures most ailments. We way we will look out for some as we have many ailments to cure.
We stop for an early lunch as Rob has his weekly audio with Citywire. Whilst waxing lyrically about the IMF report and the state of the world economy there are dogs barking in the background and Rob is trying to eat his sandwich. Impressive multi tasking a woman would be proud of and rarely seen in a man. Sarah Carlisle walks by with a couple of georgeous Golden Retrievers as Rob continues his soliloquy.
Aldbury is a really pretty village and we sit by the pond to reflect for a few minutes and take it all in.
We finish round the Ashbury Estate which is now a business school. An impressive building put up by the Duke of Ridgewater in 1825 and sold off to pay death duties within 100 years. Makes you think how things rise and fall and Rob has strong opinions on death duties. 
We pass a par 3 on the Ashridge golf course which funnily enough Rob is playing with the Greek Cypriot Golf Society on Wednesday.
We stop for a cup of tea at the end at the Monument visitor centre and Rob is able to rescue Dusty of Sally and Ian. Dusty has got his lead stuck in a table and Rob now so comfortable with dogs is able to go across and offer advice on how to release Dusty.
Good to be walking, talking, meeting, greeting and most important of all raising money for research in to a treatment for MS. Tell your friends to support us and anyone else who will listen. The walking is the easy bit and accelerating the research is what we really want to happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment