#39 Barton Hills

10.87 Miles
273 Metres Ascent

Back into the Barton Hills for a muddy adventure!  Bedfordshire generally has two types of mud, claggy boot clinging mud across some fields and slippy slidey gloop along tracks.  This walk happily had both!  The day was unseasonably warm above 10c, so I managed with just a shirt.  Layering is proving complicated this season.

From Deacon Hill

I followed the same route as this walk in May.  With a slight variation up to the top of Deacon Hill to eat a pork pie, well you can't eat a pork pie without reaching the top of something can you!  This hill has great views over towards Bedford, and could be a good wild camp spot, although the beer cans in the bushes suggest it wouldn't be quiet in summer...!

You're not in Kansas anymore...

Follow the yellow planted road, follow the... ok you get the idea....

#36 Win Hill and Ladybower

9.44 Miles
433 Metres Ascent

Today was somewhat of an experiment.  I was driving back down south, and usually take the motorway, by the time I leave and get home I have 'lost' a day.  So today, I was going to go home via the Peak District, which is actually a short distance route, but about 1 hour longer.  This meant I could do a reasonable walk and drive south.

I picked a relatively easy walk up Win Hill and then back through the woods to walk along Ladybower.  I had done this walk a few years ago so knew the route without much (any...) planning.  Parking at Hatherdene, I wandered down past the dam towards Yorkshire bridge.  I had 2 choices to get up Win Hill, the steep, muddy, slippy, Parkin Clough path, or a slightly less muddy path towards New Barn before cutting back towards Win Hill.