It was an early January day and the sun was shining – perfect conditions for a short walk.
Fourteen of us met at the North Street car park in Midhurst.
After mastering the intricacies of the car park payment machine, we headed off in the direction of the Cowdray Castle ruins.
Going over the River Rother, we turned left and passed the polo field, the Cowdray shop and café, and then headed out into the countryside in a north-easterly direction.
This was where we encountered our first mud of that day – but walking in mud is never a problem if you are wearing your trusty rambling boots.
Make sure they are well waterproofed and carefully laced up, and then, with confidence, you can go anywhere you want on foot.
Oh yes, a couple of walking poles could also be useful to help you keep your balance over particularly difficult muddy terrain.
We enjoyed walking along the tracks and footpaths, and across fields where the footpath indicators pointed us, and we then encountered some delightful ponies which showed a lot of interest in us humans as we passed by.
I often wonder what animals must think of us as we trudge along wrapped up against the cold weather with our rucksacks strapped to our backs.
Probably something like “it’s them again, invading our space” or “funny lot, out here in the cold when they could be by the fire watching their televisions”.
If we were a flock of sheep, a well-trained collie would be keeping us in line.
After a delightful circuit, we turned south west and admired the lovely views of the South Downs ahead of us, then walked through Easebourne and back to Midhurst.
Following a very pleasant morning we enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee at the Cowdray café.
Sheila Gadd