walking in the rain

This morning we set off to climb a nearby hill, notable for the impressive little hillfort that crowns it. Weather forecasts and local conditions appear favourable and as we arrive it is cloudy-bright and tolerably mild. It is a steep little pull of nearly 200 metres to the trig point, but at the summit the views in all directions reward the effort. For me it is an overdue cardio workout, as I have cited inclement weather as a reason not to walk for nearly a fortnight.

We stroll another couple of miles before we find a park bench at which to savour our packed lunch: Heinz mulligatawny soup and cheese and pickle rolls. However, no sooner than we had sat down when the skies darkened and a light rain began to fall. We finished lunch with some haste and made our back down the hill. Soon the rain turned to hail and then settled into a steady downpour. By the route we had taken it took nearly an hour to get back to our car, by which time, annoyingly, the weather suddenly cleared up and the sun came out. Suffice to say it was a delight to get home again, put the central heating on constant and sit in front of the fire in a welcome change of clothes.