Fouzilhon, Languedoc.

A lovely walk from Fouzilhon today. Blue markers but in reverse.Taking the D15E3 from Laurens and parking in the center of the village. The walk is about 7 or 8 km and is easy walk throughout. The views are quite stunning across the plain even on a cloudy day as it was today. Starting from the village center (this is a lovely old medieval village with a beautiful church and lovely little lanes that wind up to the top with pretty views). Now turn left onto the D174 and walk uphill to a small group of trees on your right. Take this right turn onto a little track road that travels through pretty vineyards and has lovely views back to the village (do not turn off this track). After the small incline you will come to a T junction of tracks, turn right here and follow this track all the way to the road. Now turn right for a short way, it's not the first left turn but the one where the road bends. Turn left here. Now you have a choice; for a slightly longer walk with lovely views down to Roquessels keep left going straight ahead on a wide track through the garrigue.The track loops back right to join the other track. Or after turning left keep right down passed a small area of garrigue with bee hives to your right. This area is lovely, a high wild area of garrigue and grass. You will have to cross a ditch where the locals having been having a dispute over land rights and have placed large stones to stop vehicles passing. Don't take the first right but the second one, down a wide track with grassy sides. keep on this track until you reach a junction of tracks, keep straight on here and on up over the hill. The track returns to the village over Mont Mazou and finally joining the D174 where you can either turn right to the village or straight over passed the wells and pretty old farm buildings to the village center. Map at end of pictures shows whole signposted walk. This walk is the west side of the walk.

Caen beach. France.

Caen - Early morning beach walk.

Puttles bridge, Ober water. Rhinefield Walk near Brockenhurst

Puttles bridge, Ober water. Rhinefield Walk near Brockenhurst. This is a great place for a short or long walk, but today we did the one and a half mile red walk which is a super distance for young children or older people. It's a beautiful level walk and even after last nights rain it wasn't too muddy. There is also a shorter one mile walk or you can take a map and enjoy the whole wonderful area. Parking can be found at the start of the walk Puttles bridge car park or Whitefield Moor car park on the return of the walk. Starting by leaving Puttles bridge CP walk east towards the forest and follow the stream. The beech woods are very beautiful here and there are lots of ponies and children have made little log shelters which are fun to make or play in. There were a few puddles which made for more fun and pooh sticks to drop at the first bridge. If doing the shorter yellow walk turn right here over the bridge and the circuit will return to the bridge near the car park. If following the red route keep left through the woods and the path shortly returns to the stream at the second bridge. Turn right here and head up the path to cross the bog land on a good raised path, turning right again onto the grassland. (If it's hot and you want to stay under the trees this is possible too). The grassland is a great play for family picnics and games, it's also a very good walk for dogs. When you are level with the first bridge turn right to cross the bridge and then left to return to the car park. If you have parked at Whitefield Moor, continue to the car park on the grassland. It's also possible to return to puttles bridge this way too. There is usually an ice cream van in the top car park but we drove up to Blackwater CP in Rhinefield to enjoy some wonderful New Forest ice cream there. There were lots of families up there doing the same and having BBQ's too. Enjoy your Easter walks and outings.

Moors valley and Play trail

A lovely family walk this morning with our, son, daughter and their children, plus the dog at Moors valley. I set off down the bottom end of Moors valley, which is always very quiet and a great place for our lively collie to enjoy a good run around in the forest. The nice thing about this are is that it's also fairly open and has large heather covered areas, making it nice and light. Then it was off to the play trail for a coffee and biscuits at the snake pit - usually a good spot to rejoin the family for the rest of our walk. The children also love to play hide and seek in the forest, make stick towers and stick men on the stick trail and enjoy the puddles, of which there were very few today.

Linford bottom, New Forest.

A beautiful walk in the New forest this morning. Starting from the car park at Linford bottom and heading east, up through the woods until you reach the gate at the end of the inclosure. It's a lovely spot for a picnic or coffee stop down by the river and then it's back on the lower path alongside the inclosure to the car park. It's not a long walk and can be done in an hour, but leave a bit longer and enjoy the river as it's such a pretty spot.

Springfield copse, Verwood.

A short walk with Phoebe in Springfield copse. Lovely to see the bluebells out, even if some of them are the Spanish ones they are still pretty. It's nice little walk and has dried up a lot this week, making the paths passable without wellies now. It's only a small wood so you have to go around it a few times really.

Stephens castle, Verwood.

The Verwood photography group's first photography walk this afternoon. The weather was not it's best but we very much enjoyed each others company and talked a lot about ideas for the future in our group. Lots of great ideas and some photo's too. Yes, we did get around to taking a few. The coffee and homemade cake, halfway kept out the chill and we had quite a few laughs too. The group are planning to have a number of these walks throughout the year, so it's a great group to join if you like taking pictures and getting to know others who enjoy the same. We walked up through Stephen's castle from the Memorial ground and climbed up the bridleway to the viewpoint where the views were superb even though it was rather dull today then on into the forest, returning via the Stephen's stone and back to the ponds. There were lots of spring flowers up there today too. The path returns to Verwood near Hillside school.