A local walk and few photos to mark 2020’s last gasp – next time the sun clears the horizon it will be 2021. If it’s past midnight when you read this: Happy New Year! (“Let’s hope it’s a good one”)

We thought we’d seen the last of the sunshine when it became overcast and grey around lunchtime – but as the sun went down, the sky cleared. It was still pretty cold though. Nevertheless, a pleasant afternoon for a wander through Linley Brook, up to Willey and back past Lower Pool and the Smithies.

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Late afternoon: it’s stopped snowing and the day’s looking brighter – but not for long. We’re walking down the lower lane at Shirlett, and as we walk back, though the sky is clearing, the light is going. It’s too cold to stand and watch the sunset. Instead, turn through 180° and see the last full moon of the year rising.

It’s the ‘Tally-Ho‘ walk again – in reverse. We walked this way on late October, on a day when we were doing our best to dodge the showers. Today, after storm Bella has passed, it’s beautiful weather – the wind’s dropped and it’s cold, bright and clear.

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It’s a familiar route – out past Lower Pool, down Britons Lane, up Bould Lane and back along the short avenue. Other than a couple walking a dog, there’s no-one about. Perhaps the forecast deterred them – 40% chance of a shower at 2pm? We’ll chance it. I don’t think we’re going to have any significant rain – just enough for a brief rainbow… When the sun shines, it’s pleasantly warm, and there’s barely a breeze – most enjoyable!

View OS map in Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=367470&Y=298250&A=Y&Z=120

We’re on a mission today – there’s a wayside shop (cakes and other goodies) in the middle of nowhere, which coincidentally is near the end of this walk. We won’t hang about, partly because the daylight hours are very short now, and partly because the weather forecast says there’s an 80% (or was it 90%?) chance of rain at 4pm. It was pleasantly sunny earlier, but by the time we’re back at the car (mission accomplished) the weather is looking distinctly threatening. Within a minute or two of driving away, the first fat drops hit the windscreen. How’s that for timing!

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Clockwise: we’re following a route we walked a couple of months ago, but this time going around the other way. The views are subtly different – more so because of the season. And we have to be wise to the clock – the days are very short now. Any later starting and we’d have been completing this walk after sunset.

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