A seasoned party of 14 CMC members started out at 11.00 a.m. A 10 minute walk uphill to the forest entrance and then a rough path led us past trailing furze still drooping from the weight of recent snows before we emerged onto the forestry road that twisted unremittingly upwards. Bursts of Spring sunshine brought colour to the hillsides and the winding valley now far below. We summited at 12.20 and welcomed an early lunch break in the sun. Resuming, the trail now levelled off and contoured through maturing forestry before emerging into a jumble of broken and shattered trees left by Storm Ophelia last October. Now the roadway, rough and ever-descending, emerged into a newly-felled area with long cross-country views over the Blackwater Valley and before long we found ourselves back on the main road. A group of four horse riders overtook us then and we called out “Any tips for Cheltenham”! “SupaSunday” he said, “Runs on Thursday”. We had a super Sunday too!
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