Well here we are again after a long-ish #walk break due to logistics problems.

Our return to walking saw us in sunny #Hexhamshire – and boy was it sunny! We started out in the car park opposite the lovely Dipton Mill Inn and just about managed to get parked as another walking group were starting off there as well. Quite a coincidence.

The walk took off along the Dipton Burn and through woodlands emerging into an early muddy #Spring with a sprinkling of #primroses and wood anemones along the way. After a mile or so we climbed out of the dene and out onto farm tracks and quiet country lanes. Quite a few of us had to don sunglasses and sun cream as the sun was so warm.

Mind you that sunshine was welcome as we stopped for lunch and enjoyed sandwiches in the first real warmth of the year.

This is a lovely quiet part of #Northumberland and although we had a mile or so of road walking we hardly encountered any traffic. Crossing a stile at a sleepy crossroads near Dotland we walked past hummocky remains of a medieval village before fording a small stream and heading for the outskirts of Juniper. From here we turned North and across two more fields before heading through a farmyard straddling the Letah Burn and on down to Hill Road.

Here we took a slight detour down to Letah Woods to see wild native daffodils in flower. In theory. The lovely walking book we used for directions mentioned this as a highlight of the walk. Sadly there weren’t any to be seen!

Only slightly disheartened we headed back along the muddy track to the car park to complete a good 7 miles.