A Day Away

I had picture time with some stray sheep, I learned again why I enjoy microbrewery beer so much more than large-scale brews, I had water fresh from the spring (like we used to when I was a kid), and I walked. And walked. And walked.
I can see the hills in the distance, dark against the misted rain and clouds, while my feet still feel them underfoot. I’m heading back to Oxford after a couple days of walking and exploring. In west England there is a small area broken into several towns surrounding these hills. The hills are the Malvern Hills, and Colwall, Malvern Link, Great Malvern, West Malvern and Hereford are the main towns surrounding and settling within these hills. The highest of the hills reaching 1352 feet, the Worcestershire Beacon, lords over others such as Sugar Loaf and the British Camp (Herefordshire Beacon). Spanning 9 miles north-south in total, I walked along the tops of the precipices for about 5 of those miles, then back, and my feet surely understand what they have just done.
It’s an exhilarating experience walking along the tippy-tops of these big ol’ hills. Once the wind kicks in and you realize you’re looking across England into Wales and across the length and breadth of England all just by turning around, you feel as small piece in a vast puzzle but also infused with life. Maybe it’s just the wind that makes you sure you’re alive or the fact that you really are seeing great distances with the naked eye, but either way, this is reality. It’s not a movie or a photo, but a real land and a real wind and a real sky and a real mist that I was experiencing. Perhaps it was the water that flows in Malvern from the wells. There are several famous wells, such as St. Anne’s and Holy Well, the water flowing through and in Malvern is VERY good water. There’s a little fountain in the middle of town from which I filled my water bottle at least thrice. So yes, I’ve had life-infusing water. Now if the water takes away my blisters, well then THERE is some real infusion. Cheers.