Numbers remain high in spite of the wet and muddy conditions. Seventeen of us set off this week. We walked through the village and down Station Road as far as Millers Lane, but we took the bridleway opposite and came out across from the lay-by where the buses were parked and the snack bar was steaming away. Cherry tree lane was clear of mud all the way round to the farm and the path through to the route towards Kings Sutton was also mud free. At the narrow path taking us beyond the cottages we had to combine field edges with footpaths to avoid the worst of the mud, but once up on the ridge by the badger setts we had grass verges and the compacted reddish soil which did not cling to the boots. We passed through Charlton village and on downhill to the path up to Rainsborough Camp. As the gap in the fence we used to use to access the ridge has now been fenced off as a result of frequent damage by the hunt, we took the lower path and followed the further fence up to the ridge before taking it all the way to Green Lane and back to the pavilion. We all sat inside out of the cold and enjoyed a chat over drinks and, in some cases, lunch. Six miles.
