Strange country ways

Before I moved to Berkshire I used to do a lot of walking in the countryside, mainly in the west country. Berkshire is covered in tarmac,  so it's not safe to walk anywhere. About a year ago nostalgia got the better of me and  I went on a short drive/walk/drive trip around interesting parts of Exmoor.

The English countryside is nothing like the twee world of Beatrix Potter or as portrayed by Evelyn Waugh's character William  Boot in "Scoop".  Boot wrote a newspaper column on country matters entitled "Lush Places" - "Feather-footed through the plashy fen passes the questing vole".

There are lush places to be found but beware, the countryside really is "red in tooth and claw" and if the wild animals don't get you, the misleading information on the signposts and the strange antics of other visitors certainly will.

Signposts in the country show "country miles" not normal miles.  In my experience the numbers on the signposts do not specify distance but are actually a multiplier that indicates how much longer it takes you to walk a mile over the country terrain compared to one in town.

The great thing about walking in the country is that you can usually find a really nice pub where you  can recover from the strain of trekking  a country mile of two. A good country pub, such as the Exmoor Forest Inn at Simonsbath, caters for part-time country folk who wander off the paths and get covered in all sorts of muck.

A warm welcome and excellent food usually awaits you provided you obey the rules and remove your muddy boots and give the dog a wipe over.

Having recovered, you head off for more country miles. However, beware of the animals. National Parks such as Exmoor are home to wild ponies and sheep, both of which kick,  bite or butt and have been known to leave a lasting impression on walkers.

The great thing about wandering the countryside is that you can still find some delightful English rural architecture. This is the iconic packhorse bridge at Allerford in Porlock Vale. This is the real England that I love.

Tarr Steps is a medieval clapper bridge spanning the river Barle. Officially it's a Grade I listed building.

What is it about the English and rivers? Given the choice of a bridge or a ford, they always walk through the water not over it, even to the point of pushing the baby in a buggy - totally mad. Apart from the prospect of drowning, you could be run over by a 4x4.

It's a good idea to finish the day at a place where the countryside ends, then you know you can't go any further. I ended my trek at Blue Anchor on the Somerset Coast. Here the country miles dissolve into nautical ones, a much more precise measure of distance.