I can't read a map.

I know I know - I should be able to read a map, but ordinance survey maps in England are actually quite tricky, unless you have a feel for the landscape. If my husband chose to abandon me, I'd be lost. Sure, I have google maps on my phone, but that doesn't get you over fields and stiles and up lanes and bridleways. It's a whole other mapping system that's damn hard to read.

Thus, I rely on Jamie, which is nice really - I just give up control (like I have any control over my life right now) and follow his direction. On this walk, two days ago, we started at a village called Croscombe, and headed towards Wells, a cathedral city on the south side of the Mendip Hills. The walk there was stunning enough, walking along an old carriage way where the stone road moved along forest and a crumbling stone wall past bluebell woods where, if you climbed up, you could see remnants of the old iron age ramparts.

The approach to Wells went through an old deer park, and the Bishop's Palace loomed in the landscape. We'd already had an amazing few hours, photographing wild food such as young hawthorn leaves, wild garlic, red clover and nettles, and observing the archeology of the landscape, barely visible unless you know what you're looking for.

I've been to Wells a ton of times, always to the market, pubs and charity shops but never to the moat and the palace, which is funny. But I guess I was busy living my life here back then, and after a few years living in England, an old building just becomes an old building. It's only when you've been absent for a while when you realise how special all this stuff is. I mean, this is an 800 year old building, for goodness sake. How cool.

The swans here are famous for ringing a bell to get some food - we saw one chase a duck and it was fairly hilarious. It was a shame not to be able to go into the gardens proper, but a lot of things have been shut due to COVID-19, as you know. We sat and ate cold sausages, camembert cheese, kohl rabi and Jacob's Crackers with some sparkling water, and felt like kings and queens. Sometimes it's the simple things in life that are the best!

I do hope we can vist this amazing place when it's open - it's incredibly photogenic, and this is just the outside on a rainy day. Read more about it here - if you're ever in Somerset, you'd be crazy not to go. In many ways, it's as good as Bath, although you can't beat the Roman ruins I suppose!

From Wells, we follow the Monarch's way, which takes us part the way to Glastonbury. These markers showed the first part of the journey. In another week, we might walk all the way to Glastonbury, as long as we get picked up on the way - not sure I can do another fifteen kilometres and then do the same back again!

We then walked and walked, and walked some more, up a hill and through a blue bell wood and up another hill and through a field to discover this gorgeous dark woods full of ramsons. It was so dark and hard to get the settings right for a good photo.

After spending some time in these woods communing with the most amazing ash tree, which was hollowed out in the centre with a wild rose growing out of it, we kept going to stumble on an amazing little camp. There were a few tee pees and a couple of yurts, and a timber building which was half built. We spoke to the guy there who'd bought it in the 70's with about six other people, and had council approval for 'low impact housing'. It's rare to find this kind of thing in England as land is at a premium, and you can't just do things like this without treading on other people's toes. I was really thrilled for him. He said he cycles everywhere, and was loving the lockdown as there wasn't as much pollution. We agreed it had done wonders for nature. I couldn't take too many photos as I didn't want to tread on his privacy.

It was quite remarkable to see roads and ways without any people on them. We did run into an old couple who, like us, were kissing through the gates. The gates between fields open both ways to stop livestock moving in and out, and tradition has it that you walk through and kiss your lover. When I saw him kiss his wife (he must have been 80 if he was a day) he turned around and laughed. 'I've been through 18 of these today - it's been a great day!'. Very cute!

It's amazing how these journeys pass so quickly - hours go by and there's so much to look at, from nature to the man made villages and houses that are just gorgeous. So many beautiful farms and little stone details to die for. How's the huge ammonite built into the house below!

We then passed through the most amazing valley - Somerest is just so incredible for wonderful space and hidden places. One minute you're in a busy village, next you're in a quiet wood or up a hill with a view of fields and woods. It's truly a wonderful place to be 'stuck'. We couldn't believe it when we got back to the car and found out it was 4.30 - we'd left at 9.30 and expected to be back by 11, but we'd been having so much fun we just kept walking.