Surrey and Sussex Well being Weekend 2026

NORMALLY THE well being weekend takes place in May, but this year it was pushed forward to June.   Personally, I was hoping the weather would be really nice, like one of those summer weekends you remember from your youth.   But whatever the weather decides it never dampens our spirits.   For the first time I didn't need to worry about what I was working over the weekend, or when I came back or any of that old malarkey!   I could just go and enjoy it.

The weekend is spent at Hay-on-Wye with it's unique position on the border of England and Wales, it is ideal for visitors to enjoy and explore the border country.   Hay is known for it's books and bookshops and is the first book town in the world, with a yearly festival, which lasts for a week, attended by thousands of people.

Karl sorted the accommodation out, giving us a good base to work from and come back to relax at the end of the day.   The activity weekend is great for both your mental and physical well being, going off grid a little and just being with other people makes a big difference, especially when the groups come together as they are so relaxed, friendly, and inclusive.

Day 1 - Formation

[EUTIERRIA (yoo-TEE-air-ee-ah):   Eutierria is a positive emotional state defined as a powerful, deep sense of oneness with the Earth and its life forces.   It describes a harmonious feeling where the boundary between yourself and the natural world softens or evaporates replacing alienation with a profound sense of connection and belonging.] 

Everybody was arriving at different times on the Friday, depending on what time they got off work, and the journey time.   I arrived at 10:00 to find Karl and Forrest at the accommodation and we set out for a coffee at the local gardens.

The plan then was to set off for the first activity, walking around Cussop and into the forest we found a river with water running from the mountains.    This fed into a natural plunge pool, which looked cold!   But we decided to give it a go and got ready, Forest was the first one in, jumping from the bank into the icy water.   Karl and I both climbed down the bank and "gingerly" got into the water.   I was not disappointed by the coldness of the water, which took your breath away (on a previous gorge walking activity we were shown how to acclimatize to cold water before getting in).   Great way to wake yourself up and start the weekend, officially we had begun.

We went back to the accommodation to see if anybody else had arrived and in the evening walked down to "Burger Me", for food at The Globe.   The Globe is interesting because we don't know what you are going to get.    Last time it was an open mic night that was dire!    Very dark, very depressing and that night they had another open mic night!    Hold on a minute though, this one was was really good, lots of amateurs, singing, and reciting poetry but a great night out.

By the time we got to The Globe everybody had arrived and the weekend was just starting, good friends, beer, and entertainment.

Karl: "We kicked off with a cold water plunge that woke everyone up fast.   Bracing, but the banter made it worth every second."

Day 2 - Connect

[Anima Mundi (an-th-mah moon-dee):   The soul of the world ... an ancient understanding that all of life is connected through a shared living presence. The idea that beneath the diversity of nature exists a deeper unity, linking all living things as part of the greater whole.]

The following morning there was no messing about on the next activity a 9 mile hike from Capel Y Ffin to Llanthony Priory.   Very close to the beginning was the walk was a mountain that needed to be climbed with an ascent of 465 meters!    On a hot sunny day this required some dedication to the cause!   Its not all about endurance, you have to have the right mindset to power through and get the the top.

The reward was waiting at the top where you reach the height of the Brecon Beacons looking down long valleys where you can see how the ancient glaciers from the ice age has formed and shaped the landscape.   It's breath taking and makes you realise how small you are in the large scheme of the Universe.   The next stage was taking us across the top to the downward paths to Llanthony Priory, what a walk that was.

It was great to get back and hit the showers to get rid of the dirt and dust of the walk.   In the evening we went to the Red Indigo Indian restaurant for the evening.   Curry and a beer is always welcome, especially after the romp that we had.

Karl: "From there it was boots-on hiking through stunning country, with the views from Capel Y Ffin reminding us why we do this.   The trails, the wind, the quiet moments - all of it built that easy comradeship that comes from shared effort."

Day 3 - Team

[Mugda (moog-dha):   A sanskrit word describing a state of wonder inspired by beauty.   The feeling of becoming completely captivated by a moment, standing in quiet awe as time seems to slow and the ordinary reveals something extraordinary.]

After the hard work on the Saturday and the team disbanding for 2026 we needed an activity to enjoy and relax, working together before the journeys home.

This was a two hour canoe session down the river Wye.   Setting off from Glasbury we had four canoes in the water and started the journey following the river, feeling at one with nature, no rush, taking it easy.

There were high river banks with house martins nesting in holes along the way.   The house martins flew around the canoes, trying to catch the flying insects on the river before diving back into their nests.   There were a few kingfishers, looking for small fish in the river.

At the end of the trip there was a trip into Hay, looking at the many bookshops.   Then departure for everybody ending an amazing and productive weekend.

Was the weekend like that long lost summer weekend from my youth?    Absolutely it was, loved every moment of it, taking away a lot of memories.

I will leave the last words to Karl: "One day you will be walking down the street and see someone from this weekend, you won't need to say anything, just smile because you know you were here and have this shared experience." 

Rediscovering trails: Home to Burgess Hill Town Football Club

WITH RETIREMENT I started doing things I don't normally do.   Breaking out of some of the old routines, making new ones, meeting up with old friends and just getting out there and enjoying life.   I used to work with two people Chris Neal and Keith Morris and we got together at Burgess Hill Town Football Club to catch up and watch some football.   I have not seen Chris for over eight years.

It was a great moment to get together after starting work at the factory at the same time, going through training and taking it right through to retirement!   Three old geezers at the football, that's a great story.

I went to three matches and we hit the end of the season, it's worth noting that Burgess Hill Town won every match that I attended!    But afterwards I had a thought between me and BHTFC ground is fields and a wood, there must be a trails run in there somewhere, so I mapped it out on my "footpaths" app and ran it today as a test.

On paper the run looked quite good, but I wasn't sure what the trails would look like and needed to keep on track, so I used GPS on "footpaths" to make sure.    Leg one was through the estate that I live on heading out on some trails to the main Lewes Road, quick run up the road and enter the trails again at Colwell Lane.

Colwell is a long straight run taking you down to Hurstwood Lane, not my favourite place to run, as there are no pavements and I don't think it's that safe, but the distance from Colwell Lane to Fox Hill isn't too far, so I just kept left as close as possible to the side of the road.

Crossing the main road I turned down Cape Road and it wasn't long before I reached the trails run that takes me to Theobalds Lane in Burgess Hill.   This was the step beyond the pale into unknown territory, which I was looking forward to.

The route was not what I expected, it was a really nice, well marked out path taking you right down to Theobalds.   There were some really nice bridges that looked pretty new that helped to keep you on track.    There was also a chicken coup that seemed a little out of place, but made me smile.   Checking "footpaths" I could see I was on track all the way across.

It was sunny and hot, so I took my freetrain vest with me.    Head cover, water (with a hydration sachet in it), one gel, my phone and a bank card, just in case.    Always have fall back plans, things sometimes just do not go the way you plan them and you don't want to get lost on a hot sunny day without any water.

At the end of the trails I reached Theobalds Lane and started down the private road towards Leylands Road, this isn't far from Wivelsfield Railway station and BHTFC is just a six minute walk from there.

Made it in plenty of time and had a quick rest with some water before thinking about heading back.    My neighbour plays football for Balcombe II and they are playing Crawley in a semi-final match at BHTFC ground on Wednesday.   I was thinking about going over to see him play.

I now know I have a great route over to the ground to see him play.   That will save me £7.50 for parking at the railway station and £4.50 for the train fare.   Good times! 

 Update: Two days later I went over to see Ash play in the Mid Sussex Junior Charity Cup playing against AS Crawley.

AS Crawley 1 - 3 Balcombe II.   Great match and a good win.

 

 

 

Rediscovering Trails: Whiskey from Hirwaun to Penderyn

MY LAST BLOG for Hirwaun, South Wales was "The Dark Run", during the run I spotted a gate before the ascent up Dark Lane that appeared to be a trails run to Penderyn.   I wanted to check this out and have now completed the run.

Normally when I run to Penderyn I run up the main road, which is pretty boring, so finding a trails run was pretty exciting.   Running the first part of The Dark Run I crossed the disused rail track and turned left heading for the gates that opened up the trails.

I was expecting a poor path up to the village and was surprised by how beautiful the path was, nice and wide which opened into the countryside at the foot of the Brecon Beacons.   I couldn't have hoped for a better path than this and the landscape was beautiful.

It was one of the Autumn mornings where it's cold, but perfect for running, trees bare arms reach across the trails, and brown and gold leaves line the paths.   This is one of the most beautiful parts of trails running, getting out into nature and just letting go.   This is not just about physical running, it's about your physical and mental health, breathing in that fresh air and being in the moment.   Anybody who does this knows exactly what I'm talking about.

There were a few people I passed on the trails, walking into Hirwaun or just out walking their dog, acknowledgement nods and exchanging, "Hello" or "beautiful morning", just makes the day as you continue towards Penderyn.

I took a very small detour as I got to the ford, it had been raining quite a bit and the ford was pretty high, I could have taken a small bridge to get across it, but I was enjoying the run and didn't want to exit too quickly.   Once you are in the moment, you don't want to just end it.

It wasn't too long before I hit the gates that marked the end of this run and I turned onto the main road, just above the Penderyn whiskey distillery.

The day before the run I was in Tesco and picked up their free magazine.   In there was an advert for Penderyn whiskey/Madeira mix.   A whiskey that is blended for seven years and then transferred to a Madeira barrel for the last seven months.   This sounded interesting.

As I was outside I took a look inside and asked about the brand, where were very eager to allow me some free samples to see what I thought.   I am not the type of person to turn down a free sample and I wasn't driving!

A couple whiskies later I decided to take the main road back to Hirwaun, this is the first run I have completed with a whiskey break in the middle.   I suppose I had better not make a habit of it!

Since writing this blog I have managed to run it once again, this time I didn't stop for a free whiskey! 

Rediscovering Trails: Dark run through Hirwaun

SPENDING A WEEK in South Wales at the bungalow in Hirwaun.   Looking at my normal trails run and thinking about opening up a new one instead of just using the main road between the two villages.   It's always good to get out and run in nature.

The run doesn't start off on the trails, instead you have to run down into the village and turn down Station Road, just before Penaluna famous (and award winning) fish and chips.   Following the road around you come to a "T" junction and this takes you over the disused railway line and onto Dark Lane.

When I first started to run in this area I found the route on the web, it was known as "The Dark Run", it took a while to find the name of the lane which then made sense.   A woman out walking her dog told me that you can run down the railway line past Llwydcoed and into Aberdare.   She has never run this because the surface, railway sleepers and ballast, which isn't a good combination.

There is a turning on the left hand side, with a gate that appears to go over to Penderyn, I will have to have a look at that and see if I can fit it in before I return to England.

Dark Lane is a steep uphill slog that is just over one mile in length, once you get to the top you have a short lane to a dead end.   From here you can see over the Heads of the Valleys Road, which follows the Valley up before dropping down into Merthyr Tidfil.   On the right is a farm track that takes you past the farmhouse and down onto Keepers Lane.   This is a tricky part of the run because you get a lot of water gushing down the path with an uneven surface due to rocks, bricks and lots of roots.   But it's also a great run, just really pay attention to where your feet are!

Keepers Lane will then take you back into the bottom or Hirwaun Village.   There is a small bridge, that I never like to run because it has a hump in it and you cannot see what is on the other side (like me running in the road due to no pavement).   In redesigning the Heads of the Valley's Road they have added a very nice footpath around the bridge, which was really helpful.

From here it's uphill back into the village and following the main road back to the start.

This is a very nice trails run just below the Brecon Beacons.   Next time I need to check that left turn at the railway line and see if it goes into Penderyn.  

Rediscovering Trails: Acorn drops from Walstead to Lindfield

IT WAS A beautiful day to get out for some run training over the local trails.   I wanted to pick up on an old route running down the main Lewes Road and picking up the trails around the back of Lindfield heading for All Saints Church at the north end of the village.   It's been quite a while since I last did this run, but wanted that experience of getting off the main roads and being somewhere familiar.

The start of the run has a degree of difficulty, with a large hill up Northlands to the Lewes Road, after that it's downhill ending with a slight incline to Lyoth Lane.    This takes you past the Snowdrop public house, which is an amazing little pub.   It's a short walk from the house and a place I sometimes take myself in the evening for a pint of Guinness and a good book (I always have a book on the go).

At the end of the lane you cross the main road and start the trails run, down the side of a farm house and into the woods.  After a short while I reached a stile which crosses a field, normally with horses in it, run a bridge across a small river and circle back to cross the horse field again further down.

It isn't long before I reached the next field which has footpaths running through the end of the seasons sweet corn.    It's always a great feeling running in nature, which is close to you and makes you feel like you have increased your speed.

At the end of the field is the main road, cross that and back onto roads for a short distance before going back into woodland.   This time of year brings a few other problems, especially if the woodland has oak trees.   Wearing headgear of some sort really helps when you have acorns being dropped from height.   They can hurt and cause injury and best to be prepared for that, the sound of a falling acorn really resonates through your head.

As I came to the end of the run, going past Wilderness Fields, I found All Saints church was open to the public.   There was nobody inside and I decided to make a stop and sit in the church for a while.   It's odd but you really feel a closeness to God in a church, with the rich history, stained glass windows, alter and crucifixes it has a very calming effect.

Being there on my own made me consider my own well-being, mindfulness and allowed me to contemplate where I am and where I wanted to be, especially important as I have just retired after 32 years of public service.

Somewhere there was just me in a quiet space, away from the noise, just having a few moments to myself.   It was a great feeling.

Once out of church I needed to make my way home, running down through Lindfield High Street, cross the common and past the cricket pavilion back on the roads that took me back up Gravely Lane and home.

Surrey and Sussex Wellbeing Weekend 2025

MAY ARRIVED with sunshine and great weather just in time for my third outing at the Surrey and Sussex Well-being weekend in Hay-on-Wye.   With leave booked I was looking forward to a great weekend with Karl, Jo, Forest, and Janice at the Trewern Activity Centre.   Every year brings the usual hardcore team and some going for the first time, it's great to meet new people and doing some networking on these weekends.

Hay has a unique position on the border of England and Wales, it is ideal for visitors to enjoy and explore the border country.   Hay is known for books and bookshops and is the first book town in the world, with a yearly festival attended by thousands of people.

This year promised to be bigger than last year with more people attending, resulting in Karl booking the local activity center in Cussop for accommodation.   Giving us the perfect base to rest and relax before heading out for the planned events.   Last year was the first time that I had been on an activity weekend, which I booked when I was going through a very hard time.   The weekend really helped and I would recommend it to anybody.   Mental health is always improved with exercise, getting out into the country, and great people around you.

Like last year I decided to relocate to Wales on the Thursday staying at the bungalow in Hirwaun, it helped me miss the Friday traffic on the M23, M25 and M4 and put me within a one hour striking distance of Hay, which was ideal.

Day 1 - Formation

Arriving in Cussop I headed for the activity center to meet up with Karl and Forest.   With fridges packed with food and bedrooms allocated I unloaded the car and started moving in, being the first to arrive I could choose my bunk, result!   With traffic pretty good on the motorways (unlike last year) it wasn't too long before everybody else started to arrive and we settled in and started to plan the first activity of the weekend.

With two designated drivers we set off for wild swimming at Bredwardine.   The water was freezing but once you've taken the bold step of submerging you soon acclimatize to the water.   The river is a great spot for wild swimming, with a bridge for people to cross on foot or car.   The supports create a strong current down the middle of the river that makes it an effort to work to swim towards the base platforms of the bridge  but swimming away from it you are in that "jet stream", which can take you down stream quickly.

After the swimming we went to Brobury House and gardens for coffee and cake.  The gardens are cared for throughout the year by a small team of dedicated gardeners and make the perfect place to visit all year round.   They do not close the gates to the public, so you are able to go and enjoy the gardens anytime.   In the center of the gardens is Brobury House, a charming turreted Victorian building which in Spring has the most magnificent bloom of purple wisteria.

In the evening we walked across country and down into Hay to The Globe a community venue, where you never know what you are going to get.   This time is was open mic night with a lot guitarists and poetry.   It was another interesting evening at the Globe and something that we always look forward to.

Day 2 - Connect

This is the big day for activities that we look forward to, with a return to my first year and gorge walking.   This year the activity was arranged through the activity center which means we kitted up and got on the mini bus before heading out to the site.   Two years ago I tried this on the first weekend and wasn't really aware what gorge walking was, but you jump into a river and float down stream and then start climbing rocks, waterfalls, and navigating the river.   Most of the time you are in the water and it is great fun, but can be dangerous, so you always keep an eye on the person in front of you.

With the bank holiday weekend there was going to be a big demand on the main sites, but the activity team found a location that isn't well known, I cannot say where we were it's that secret!   We arrived in the the glacier effected site and walked down to the river.   Stage one was acclimatizing to the water and jumping into a cold pool before walking across country, rejoining the river and starting the journey back to the jumping pool navigating the steam in all it's glory.

Working downstream, floating, climbing rocks, and navigating the bends of the river.   Surrounded by high rock faces, blue skies, and green hills was absolutely beautiful.   What made it really great was the camaraderie with the team, from the trainers to the people in our group.   With the common ground we have, everybody gelled and just made the day work brilliantly.

In the evening we walked cross country again and went into Hay to the Cozy Cafe, to celebrate their third year of trading.   The venue was a hot spot for dancing with DJ Max Galactica on the decks, and few glasses of Dark and Stormy we were set up for the evening.   Alcohol and dancing, what could go wrong?   Apart from everybody having a great time and Karl dancing on the tables around the Cosy Cafe!   After three hours of dancing I soon found out!   Everything ached and the following day there was a 7 mile cross country walk up to the top of Hay Bluff to do!

Day 3 - Team

The day started with Lucy and her team coming over to Trewern to teach us how to make small bird houses out of Willow.   Essentially this is an ancient craft of weaving.   The team had a lot of patience showing and taking us through making the bird houses, with just a wooden base and lot of lengths of willow.

It was a great morning learning an ancient craft and allowing us the opportunity to add a little more wildlife to our gardens by inviting small birds to nest and nurture.   I did get home and having put the bird house up found blackbirds nesting in my ivy which is amazing, I've been keeping clear of that area allowing them to get on with rearing their young.   The morning ended with tea and cake, which was made for us by Lucy and her team.

We then turned our thoughts to the cross-country hike from Cussop to the top of Hay Bluff  (Penybegwn) which is situated at the northern tip of the Black Mountains, an extensive upland massif which straddles the border between south-east Wales and England.

Setting off from Trewern we went cross-country with quite a lot of hills to start getting the altitude, going past a cemetery that Karl reliable informs us is the resting place of the person who invented the cross-word, whose position in the church cemetery is six down and four across!

Working our way along King Offa Way we caught the attention of a herd of cows, who decided to wander over looking a bit intimidating.   They didn't account for Forest who started running towards them, turning the herd back to where they came from.   It was a sight you had to see to really appreciate it!

The majestic climb to the top of Hay Bluff was steep and hard, as expected, but worth it to see the landscape where we stopped for a packed lunch and a break before heading back to Trewern.   It's interesting that the top of Hay is a few degrees colder, you really notice it and can't wait for the warmer air when you descent down to the bottom again.

The day ended with a quiz night led by Karl, who it appears has a local reputation as "the quiz master", we even found posters for his quizzing in The Globe.   Being broken into four teams things went well until security had to be called in to deal with a few disagreements!

Day 4 - Depart

Normally we break up on the Sunday after the Hike, but instead, due to the bank holiday Monday, we had an extra night.   Last day was a walk across fields into Hay to see the village and enjoy the shops.

As usual the first stop was coffee by the river and a group chat before heading into the town, first on my list was the Electrical Company which has everything, as the name is deceptive.   We toured the book shops of the first book town and had lunch at The Castle before thinking of heading back.

This left time for a quick visit to the local curiosity shop where I bout three cats for £6 and the famous fudge shop for treats on the long journey home.

Another great break, expertly planned and executed by Karl and Jo, thank you.

 

Surrey and Sussex Wellbeing Weekend 2024

LAST YEAR I attended the amazing Surrey and Sussex Police well-being Weekend in Hay-on-Wye.   This year I was determined to go again, although it got off to a difficult start with the dates falling on working days and no chance of leave, when suddenly the dates changed with a perfect rest day fit.

Hay has a unique position on the border of England and Wales, it is ideal for visitors to enjoy and explore the border country.   Hay is known for it's books and bookshops and is the first book town in the world, with a yearly festival attended by thousands of people.  

This year promised to be bigger than last year with more people attending, resulting in Karl booking the local activity center in Cussop for accommodation.   Giving us the perfect base to rest and relax before heading out for the planned events.   Last year was the first time that I had been on an activity weekend, which I booked as I was going through a very hard time.   The weekend really helped and I would recommend it to anybody.

I decided to relocate to Wales on the Thursday staying at the bungalow in Hirwaun, it helped me miss the Friday traffic on the M23, M25 and M4 and put me within a one hour striking distance of Hay.

Day 1

Arriving in the town of Hay I met up with Karl and Forest for coffee and waiting for the Surrey contingent to arrive.   We met in the town of Hay and went for coffee, catching up with friends from last year and meeting new people at the Castle Cafe.   There were the inevitable delays on the motorway and the chance of wild swimming on day one was lost, but there was plenty planned for the rest of the week to make up for it.

We settled into the Activity Center in Cussop sorting out the sharing and dividing up the rooms.   It was great to have a large open community area and kitchen.   Karl had sourced the food and the weekend started with a BBQ.   Following this was an evening around a camp fire with guitarist/singer Stephen Russell, who did an amazing set with his guitar and looping system.   Highlight for me was an amazing rendition of U2's "With or Without You".

Things took a different turn when Aggi turned up with two bottles of vodka (apple and grass).   With the sun going down we sat around the campfire drinking vodka and talking about the weekend to come.   Aggie didn't make it last year, so this was the first time I had met her and hope she will make future events.

Day 2

This was the big planned actives day.   Heading out to Glasbury we met up with The Ultimate Activity Company for a canoe exploration of the River Wye.    We were set up with canoes of two or three people and headed downstream canoeing from Glasbury to the Boat Inn between Rhydspence and Willersley.

We picked up a passenger whose party had left their "best man" behind during their stag weekend.    Luckily, by the time we got to the Boat Inn he was seeing the funny side of things!

It wasn't long after the safety briefing that we got the canoes into the water, started to pair off and sailing down stream.   It all got off to a great start and were doing well, navigating the stream, riding weirs.   Things were about to change when Forest became Captain Jack Sparrow and launched himself over the gap between two boats in an effort to "parley", but capsized the boat putting everybody in the water.   Swim Forest Swim!

It was a great journey on the river, working in teams to get the boats down stream and across the weirs to arrive on the lawns of the Inn for beer before we were picked up and taken back to Glasbury.

Then came a lesson in archery being taught how it should be done.   At Karl's suggestion we were split into two teams of male and female in a shoot off, where the men clearly demonstrated how not to do it and were taken back to school by the ladies!   Turned out Janice was pretty good with a bow and it was a well deserved win, next time we will have to even up the talent a little!

This was followed, rather neatly, by a lesson in axe throwing.   Again once being taught how to throw an axe there was a play off.   My inner Saxon came out and I found I wasn't bad with an axe!   Karl threw a great session and it ended with a head to head between Forest and I.

The day ended with a trip to The Globe to see the Classic Blues Band, playing covers of blues songs that Britain exported back to the states at the end of the 1960's and early 1970's with bands like Led Zeppelin, The Yardbirds, Fleetwood Mac and Eric Clapton who embraced the music and tried to recreate the sounds.   In those days there was no internet and it relied on vinyl imports from the states and hours of listening to the music to try and transcribe and learn it.

The Classic Blues Band recreated the music brilliantly and we really ended the day.   The combination of guitar and vocals were amazing, but the work of the saxophonist and trumpet really created a great sound that made an amazing evening.

After an evening of music and beer we regrouped and headed back to Cussop for our last sleep at the activity cent, pretty knackered from the days events having created a lot of memories.

Day 3

It was a sad moment to get to the end of the week, but there was one more event planned before we packed up the activity center and headed back home.

We had an 11km hike from Cussop to Hays Bluff.   A really nice trails hike across the country with some very difficult hills; the aim to get a lot of altitude to see the whole of the surrounding country side.

The pinnacle of the hike was to get to the top of Hay's Bluff which forms a part of the "Dragons Back", running from North to South Wales.   This was a climb and a half to get to the top, but well worth the effort.   As we hit the top we sat back with a packed lunch and enjoyed the surrounding countryside.   The top of the Bluff was a good few degrees colder and I am pleased Karl questioned why I was just wearing a running vest!  Good call!

I am definitely looking forward to next year.

Surrey and Sussex Wellbeing Weekend 2023

THE FIRST thing I need to do is thank the amazing Karl for organising and hosting this event from Hay and Jo for organising it from the Surrey/Sussex end to bring it all together.   Without them the entire weekend wouldn't have been possible, so a great big heart felt thank you to both of them.

At the end of a long shift I found the lastest copy of the S&SP Wellbeing Magazine online.   In it was an article from Jo about the weekend last year with new dates for this year.   It came at the perfect time for me, I emailed Jo asking if there were spaces and to sign me up!

All I needed to do was get to Woking and transport was arranged from there.   Straight through to Hay-on-Wye in Herefordshire on the border with England and Wales, where the weekend kicks off.   I was really looking forward to this break and couldn't wait to hit the road with Jo and Andy.

Day 1

Somehow we got around the M25 and up the M4 making perfect time for our arrival in Hay.   Greeted by Karl and dumping our gear into the bedrooms we had fruit loaf and tea before taking off for wild swimming at Bredwardine.   The location was amazing below a large bridge that goes across the river, the water was refreshingly cold, but great fun, swimming against the current as it came around the bridge legs.

Once we dried off and changed we walked across to Brobury House for coffee and a walk around the gardens situated between the Cathedral city of Hereford and the book-lovers paradise of Hay-on-Wye.   The gardens are cared for throughout the year by a small team of dedicated gardeners and make the perfect place to visit all year round.   They do not close the gates to the public, so you are able to go and enjoy what the gardens anytime.   In the centre of the grounds is Brobury House, a charming turreted Victorian building which in spring has the most magnificent bloom of purple wisteria.

Karl turned out to be an amazing chef and knocked up a risotto in the evening, after which we walked around the area and into Hay for drinks at the Blue Boar.   After this we made our way back to the house and closed day 1.

Day 2

This was the big day with Gorge walking arranged.   I had my well worn wet suit at the ready and was excited about the day with the challenges that lay ahead.   We headed for the activity centre to get our wetsuits and buoyance aids on before heading for Dinas Rock in South Wales.   We disembarked the mini bus and walked the trails to the start point where we jumped into a deep pool of icy water before floating down stream where the adventure really started.

If you want to see what this looks like then click here.   This will show you a group of adventurers walking highlighted parts of the course from two years ago.   Well worth having a look at.

This is something that you have to try, walking up stream, though deep water, across rapids and climbing waterfalls was amazing, refreshing and I walked away thinking that I had achieved a lot, I want to go back and do more, so looking forward to next year already.

In the evening we went back to Hay and had pizza, spending the evening at The Globe.   This is a community centre where they put on variety, with authors reading their work, plays, open mic nights and DJ sets.   A few more beers were acquired and we made our way back to the house for the end of day 2.

Day 3

This was the chill out day before heading back to reality.   We spent the morning on a walk across the fields to Hay and had a slow look around the book and curisoity shops.   It was a great morning, ending with a village fete on the local fields before heading back to the house and packing up.

This was a great weekend, full of friendship and camoraderie.   It was relaxing and fun to do, especially after the week that I had.   Thank you Karl and Jo for a great weekend.