Having walked the quarry edge path in the mist, and returned along the valley bottom, there is a choice of three routes that will take us back to Croft Hill, and the stile onto the footpath at the top of our lane. The easiest is along a roadside gravelled path a gentle climb separated from the road by a hedge. An alternative preferred by the dogs is a grassy, and occasionally muddy, track, with a steep and sometimes slippery scramble up to the field at the bottom of Croft Hill. The track is populated by rabbits, and sometimes a pheasant will launch itself from the undergrowth squawking and clattering its wings, startling us all, flying low and teasing the dogs, who will never catch it. It’s not surprising that this is the dog’s favoured route. On this misty morning @shepherdmanswife opted for the most arduous route, a steep ascent up a long flight of steps up to the edge of the quarry, where, on a clear day, there is a view of the quarry floor far below, and across past granite cliffs to the south Leicestershire countryside beyond. For once it was me taking the photograph at the quarry edge in the mist, as @shepherdmanswife watched. She was busy catching her breath, sitting at a picnic table as she recovered from the climb up the steps.
