New Year's Day.

A long walk to work off the excesses of New Year's Eve? Is there a pub at the end of the walk? Yes there is! Then a long walk will be just the job. After a latish breakfast we headed out, skirting Uxbridge town centre, to the Grand Union Canal. The Chesterfield Canal was a part of my childhood so wandering along the canal bank brought back memories. Very soon we had left the town behind and after only thirty minutes walking we were into the countryside. We passed numerous houseboats permanently moored. Strange way to live. You'd have to be very tidy in the confined space. The canal bank walk gives way to an area of parkland cut through by two or three rivers. Walking tracks criss cross the area and even on a cold morning there were lots of people out walking and riding bikes. After about an hour's walk we reached Denham village and the promised pub. Once again both the village and the pub were exactly what one would expect. Narrow streets, picturesque cottages, expensive motors!! One pint is all we allowed ourselves and it was back on the road, through and round the back of the village and back along the canal. The usual excellent lunch (the Clarke's in Uxbridge is a fine hotel!) was followed by a prolonged snooze. There's a lot of boozing and snoozing on this trip.