This is my monthly walking roundup and journal for March 2023.
March started dry but soon turned into a wet and soggy month. The last week of the month was particularly wet with heavy rain and wild winds. It has been mild all month with no cold days of note. Cornwall was threatened with snow in early March, but the mild SW winds and rain pushed it back.
The days are much brighter in March. Approaching the Spring Equinox – when the sun moves into the northern hemisphere, sunrise is around 06.30am and sunset is at 6.30pm. The clocks went forward an hour at the end of March, bringing in a very welcome extra hour of evening daylight. That’s great for my walks because, where I’m often late from stumbling upon beautiful landscape distractions and taking photos, I have daylight instead of darkness when returning to where I started.
Country and Coast – March
I mentioned in February’s instalment that the early spring flowers were starting to bloom. I also mentioned that we sometimes get a cold snap. Well, the temperatures dropped at the start of March, but not enough to halt spring. The blooms are out loud and proud now in March.
There are a few magnolia and cherry trees near where I live, and they look beautiful in full bloom, with daffodils around their feet. Into the local copse of trees, the daffodils amongst the trees are a great sight. I love seeing the woodland ground covered in snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils and other wildflowers.
On the coast, the yellow flowers of gorse or broom are still out, loud and proud, as well as may flowers on the hawthorns.
There looks to be a bumper abundance of wild garlic this year with big wholesome-looking leaves already prominent. I find them a bit too strong in taste before they flower, but maybe they will be fine in a pesto.
Walks
I managed to get out on a couple of local coastal walks at the start and middle of the month. As mentioned, the lighter evening helps a great deal because I can cover more miles and I get more time to stop or deviate to take a few photos.
My daughter has been doing the Refuge Swim Challenge – a swimming session every day in March. She prefers a sea swim, so it has been a great opportunity for my family to be with her on some sea swim days and sit on the beach with hot drinks and snacks. It’s surprising the number of people that visit the beaches for a dip over the winter.
My daughter is passionate about this charity. If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, visit the Refuge Swim Challenge page and see the ‘Donate’ button at the top-right of the screen.
Here I am today, the 31st of March, just finishing off this article and listening to the heavy rainfall outside. It’s supposed to be a walking day for me, but there will be nothing to enjoy out there today! Maybe I’ll get out on Sunday when the weather calms down a bit.
Until next time.
