Slad

We are considering a move away from the city, so when a friend invited us for a pub lunch in Slad we jumped at the chance. It was blowing a gale, and we started with a bracing walk in Burnham, then drove to Slad where we lunched in the Woolpack. The sky was clear, the view beautiful and the company lovely. The food, however, was outrageously overpriced. Before long we took advantage of the bright day, walking up the hill to look down on Slad, which is very pretty. This is a land of rolling hills, grey stone buildings and green everywhere. It seems like a pretty, pricey option.

Goat gully

After a long lie-in and a really good clean of the house, we needed some fresh air. We headed to the Downs, where many games of football were being played, and down the gorge through an area known as the Gully. This area, in the Avon Gorge, overlooked by the suspension bridge, is home to 20 or so rare species of flora, some of which only grow here. To keep the area in top condition for them to grow, a small herd of goats has recently been introduced, whose job it is to nibble away at the brambles hemming them down. We joined the goats on the steep walk down the gorge, passing a rail ventilation shaft, then turned around and headed back up the hill, emerging back onto the football fields.