I met up with my friend Audrie today to walk along Devil’s Dyke from the picturesque villages of Reach to Woodditton.

When I meet up with my usual stalwart ramblers, they are equipped in sturdy boots and Berghaus walking gear.

I had to blink when I saw Audrie arrive in her purple velvet tunic dress over denim jeans. Audrie is a free spirited walker who adds a welcome touch of panache to us dour walkers dressed in grey and navy. She was just back from Lithuania where she had walked many miles each day in her own inimitable style, so who was I to question her eye catching outfit. I just smiled, and thought, “Hey we are going to have a great walk, it’s going to be fun,” and it was.

Because it is a linear walk and there was just the two of us, we were unable to leave one of our cars at the end of the walk and drive back to our starting point. So we walked along the high embankment dating back 1,450 years as far as Newmarket racecourse, and then back along the same route, finishing at the Dyke’s End pub where I thirstily quaffed a very welcome chilled glass of my favourite Aspall cider. We estimated that we walked 13 miles, so it was well deserved. En route we saw these pure white violets nestled at the bottom on a bank and Audrie took the pic as the battery on my iPhone had died.

Audrie wrote a guest post on my blog 18 months ago about her video business, Beautiful Memories, and has also set up a charity supporting an impoverished community in India which suffered from the tsunami, which makes me feel very humbled. Audrie is a real doer, I cannot believe how much she packs into her life.

Audrie and I plan to complete the short walk from Newmarket to Woodditton, as well as meeting up again in Reach in May to enjoy the festivities at its celebrated village fair where the Mayor of Cambridge throws out newly minted pennies into the crowds, accompanied by Aldermen in full regalia. It’s hugely popular.

As I drove out of the village on my way home, I’m pretty sure I saw journalist Ross Clark running down the lane in his tweed jacket. I bumped into him once in the local pub as he lives in the village and loves walking too.

After a day like this when I see nature at its best; playful spring lambs and bouncing rabbits, gentle horse riders and a sweet distant birdsong, I feel truly blessed. I always remind myself that it’s true, that the best things in life are free.

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