Blossom Hill

The weather in the UK over the Easter weekend was glorious so I took full advantage of this and went out. One of my trips took me back to a place I knew as child but hadn't been back to for a looooong time. The walk was up a hill near Gloucester so we parked and then started our ascent. Almost immediately, we noticed that there was blossom almost everywhere we looked. It looked like the trees were covered in candyfloss or cotton wool. The first photo is typical of the sight that greated us at every turn and below is a close-up of the tiny flowers that cover the trees in their millions!

The day was hot and at times the ascent was steep though there were also tracks that traversed the side of the hill. On such a track we found a shady bench that entreated us to rest awhile. How could we refuse? The light was dappled through the trees and we watched the birds and butterflies go about their busy spring business before setting off and finding a trail that took us upwards once more.

When we got to the top of the hill the view was magnificent if a little hazy, and we could see far and wide for 360 degrees. The photo below, although not great, gives you a little taste of what we saw. It shows Gloucester Cathedral towards the centre of the picture, with the centre of the city and then the suburbs stretching outwards from it. Gloucester is not a huge city but it is one with a rich history. In the distance, you can just make out the Malvern Hills which look blue in the haze of the afternoon sun. A cool breeze was blowing on the hill summit which was most welcome. Once we had rested we started our descent, back down through the blossom trees, whose petals drifted on the breeze like confetti.

I will write more about Gloucester and it's history sometime, which stretches back to the Romans.