It has been a stunningly beautiful day in this part of the world today and I’ve had a lovely time... I think! 
I decided last night I was going to visit one of my favourite local places today if the weather turned out bright and sunny; it would mean a nice walk followed by a bit of a climb, but I was looking forward to it. My destination was Gray Hill.
Gray Hill or Mynydd Llwyd is a distinctive hill in south-east Monmouthshire just north-east of Caerwent, overlooking the Severn estuary. The top of the hill offers great views down over the Severn and also over part of Wentwood Forest, the largest ancient woodland in Wales.
Known archaeology on the hill includes a stone circle and standing stones, prehistoric cairns, prehistoric field boundaries and enclosures, and medieval and post-medieval buildings and boundaries.
There is also a large, D-shaped scarp-edge enclosure that may be Neolithic or Bronze Age in date.
So plenty of history to interest me on Gray Hill, but the place is special for other reasons too. I have many happy memories of events on Gray Hill, but I’ll leave you to guess about those here. 
I decided on the circuitous route to the top, being less steep if a little longer. Winding around the hillside the footpath takes you through a gully some 6 feet deep and approximately 2 feet wide; quite intimidating for some folk. 
Making my way up the side of the hill, the path was wet and muddy making the going hard because I kept slipping. Pressing on I eventually reached the summit, bathed in sweat and with very tight legs. Another indicator if one was needed of how unfit I’ve become over the years... 
Breath eventually recovered I took a few images to stitch into a panorama before making my way to the stone circle.
The sunshine was really lovely and surprisingly warm for November. I sat quietly and just contemplated my surroundings. It was so wonderfully warm, I lay back on the stone below with my head pointing to the standing stone, closed my eyes and tried to clear my head of all extraneous thoughts...
...my reverie was shattered by some arse in a micro-light aircraft, but it may be just as well because I’d fallen fast asleep in the sunshine and was drooling like an old bear! 
The trip back down the hill should have been easy... or would have been if I’d just sat on my bum and slid on the mud, but no I’d decided to stay on my feet... big mistake! My knees took a pounding on the decline and by the time I reached my car the tightness in my thighs from the climb had been joined by sore knees and aching calves... 
I really enjoyed my long, wallowing bath when I got back to the house...
