Can you spot the lyrical and literary allusions in this light hearted quiz? Answers at the bottom.
So my husband said we should take a hike. Well, I thought, that sounds like an idea, not necessarily a good one, but an idea for all that. Walking in the air getting out and about isn’t that what we’re all being encouraged to do more of? So in boots that were made for walking and with a knapsack on my back, we set off to explore the Black Mountains near Talgarth using the newly reformatted walking guide.*
I started walking out with my husband nearly 50 years ago. He has long legs and I have short ones. We aren’t exactly well matched but up the airy mountain we went on Walk 1. This took us into Park Wood where we put our best feet forward for a mile or so. The birdsong was tremendous; the hills alive to the sound of music. Once out of the woods the views were breathtaking. The escarpment of the Black Mountains unfolding in front of us as well as the more distance peaks of those blue remembered hills the Brecon Beacons.
We wandered lonely as a cloud across Rhos Fawr common seeing just sheep and ponies, before contouring along the mountain side above a wood. The lark was ascending as were the red kites and the gliders from the nearby airfield. Our route then descended across the fields to the nature reserve at Pwll y Wrach. The raindrops kept falling on our heads but we enjoyed seeing the famous waterfall before wending our way back into Talgarth and a welcome cuppa.
Our excursion was by no means a walk over. It was a good 8 mile circuit graded as Moderate to Hard. It was a walk on the wild side but very enjoyable.
Answers
- Can you walk the walk = slang expression meaning are you able to do something rather than just talk about it.
- Take a hike = A derogatory term meaning someone should move on
- Walking in the air = A song from The Snowman sung by Aled Jones
- Boots made for walking = A Nancy Sinatra song
- A Knapsack on my back = From a hiking song sung by Girl Guides in the 50/60’s if I recall correctly.
- Walking out with = An old fashioned term for courting
- Up the Airy Mountain = Poem by William Allingham “The Fairies”
- Best Foot Forward = A term encouraging one to step out
- Hills were Alive to the Sound of Music = Song from the Film The Sound of Music
- Those Blue Remembered Hills = Poem by A. E. Housman “A Shropshire Lad”
- We wandered lonely as a cloud = Poem by W. Wordsworth “Daffodils”
- The lark was ascending = Poem by George Meredith and music by Ralph Vaughan Williams
- Raindrops kept falling on our heads = Song from Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid written by B.J. Thomas
