My wife and I have had several dogs in our lives. We currently have a black and white cockapoo called Jazz. Before Jazz we always had Labradors and Lab crosses, so a cockapoo is quite a change. She has a very lively temperament and is ready to play at a moments notice.
Before Jazz we had a yellow Lab called Holly. Holly loved long walks, particularly if they included a cafe stop. During her lifetime we walked in many of the UK’s national parks, and did the first 230 miles of the Southwest Coast Path. One of our biggest projects was to walk every footpaths in the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean. This turned out to be quite a challenge as many of the paths on the OS maps were overgrown, and new paths had formed in response to forestry activity. We learned a lot about the history and wildlife of the area while researching the walks.
The project took us about 6 years to complete, but the result was a pair of books about our favourite walks. The books are based on our favourite walks in the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean. Each book includes about a dozen walks, graded for difficulty and distance. Both books are available on Amazon. Jazz has taken over Holly’s editorial role on these books and is helping with the updates. Since Holly’s death we’ve been donating the royalties of these books to local animal charities.