I am not really a beer person. However, the boyfriend really is! This means I get plenty of opportunities to sample a wide range of whatever fancy real ale he's drinking. I can at least tell the difference, and recently I've started occasionally having fruit beer (in small quantities, slowly), but that's about my limit.
So when he was given a voucher for a brewery tour at Hillside Brewery in the Forest of Dean, I wasn't too fussed about joining him. But he needed a driver, so off we both went.
First up, the actual brewery tour. Everything was explained, from when and where the grains and hops go in to how the bottles get labelled. I knew next to nothing about beer production, so this was all quite interesting.
Once we'd been suitably educated it was time to do some beer tasting, with four of their classic range. We also got to smell two varieties of hops, and taste some of the different grains, some of which were quite moreish.
Definitely a good use of a few hours if you're interested in craft beer production.
After last year's successful first ski trip, I was very excited about getting back on the slopes this season - especially having acquired some more bits of proper ski kit (jacket and goggles) recently.
We went to La Rosière. Again in a catered chalet, but this time not quite so last minute - booked a week and a bit in advance!
We had a few snowy days, several big dumps of fresh powder overnight, and a lot of glorious sunshine. Oh, and plenty of vin chaud, of course!
This is where I'd love to write that it was just as amazing as last year, but sadly that's not quite true. I found out the hard way why people say bad things about hiring ski boots...
pair #1 - halfway through my first ski lesson I limped back to the shop as my left calf was a huge painful knot, and both legs were cramping up a lot. Was offered a large swig of cognac, and a change of boots. Legs were so bad I couldn't even stand with my feet flat, ow.
pair #2 - after 20 minutes my feet had gone completely numb, which makes it almost impossible to do anything. So they went back to the shop straight after my second lesson.
pair #3 - these lasted the rest of the week, but still weren't completely comfortable. Certainly they rubbed a bit, but I'm not sure if the rest of the aches and pains should be blamed on the boots or the fact that I'd already ruined my muscles.
I spent a lot of time sat with boots off trying to get the circulation back, and also a lot of calf/achilles stretches. Such a difference compared to last year.
on the Eucherts Express chairlift
Skiing was generally not comfortable all week, meaning I didn't do anywhere near enough of it I was finding it very difficult to relax my legs enough, meaning I got frustrated and ended up reverting to a crappy bent-over-double slow snowplough. Vicious circle.
There's an important - and expensive - lesson to be learnt here. I'll be investing in my own boots before I go again!
Mid January sees the traditional weekend trip to Dartmoor, for kayaking and drinking. This year water levels were low, but not so low that we couldn't paddle. I've not done anywhere near enough kayaking recently, so a nice trip down the Loop was just what I needed to remind me what I've been missing!
On Sunday the levels were no different, so options were: paddle the Loop again, or go for a walk. I chose walking.
We started at Dartmeet and headed upstream, crossing the East Dart at the Laughter Hole stepping stones. Not the friendliest stepping stones I've ever used - quite a big step in between some of them!
looking back having safely made it across
From here we continued to Bellever, with a convenient toilet stop at the Forestry Commission site. Then onwards and upwards to the Tor. Obviously I bagged the trig point, and we were lucky as the clouds/fog cleared for 5 minutes so we could admire a bit more scenery.
I love how 'pancakey' rocks on Dartmoor can be
As we walked down from the tor the clouds reappeared. Our route back took a minor detour when at some point a big obvious path took a slightly different angle to the one on the map. Easily done! We noticed we were heading directly towards a wood, rather than skirting the edge of it - and it was a simple 'fix' to get back on track. However this did get me thinking - this is why you learn how to use a map and compass and walk on a bearing, no matter how obvious the footpath might be!
We returned to Dartmeet along the B3357, then a short way down the Hexworthy road and back across the fields, because walking on the road is rubbish. In total, around 14km. Very enjoyable
tags: local 
I was finding it very difficult to relax my legs enough, meaning I got frustrated and ended up reverting to a crappy bent-over-double slow snowplough. Vicious circle.
