Last month it was the heat and Andy Murray that kept numbers down - this time maybe rain - and people fleeing to their yachts?

14 hounds set off from the Rock of Ages in the rain - your leader was half-hoping that no-one would make the effort - but he was persuaded, and the weather did improve, marginally, over the six miles we walked.

The car park was full of cavers dressed up in wet weather gear - the Mendips is full of swallets and pots and other unpleasant subterranean passages, but on reflection they probably were going in the right direction - underground.

Sadly soon after the start Tara from Cheltenham received a message of an unexpected bereavement so she had to turn back with her three hounds, but the rest of us plodded on through Mendip Lodge Woods. A breezy step along the iron age ramparts of Doleberry Warren led us down to Rowberrow and the welcome Swan Inn and a nice pint. Unfortunately there had been a run on the pork pies so a roast beef sandwich had to fill the stomach.

The magnificent Oliver, shown right, managed to remain silent all the walk and also impeccably behaved - which made for a relatively uneventful video - but you can't have everything I suppose. (Guy would perhaps disagree as en route he managed to destroy his Rover 75 turbo and left all three leads behind on leaving, got stuck in a 15 mile traffic jam - and found the washing machine broke on his return. Well rain at Old Trafford kept The Ashes in England: look on the bright side Guy).

Returning to the car park nobody could remember more than the first line of Rock of Ages so our choral recital was a bit of a wash-out. What a heathen lot.

Brian & Tracey's magnificent Oliver weighing in at 44kgs

You'd have to go a (very) long way to see a finer pair of knees (says he)

Waiting . . .

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