Rainy Ruin ROOPHLOCH Ramble

This is my entry to ROOPHLOCH 2025.

I'm writing this on my phone while sitting on a bench under some some trees, overlooking a ruined abbey (although the other main "feature" of this bench is that it's right in the wind, so I may have to move if this post gets too long, for the sake of my chilly fingers!)

I have recently bought a second hand netbook (originally from c. 2009) with the intention of taking it on holidays/trips to do gemlog travel diaries (time will tell whether that actually happens...) and had planned for ROOPHLOCH to be its first outing. The weather here in the UK has taken a distinctly damp turn in recent weeks so I decided instead to use my (waterproof) phone again!

Having decided this I deliberately waited today until the forecast rain, put on my coat and waterproof overtrousers and headed out. As the URL of this capsule suggests, and as I've mentioned previously, I have an affinity for rainy weather (which comes in handy where I live!) and while I'm not a huge walker in terms of long distance hiking, I do enjoy walking in the rain, as long as I'm suitably attired for it (and not e.g. just on my way to work for example).

I have a vivid childhood memory of a family holiday where we set off for a walk along a section of Hadrian's Wall. We were expecting rain but not to the degree that we got. Not long into the walk, the light drizzle turned into a driving rain and visibility dropped significantly. I loved it, although the other members of the family were less keen and we eventually turned back. I can't really describe the feeling it inspired in me at the time and I suspect I'll never have exactly the same combination of factors to experience it again, but recently while watching the rain from inside I've felt the urge to go out for a walk and try to recapture some of that magic.

My walk today took me through the woods from which my first ROOPHLOCH entry was posted, on along a path I've not previously taken and to the aforementioned abbey. The early part was excellent, with the steady (but relatively light) rain dripping through the trees. The second part, on the path I've not previously travelled wasn't as enjoyable, as it was very close to quite a busy road, although still serendipitous as I had expected I would have to walk on the pavement alongside said road for that stretch of the journey.

As I arrived at the abbey, the rain had slowed to a light drizzle but the abbey itself was nice to wander around. It was built in the 12th century and used until Henry VIII's intervention in the 16th, then fell into ruin over the next few centuries. Conservation work has been undergone ever since the Victorian era and so not all of the structure is as old as it first appears though, which was slightly disappointing.

After exiting the abbey I pottered along the edge of a nearby river until I came across this well situated bench. The rain had stopped completely by this point, handy for writing this, and the wind died down shortly after I started so I haven't had to move, although pleasingly it's still blowing enough for a gentle "rain" of the first few yellow-brown leaves to be visible from the trees between me and the ruins.

All in all, this might not have been the perfect recreation of that childhood memory that I could have hoped for (although it never could, as the isolated location played a key role in the feeling in that instance, whereas today I've pretty much been within earshot of traffic the whole time), but it has been very enjoyable and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the forecast for potential rainy walks in the near future.

Now it's time to upload this to my capsule (still a little fiddly on the phone but not too bad based on last year's experience) and head home for dinner.