It’s really quite easy to fall off a cliff inadvertently – I’ve nearly done it twice! And both times the incident occurred when I was taking photographs. The first time was the more frightening because I did actually slip over the edge; I was resting precariously (on my back) over the cliff (rocks beneath) – a little like the coach in the film “The Italian Job” – but luckily the greater part of my body was still on the clifftop. Nevertheless, I was afraid to move and I lay there with my arms stretched above me as I waited for Chris to jump the fence and rescue me; either he was really strong or I didn’t weigh quite so much then (this was several years ago in Brittany).

The second time happened today. The sun was shining and beckoned me to go out walking in spite of my cold (I was cooped up all day yesterday). We had parked at a beautiful spot called Coombe Cellars, a mile or two from the mouth of the River Teign, and we followed the Templar Way footpath that runs along the fields above the river bank; the hedges were high and we could hardly see the river through the foliage so, when we found a style that came onto a woodland path that led down to the river, we crossed it. The autumn leaves glowed red and yellow in the shafts of sunshine that filtered through the trees and, whilst Chris walked ahead, I lagged behind taking photos. At a particularly pretty point I veered toward the edge of the track and, as I held the camera up to take a shot, my right leg reached out… and stayed in the air for longer than expected. I extended my foot and found dry leaves over the curve of the cliff beneath them; and in a deft movement I swung my leg back onto terra firma.

“You could have died if you’d fallen,” Chris tutted, “it’s high here”.

I laughed nervously as I looked down through the trees to the water. I had been lucky. Shortly, we had to traverse a fallen tree trunk to get back to the main track:

“Will you be alright going over this?” Chris asked warily.

But it was okay – the fallen tree was fairly big and I decided not to take photos whilst going over it. You could say it was “as easy as falling off a log”.

“I always like to take a trunk road,” Chris quipped (when I was safely back on solid ground again).