My back hurts. My legs are stiff and my stomach muscles are all tender. I have a bruise the size of an egg on my arm and I'm sure my knee shouldn't feel this way either.

But I'm alive. I'm alive and I know a bit better now how my characters feel when they wake up in the wild after another days slog and fight.

There's something I love about walking in the hills and Edinburgh is the perfect city for it too. Even a walk round Arthur's Seat is an experience and hiking out into the Pentlands isn't as hard as you'd think. There's plenty of buses to hillend and it doesn't take that long to get to. The paths are clearly marked and there are a variety of different walks to choose from depending on how fit you are and how far you want to walk.

Or, if you know what you're doing, get off the beaten path and up into the hills.

I spend so much time up there in my imagination, or when I'm reading fantasy novels; immersed in it in movies like the Lord of the Rings or games like my Warhammer campaign; I spend so much time up there in the hills walking round in my mind that sometimes I forget what its really like. What the wind in your face feels like, what it smells like. How all the fresh air makes you feel. The sensation of having real air thats nopt full of dust and fumes in your lungs. The tired feeling you get after your first nights camp that's not there after the second nights sleep.

I think its good to spend some time out there in the hills and if you're into your fantasy games why not go out and have a wander round any of the hills in Edinburgh. We do have more than one and they're all easy enough to get to and all are easy enough rambles even if you don't want to climb to the top.

Go get some fresh air and maybe put a different slant on your character next time you setle into your D&D game. It's nice to know what grass feels like under your back at night.

LiAm