Friday 4 January

Another overcast, grey and slightly drizzly day. This time, we set out for a slightly longer walk, aiming for the Emma Pyramid. This is a belvedere on a man-made hillock. It affords views for miles around, on clear days well into Germany. The little church at Elten, a hop across the border (15 miles away) can be seen, and even the Rhine bridge at Emmerich (20 miles) can be made out with binoculars. Not today. You'd be lucky to even make out the next set of trees. So I did not bother to climb up the tower; I haven't got a head for heights at any rate. Near the pyramid sits a small memorial for about a dozen young men, who were summarily executed nearby in December 1944, as reprisal for acts of resistance against the Nazi occupation. The Dutch word for reprisal, represaille (which is rooted in French) now has a specific wartime connotation. There were a fair few joggers and cyclists about (it's still holiday time) as we went back. Total distance 4 miles.