仙元山・Sengenyama

February 1st

I was on my own and wanted a nice long walk but not anywhere too dangerous. I had liked Ranzan very much the last time I visited so decided to head in the opposite direction to see what was there. It turned out to be a very nice walk along a path with enough up and down to be interesting but not too much to be exhausting. It was a mild day, there was the odd bird chirping and even the distant sound of a woodpecker. It feels like things are starting to wake up after our cold, dry winter.

All signs led to Sengenyama, and whilst there were interesting side trails I stuck to the main path and in just under two hours found my way to the peak. You pass by some archeological digs at the ruins of some old castles along the way and it’s interesting to imagine life back in the day whilst you walk. There is supposed to be a park and a roller slide somewhere about, but I didn’t find either. I was rather hoping for a toilet too but again, couldn’t see one anywhere, though the map claimed there was one. There were good signs back to the station but I didn’t want to go that way and my phone was nearly out of battery so I cut my losses, headed downhill, then stuck to the road back to the carpark where I knew a nice toilet awaited me. It was a long way but the road was deserted, wide and easy to walk so I just kept going, checking out the allotments and houses as I went. I definitely want to go back for a better look next time. I think I’ll try the loop in reverse to find out where I went wrong after leaving Sengenyama. There are quite a few plum trees around so I think it’ll be lovely in another month or so; the scent of plum blossom is my favourite smell of all.