Downhill from here

Oh, how I sympathise with Julia Thornley about downhill slopes. It’s not just my knees that get into a tizz at the prospect, but like her I worry about my feet sliding away from under me, even on a grassy slope. Throw in a few loose stones and I’m done for.

My solution is to make like a yachtsman and tack. This takes longer, of course, and everyone has to stand watching and sighing while I zig-zag down, but it does work. If the path is steep and narrow

I just have to come down sideways and look very silly indeed. Rosie Southworth, email