When the Light Returns: From Flooded Moors to Brighter Days.
As winter slowly loosens its grip, I find myself reflecting on incongruent sadness, the weight of low moods, and the small daily beauties that help us move forward.
Monksilver and the Edge of Exmoor: A Subtle Detour into Childhood
We woke to a suggestion of frost beneath an icy sky. Recent rain reflected the sun’s rays, and the stream running through the village burbled audibly out of sight. All was still. For those who have delved into my earlier posts, you will be au fait with Hunky Punks. The grotesque relatives of gargoyles that adorn churches, taunting unsuspecting parishioners and pilgrims from above. Coupled with the fact that, despite slightly woolly details, Sir Francis Drake was wed here for a second time in 1585, you have a recipe for a fantastic place to start a walk. History and folklore again combine to elicit curiosity.
Wandering Barrington’s Hidden Ways. Autumn Among the Holloways.
Thankfully, one of the many delights of living in Somerset is the opportunity to enjoy exploring places that remain off the wider radar. It doesn’t take long to lose yourself in a walk that transports you to another world altogether, even though, in reality, home and the daily bustle lie close by. This is particularly true when you throw ‘Holloways’ into the mix.
Sydling St Nicholas. A Big Sky Walk in Hardy’s Dorset.
Having battened down the hatches the previous day, ‘Storm Amy’ was still baring her teeth on an altogether brighter Saturday. On days like these, when the wind can be heard at the moment of waking, I am always drawn by the need to get outside and experience the elements in all their glory. To feel a greater sensory connection to the landscape. Indeed, with Autumn firmly announcing its arrival, it felt right to embrace this change of seasons by taking a wander that would offer an opportunity to become immersed in the countryside and let the weather be part of the experience.
Pentire Point and The Rumps. Where Legacy Meets Landscape.
The author reflects on annual family holidays in Polzeath, celebrating children’s enduring joy and the beautiful landscape. The coastal path offers an escape, inviting exploration and contemplation, particularly at ‘The Rumps,’ a poignant historical site. These moments evoke gratitude for simple pleasures, emphasising kindness and grounding perspectives in life’s complexities.
Croyde and Baggy Point. Letting the Sea offer some Perspective.
Last weekend, a long overdue reunion brought me face to face with five men I had not seen for nearly three decades. Standing there, unsure whether the years had built quiet walls between us or left something familiar intact, I realised how easily adulthood convinces us that the past belongs in a sealed box. Yet …
Read more “Croyde and Baggy Point. Letting the Sea offer some Perspective.”
Somerton and Beyond: Small Journeys to Steady the Mind.
Walking for wellbeing doesn’t require grand plans or distant horizons. Sometimes it begins by asking how well we really know the place we call home.