Getting
to know a place.
Today
I walked in an area that I am still getting to know. I understand
that the act of walking physically links me to the land and as I walk
I become far more aware of the place than I ever could if I was to
just drive through it in a car.
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| Beautiful clear autumn day on the Kent Downs. |
The paths we followed ran across open
fields where skylarks flew up when disturbed and the haunting call of
the buzzards circling much higher overhead reached down to us. The
views were glorious; I could see 360 degrees around and on a clear
day such as today I could pick out landmarks all along the North East
Kent coast from Whitstable to Pegwell Bay.
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| Curvy downs and huge skies. |
Standing
on the ridge looking North we could see the various wind-farms and
watched their huge blades moving around in the distance, we could
clearly locate the city of Canterbury and along to the east we
pinpointed the solitary block of flats in Margate and a more
traditional smock windmill near Sandwich.
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| Distant views and wind-farms. |
For me this orientation on walks is
imperative. I like to know where I am and for this reason I enjoy
poring over a OS map either before or after a walk to put it into
context. I like to trace where I have been or plan to go, look at the
surrounding landscape, visualise the contour heights and pathways,
landmarks and roads to get an idea of what feel a walk will have.
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| Going up the hill to gain a better view. |
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| Once on the top orientation is easier. |
OSmaps are beautiful products. The model has been copied all over the
world and there are many OS fans that have set up websites, written
books or regularly post about their use. Even the 'trig points' (that
the Royal Engineers constructed to take their measurements from to
survey the landscape) have a loyal fan base. Their history has been
lovingly recorded and even though they are now decommissioned they
stand as markers in their own right in the landscape around the
British Isles.
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| Plough marks. |
Walking
to form a community.
It
was with great interest that we saw another two figures walking in
the distance. One had the slow gait of a leisurely dog walker, the
other had a backpack on and was walking slightly bent forward and
moving at quite a pace towards the other. After a few seconds of
wondering who they were and where they were going we were once again
attracted by the ghostly cry of the buzzards and looked up to try and
spot them. When we remembered the other people in the landscape we
looked again but could not see them.
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| The path ahead and less sky. |
As a woman walking alone I would have
been slightly anxious to know where they had gone, would they be
nearer me now, would I be safe? But walking with others, even with
one other woman allays that fear. It may be just a personal view but
I like to walk in company as I feel safer and can therefore enjoy the
experience without any anxiety. It is also more enjoyable to share
the experience of observing, discovering and being outside together.
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| The expansiveness of land and sky. |
I
would like to create a walking community that encourages others to
experience this basic enjoyment, to find joy in the simple pleasure
of being outside throughout the seasons, recognising the changes in
nature, ourselves and each other.
