As well as nature and wildlife themselves, I am interested in how we engage with nature. It could be that much of your experiences with nature happen in your very own garden, perhaps you work in conservation, or maybe you take to the hide in your local nature reserve whenever you can. There were plenty of different stories of people finding comfort and joy in nature during the lockdowns of the last year or so, different ways in which people engaged.
Personally, my preferred way of engaging with nature is from the dusty track of a countryside footpath. I have written about this before (here, for example).
In today's post, I would like to explore further my love for walking, the benefits of that form of exercise, and how I engage with nature on those dusty or muddy tracks.
A love for footpaths is born . . .
I grew up in a small village, a fairly introverted sort of kid. My interests were almost exclusively limited to those activities I could explore by myself. Because I am just not a great people person. We could explore that together for a while, but I am not sure that it would really lead us anywhere and, besides, this is not a space for deep psychological introspection.
Anyway, perhaps it was natural that I would develop a love for long solitary walks. The countryside footpaths that wound around and through the village where I lived would often be empty of people for miles. Which suited me fine.
I read that Alfred Wainwright commented he would hide behind boulders from fellow walkers if he encountered them his hikes. Well, I was never quite that bad, but I understand the feeling. I don't have anything against my fellow footpath explorers (except for those that leave their litter behind), it's my own introverted and anxiety ridden problem.
But, yes, the footpaths, for me, became a place of peace and quiet. There, one can contemplate life, put things into perspective, or simply watch the sky change light and colour. I have preferred to do these things alone. But then, perhaps I just haven't found a walking companion that is right for me.
Little adventures
Many a day was spent, during long summer holidays, exploring footpaths that I hadn't walked before. The tracks baked and dusty, the plants emitting fragrant scent in the sunshine. And there was a small sense of adventure in discovering for myself exactly where the countryside paths would take me.
I explored the paths around my home village and beyond until I knew them very well. I would go walking for hours and hours, either by myself or with a brother or sister. But even without company, I would be happy to explore the footpaths. The quiet pierced almost only by the calls of birds. Or the leaves that blew on breezy days and sounded a bit like gentle waves above me.
It wasn't just where the paths could take me, but what I would see from them. As I walked through fields, woods, and villages, I might stop and gasp whenever I saw some animal or another. I still do stop and gasp. Though, as I have gotten older, that might just as equally be down to declining stamina!
Maybe my love of animals comes from growing up in the countryside, and if I had grown up in the town I wouldn't be quite so fascinated with them. But then, there are those who grow up in towns and cities who have their own love and appreciation for wildlife. And there are rural dwellers who care not one iota for the animal life they might find outside their doors.
I don't know where exactly my fascination for wildlife comes from. But, yes, I can tell you that I have caught sight of many animals on those footpaths, and the sight of them has stopped me in my tracks and made me wonder - hedgehogs, deer, foxes, woodpeckers, jays, bees, caterpillars, hare, rabbits, and much more.
And no walk, even on the same path is ever exactly the same. The seasons change, the life you find there goes through it's cycles, and the conditions vary. All of this creates, for me, a little sense of adventure, alongside the beauty of it all.
Dreams, joy, and experiences with nature
There is a long-distance walking route that passes through my county and I would love to walk that route. But, I'm afraid, I am a bit of a free spirit without the courage to really spread my wings. Unless a walking companion emerges and/or I get a serious cash injection into my bank account, I fear I might never satisfy my dream of completing a long-distance walk.
It is not only this path that passes through my hometown which has captured my interest. I harbour dreams of walking many long-distance paths. If nothing else, that would really give me something to write about!
My bookshelves house books such as A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and Wild by Cheryl Strayed, books that fuel the fascination. Maybe, like the writers of some of these books, there is a desire to find something of myself on these paths too. As well as the peace and the adventure, maybe in the test of a long-distance walk I hope to see myself, catching glimpses of obscured truths. That would make some sense.
Or maybe I am, for some reason, just drawn to the idea of the adventure, and the beauty. Maybe it's the more complete immersion into nature that appeals. Honestly, I am not sure where it comes from.
But it's there, and given how long it has been there, how long it has lasted without fading away, I don't think it is going anywhere.
I hope you enjoyed this piece. In future posts I may detail some of the routes that I walk. What do you think?
If you enjoyed this piece, you can buy me a coffee on ko-fi - it fuels my writing and my walking!
Thank you for reading, and see you again soon.
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