Day 41 of the End to End in 2019 was a day for just walking. In fact many days were like that. I got up at around the usual time and set off in the generally northwards direction (most of the time). I walked for anywhere between about 8 and 12 miles on most days. I was just walking.
As a result of all this walking, there were a number of different distractions to indulge in along the way. Our favourite is ‘Tree of the Day’. Bob starting doing Tree of the Day on his walk in 2003 and Hannah carried on with it in 2012. Tree of the Day is any tree that takes your fancy that day. Of course some days have more than one tree. If you are going round and round in circles (as I currently am in Longdendale) the same tree might get nominated on more than one day. There were a lot of great trees on LEJOG.
There were also other distractions like small places that sold ice cream or a heap of straw bales that looked like they had been abandoned by a wolf-harassed little pig. All of this and more occurred on Day 41, along with quite a few butterflies and some telegraph poles with dots on the purpose of which we have still not fathomed.
Such observations are the foundation of my walking life. Whenever if walk I count butterflies (if there are any) and note other things; bigger creatures like birds, amphibians and mammals. I’ve not seen that many reptiles (none on LEJOG), and of course I take loads of photos.
I continue these habits in Longdendale. Yesterday my copy of Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty arrived. He has a happy knack of noticing things too and turning his observations into interesting retellings, making the world come alive in a bucket. His concern for the planet and commitment to ecological activism shines out too as he continues to just walk.
It’s the best we can do. Try to do it in an inclusive way: accompanying others, using accessible routes. Just Walk if you can.
From the remembered bible
And the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Applauded by trees everyday,
straight and tall, short and bent,
flourishing in each nook and on every skyline:
may we just walk
and walk justly.
JAL: 16.05.2020 in Longdendale.