Day 43 of the End to End in 2019 continued along the Shroppie, a route I quite liked. Green and pleasant, it was mostly flat and also quiet. But the best thing was definitely the ice cream honesty fridge I encountered early on this day one year ago. In fact it was so good it has remained firmly lodged in my memory as a LEJOG highlight.
Overall, one of the things to raise most comments about LEJOG was the amount of ice cream I consumed. It is a very delightful substance and fits into most experiences on any day. It’s particularly good when walking as it is refreshing and calming at the same time.
There were often honesty boxes on the route. Mostly cake, but sometimes eggs and jam, there was only one honesty ice cream fridge as I recall. The honesty system is an integral part of walking long distance in the British countryside. Walkers are sustained by tasty treats and all you have to do is put the required small sum into a money box. Simples!
Honesty is a key part of the British way of life and I don’t just mean for ice cream. We need to be able to trust one another and trust comes through honesty. As I walked in Longdendale today I wondered about honesty in times of virus. A pink tent had been pitched in a local beauty spot. The waste bins were surrounded by empty beer bottles and cans. Someone had been having a party. So did it matter? Where does honesty get us in the situation? How much honesty is required? Will it matter if we aren’t always honest or we’re a bit less honest some days? It seems the mess will have to be cleared up by the landowner, not by those that left it there in the first place.
That’s a lot of questions. Back on LEJOG in 2019, it was a day I met quite a few local people. Would my honesty have mattered that much? What if I’d not paid for the ice cream, or the fare on the boat (it was a charity donation for the RNLI) or the things I’d bought in shops or…..
What if I’d failed to accurately report the number of ice creams I’d had that day? Probably not massive in the scheme of things (but it was 3) so how much honesty do we need to run a country? Quite lot more than we’re currently getting, I think.
From the remembered gospel:
Jesus said ‘The truth will set you free!’
Telling the truth is a liberating thing. There’s no need to get tied up in developing long and complex cover stories or living with the anxiety of being discovered. True thing that.
God grant a quiet night….
JAL: 18.05.2020 in Longdendale.