Day 79 of the End to End in 2019 was on Sustrans Route 7 mostly along an disused and repurposed railway line. It was a longer way round than originally proposed but worth it to be traffic free and see all the wild life.
National Cycle Route 7 is a 601 mile section of the National Cycle Network connecting the Borders to Sutherland in the NE. I had walked on previous sections in the Arran area. The route on day 79 was also part of the Whithorn to Tain pilgrim route. Such off road routes as these are a delight for a walker like me who enjoys easy, flatish, traffic free walking through lovely countryside.
Other interesting sights along the route included some sculptures and odd bits of old railway paraphernalia. It’s always good to try to guess what they were or are.
There was a helpful community information centre in one village where I was able to use the toilet. Unfortunately many of these routes have few public toilets: one thing that needs improving.
Fast forward to 2020 and there’s no doubt we’ll not get the green light to new normal without more attention to traffic free routes and accessibility for people of all ages and abilities. A few pretty countryside walks are lovely but we need to establish everyday routes if folks are really going to swap cars for greener transport on the daily basis and build it into their lifestyle. This will mean quite a lot of investment, but surely will also create jobs and new industries.
Each time a revolution occurs that reshapes our nation it’s a lot of change. Others like the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution and the whole of the post war period of the 20th century, change has been pretty constant. Walking along Sustrans Route 7 is a gentle reminder of how what was once crucial was then closed and later repurposed. Looking ahead maybe we can already see what will change and need new use. Rather than dig our heels in and insist on subsidising the old normal we need to see how more sustainable habits could come from obvious new normal developments.
Song for the day: Oh, you’ll never get to heaven on a Stockport bus…
(fill in your preferred ending).
From the remembered bible, Psalm 25
God, show me the right path; point out the route for me to follow.
Being human is habit forming.
As we fall into line to return to our old ways,
show us your new ways, Cosmic One.
JAL: 02.07.2020 in Longdendale.