Walking has always been intrinsic to my Druidry.

That made the years when I was often too ill to go out really difficult. Having an immediate relationship with the land I live on is really important to me, and moving about in my landscape helps me connect.

In this last year, there’s been a car in the mix, which is a less familiar experience for me. It’s made it possible for me to walk in places I otherwise couldn’t get to. The hills of Stroud are challenging, and I still can’t manage the longer walks. I’m really glad of being able to reconnect with the wider landscape.

It’s also brought home to me how much I value the immediacy of walking from my own front door. I don’t feel anything like as connected if there’s even a short car trip involved. I’d suspected that was the case, but there was always the thought in the back of my head that I might be making a virtue out of necessity. I wasn’t. Walking without having a car in the mix is more grounding and connecting.

I also find significant value in repetition. There is always joy in novelty and the delight of exploring a new landscape. However, there’s more depth of understanding when you repeatedly walk in the same places. Seeing the turning of the year as it plays out in specific plants and other natural things, is profound. Of course a person can have both, and there’s a lot to be said for revisiting the familiar alongside seeking the new.

My experience is only of walking, but my feeling is moving slowly is the important thing here, not how you do it. Wheels that go at human speeds are likely (I reckon) to result in much the same experiences. However, not having moved through landscapes on wheels, I’m not qualified to speak much on this. My most habitual walk is along a cycle path, and is a very accessible space, which has helped me keep getting out when  I’ve been more challenged.

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