We passed the Autumn Equinox two days ago. The marker of the year’s turning, I can already feel the chill in the morning, the darkness creeping into the edges of the day, and the slowing of growth of almost every living thing around me. But before I sink into the coming season of gift and decay, and before the memory of it slips too far from my grasp, I want to take you back to the South West Coast path to finish my walk. After my first day’s walking in steady rain, you might remember, the evening glowed with surprise sunlight. It promised well for my second day, the longer of the two, when I would walk from the fort at Whitsand to Looe. I ate a full English cooked breakfast in the curved brick chamber of the fort that now houses the restaurant - an unsettling retreat into the shadows when the day promised such light - but soon I was striking out west along the old military road. Patchy sky with lumpy clouds but fragments of blue between. The path followed the road for a while, then dipped off to the left into secret narrow green paths, then back through a gate onto the road, then back down again towards the sea. Within fifteen minutes or so, the sun broke through. The light lifted and my spirits followed suit. In a notch in the cliff leading to Sharrow Beach, I watched rooks play in the brisk wind, catching the turbulent air kicked up by the swell of the waves beneath. Ivy flowers glistened in the new sunlight and the air felt fresh, full of potential.
You made me want to go and walk another long distance path. I agree there is a strange mix of perceived freedom and also the constraint of the path, the physical journey and the human infrastructure we need to complete such a journey. I also agree that somehow time becomes much more of a rhythm, your stride, the tide... Interesting as I had never thought of it that way, but you are exactly right. Thank you! x
Sep 26, 2023·edited Sep 26, 2023Liked by Lynne Wyness
I like your thoughts on the path and time here - the expectation of freedom vs the reality of following the way - constraining as much as freeing, dictating your passage through the landscape and confronting you with the limitations of your body and its own demands and needs. Really enjoyed this Lynne, as I do all your posts. Nice to experience the cliff tops and the glimpses of the sea as we settle into autumn.
Really enjoyed the account of day 2. It's true that you become wrapped up in your own walker's world with its various demands and timescales. Food and the weather certainly become extremely important! I have often pondered the various shades of grey in the sky as I try to deny it looks like imminent rain.
I love that you claimed the path for the time you did. You have whetted my appetite for a coastal walk. As for freedom on the path - who said there is no such thing as freedom without responsibility? Eleanor Roosevelt? I so enjoyed this writing Lynne - "modern life refracted through its coastal architecture..." Thank you
You made me want to go and walk another long distance path. I agree there is a strange mix of perceived freedom and also the constraint of the path, the physical journey and the human infrastructure we need to complete such a journey. I also agree that somehow time becomes much more of a rhythm, your stride, the tide... Interesting as I had never thought of it that way, but you are exactly right. Thank you! x
I like your thoughts on the path and time here - the expectation of freedom vs the reality of following the way - constraining as much as freeing, dictating your passage through the landscape and confronting you with the limitations of your body and its own demands and needs. Really enjoyed this Lynne, as I do all your posts. Nice to experience the cliff tops and the glimpses of the sea as we settle into autumn.
I enjoyed having my thoughts gently tugged in different directions as I journeyed with you Lynne. Such rich reflections and observations.
Really enjoyed the account of day 2. It's true that you become wrapped up in your own walker's world with its various demands and timescales. Food and the weather certainly become extremely important! I have often pondered the various shades of grey in the sky as I try to deny it looks like imminent rain.
You absolutely must do a solo walk each year xx
I love that you claimed the path for the time you did. You have whetted my appetite for a coastal walk. As for freedom on the path - who said there is no such thing as freedom without responsibility? Eleanor Roosevelt? I so enjoyed this writing Lynne - "modern life refracted through its coastal architecture..." Thank you