The latest bout of travel disruptions and pictures of poor people stranded at airports has really reaffirmed my desire to have more holidays at home. That’s not to say I’ll never travel abroad again, I’d love to go back to Italy as well as visiting places I haven’t been to before but I think a deciding factor will be if I can visit by train. Although I do also like the idea of seeing New Zealand so that will probably have to be a flight, as I don’t see myself on a cruise.
I remember as a child, I loved flying and it was an exciting way to start the holiday. However as an adult it seems to have become more & more aggravating. That’s not entirely true as I do still enjoy take-off and gaze out the window in awe as I try to wrap my head around how it’s possible for this contraption to get off the ground. Aside from those few minutes though, the rest of the experience has become tedious. I don’t think this is just the cynicism of age compared to the wonder of youth as it has become more uncomfortable due to shrinking seats and the forced air. In addition to this we now know we are not only putting our health at risk but the planet’s too.
When planes were grounded during the pandemic I was heartened to see how quickly nature was able to recover. The one that sticks in my mind was seeing pictures of Venice’s canals with clear water and fishes. I had hoped that this would be a wake-up call for everyone and that just because we can travel great distances, quickly, does that mean we should? It seems a lot of people have defaulted back to their previous way of life and that going on holiday means getting on a plane and leaving the country but hopefully I’m not the only one that has had a rethink.
Wait, isn’t this meant to be a blog about walking? Why am I talking about flying? Bear with me, I will get back on track (pun intended) shortly. During lockdown I discovered a new-found love for my local area, I’ve lived here for years but I still discovered new walks on my doorstep. Now we are no longer restricted, I am keen to keep exploring but I’d like to see more of my own country rather than immediately going further afield. And it’s not just to avoid the travel disruptions and chaos caused by technical glitches, strikes and cancellations. My little corner of England is not the only pretty part, I am lucky enough to live in a beautiful country and yet I’ve only visited a small portion of it so why not holiday at home?
We have national parks and there is now the coastal path allowing you to walk the whole way around the edge of this island. If I didn’t have to work full-time I’d love to go off on an epic adventure like that, making the journey the destination and vice versa. Until that big win comes in though I’ll have to make do with short breaks rather than a walk around the country. Recently we had some time off work and while we had some activities planned we realised we would have time for a night or two away. Now I have to confess that I am a mass of contradictions as while I love the great outdoors, I also love my creature comforts. In other words I don’t like camping, I’m very glad that people are campaigning to make ‘wild camping’ legal in more destinations and I support the idea in theory but also I know me. I need a mattress, a hot shower and a roof. So is there a way to combine the two? Well thankfully there is, as I found a cosy cabin in the woods. It was in a lovely, secluded spot surrounded by trees but the cabin had a very comfy bed and you could even book a bottle of wine to be there waiting to greet you. Perfect.
The cherry on the cake was when I realised that this lovely cabin was in a destination that we could walk too. See your patience has been rewarded I finally got back to talking about walking, lol! We booked our one-night stay and on the day of departure our household was a lot calmer than it normally would be on a travelling day. There was no panic about dashing out at a certain time to make sure we make the right train, or rather leaving early to catch the train before the one we actually need to get so that we don’t have to worry about delays or cancellations. We were in control, we knew roughly how long it would take us to walk there and if we were faster than expected we could stop off along the way. If it took longer, well that would just mean slightly less time in the cabin but we wouldn’t be putting anyone out and we wouldn’t risk missing a connection or any other issues.
Aside from the time factor it also felt incredibly satisfying to make the journey under our own steam. Door-to-door with not an engine or wheel in sight, just one step at a time. The journey was absolutely part of the holiday, it meant instead of getting stressed in a tiny container we were out in the open, getting fresh air, stretching our legs and enjoying stunning scenery.
For the time being my holidays will embrace the slow way, the journey will be the holiday.
That’s how I stroll.
Soothing Strolls 
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