September seemed to disappear in a blink of an eye and while I was still doing my commuting walk and the odd stroll around the park, I didn’t get to do a relaxing ramble. I was determined that October wouldn’t slip away in a similar fashion and so this weekend I planned to head out. During my regular walks I have been enjoying seeing the trees adorned with their autumn apparel. I felt a yen to return to the Babylon Downs, partly because it is an incredible name but mainly because I had fallen in love with the tree-lined pathways and was keen to see if the green tree tunnels were now yellow, orange and red.

However when I approached the road that leads to the pathway to the Downs, it was closed for a cycling event. I’m sure I could have asked the stewards to let me pass but talking to people had not been part of my plans for the day and also I was thrown by the fact my plans were unravelling at such an early stage. As ever, when I’m not sure what to I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, waiting for inspiration to strike. In this instance inspiraton took the form of a badger, sadly not literally but I found a road called Badgers Brow and thought that sounded jolly. I was then rewarded with a path that led into the woodland and immeditely my mood improved. I should perhaps have been concerned that I was now in a wooded area with no clear idea of where I was and having no natural sense of direction. However when I am surrounded by trees I can’t help but feel contented, and so I put my trust in the trees and enjoyed being in their company. I had a little wander but then when I found a path that took me back to the road I had started from I decided not to push my luck and take this as a sign to leave the woodland for now.

I wasn’t quite ready to give on my day’s walking entirely though so now that I was back on familair territory I was able to work out a route that would take me to my local park. I love the fact that most visitors to the park will head directly for the central pond and then tend to stay there. It is a lovely pond so I will still amble round it and wave to the duckies but after that I will generally stay in the woodland area as in this section the trees always outnumber the people, which is how I like it. I am lucky to always have this park as my backup plan as it always looks gorgeous. I loved seeing the yellow leaves, along withe a few red ones and I’m sure the squirrels will be delighted with the bountiful supply of acorns which were lining the paths this year.

Whenever I set off for a walk, I do have a set route in mind. Mainly because I want to be able to relax and enjoy the scenery or just allow my mind to wander rather than constantly having to think about which way I’m going. This weekend’s walk reminded me that while this is a good idea, it is also important to be prepared to adapt. I guess the advantage of walking in my local area means that I will always have alternative options. I could get philisophical here and say that the same rules apply to life in general, you may have a set plan for what you want to do, but invariably something will happen to send you off on a different path. At first, it’s natural to be disappointed, confused or upset but at some point you let go of those feelings and decide to just keep on walking on this alternative route. Once you accept the change in plans then you can start to find the joy.

I think I had better take my leave before this analogy gets stretched too thinly. I guess my point is that while plans are great, be open to change and making new plans on the fly. To bring this back to walking, even if you don’t get to the Babylon Downs, you’ve still enjoyed an afternoon out walking.

That’s how I stroll.