marsheagle

May is here

A curious May Day. No morris dancing, no political marches. Still, Sumer is icumen in. Today’s walk is three miles long, to the west of Canterbury. In normal times, i would walk three miles every Sunday, either with Datrows walking group or as a countryside access warden. This isn’t about my health, but i amContinue reading “May is here”

A symbolic trespass

On April 24th, 1932 the Kinder mass trespass took place. The Duke of Devonshire would not let walkers on his grouse moors between Manchester and Sheffield. Walkers and political activists challenged him with a deliberate trespass, battling with game keepers. Some were arrested and jailed. Folksinger and communist Ewan McColl wrote “The Manchester Rambler”, aContinue reading “A symbolic trespass”

The Rites of Spring

Spring is not a single event but a series. From maybe the first snowdrops to Morris dancing in the May. An important stage is visiting a bluebell wood. This lockdown year my challenge was to find one an easy walk from home. The nearest is on the large campus of the University of Kent, aboutContinue reading “The Rites of Spring”

Easter Sunday

My Exercise Walk this sunny Sunday was a slow stroll around Canterbury, delivering Easter eggs to two of my sons and enjoying the ancient empty streets. I’ll write of a longer walk, which i might have done but for the lockdown. The village of Chartham is about three miles southwest of Canterbury. Take bus orContinue reading “Easter Sunday”

Walking in sunshine

Would like to ignore politics, especially on a sunny day when walking is a pleasure. But. I can’t ignore Bloody Stupid Johnson (acknowledgment to Terry Pratchett for the name) I’ve been calling him that since his first televised address on The Virus. At the end of incoherent bluster he said that Britain led the worldContinue reading “Walking in sunshine”

Could be last walk for a while?

Things are changing too fast for reasoned comment. Government guidelines permit outdoor exercise. But the health secretary says we should all stay indoors. So why are shops and garages open? If everyone stayed at home society would collapse. Enough! My Exercise Walk today (Sunday April 5th) was very different from last Sunday’s. Last week hadContinue reading “Could be last walk for a while?”

Spring is here

Today’s Permitted Exercise was a two mile walk, more or less following the line of Canterbury’s medieval walls. On Roman foundations. Willows in leaf by the River Stour. Lots of mallards in the Westgate Gardens. Magnolias. A welcome takeaway coffee in the Dane John Gardens. My monthly climb of the Dane John Mound, surely anContinue reading “Spring is here”

Hambrook

Walking, preferably in the country, is essential to my mental and physical wellbeing. It’s good to avoid buses and unnecessary car journeys. A time to revisit short walks from home. Short because of general decrepitude. One of my favourite places is Hambrook, a nature reserve just to the west of Canterbury. A water meadow byContinue reading “Hambrook”

In praise of allotments

I am determined not to be a grumpy old man. We are all threatened by The Virus. Its impact is made much worse by ten years of Tory and LibDem cuts to our Health Service. Never forget! Life has changed for all of us. My mental and physical wellbeing require long spells outdoors with freshContinue reading “In praise of allotments”

On isolation

I need regular exercise in the open air. My latest walk was a compromise. Need to isolate from other people. Need to work my allotment to provide food. Need to rest twisted ankle and arthritic foot. A nearby public footpath is partly blocked by a fallen elder tree. I walked two miles in the springlikeContinue reading “On isolation”