Nature Writing

  • In Search of Silver

    This walk takes place in mid-March, starting in Druidale, in the central hills of the Isle of Man. As Spring awakes, something too awakes in me. A fresh breeze stirs in my chest, and I feel the need to get out there, into nature. As much, in fact, as is humanly possible.

  • Of skylarks and cottongrass

    Of skylarks and cottongrass

    The weather has broken, but that’s okay. Sometimes the island is at its most beautiful when the churning, brooding clouds sweep in across the sea like Nature’s cloak. Today, the land is cast in a muted, diffuse light. No need for sunglasses. I can see the colours of the landscape as they truly are.

  • Stop and smell the roses (and the wildflowers too!)

    Stop and smell the roses (and the wildflowers too!)

    This picture was taken the other day as I was on a quick stroll. Oxeye Daisies never fail to uplift. A couple of years ago I might have appreciated wildflowers with only my eyes. These days, I also take a moment to appreciate their scent…

  • Climbing a hill to find a big sky…

    Climbing a hill to find a big sky…

    The sun shines, I have a spare hour, and I feel drawn to climb a hill. I don’t feel like driving so I head out the door and just start walking. The nearest hill borders the town on one side, and the sea on the other. Today I’ll be walking along its landside. I have…

  • When you feel on the right path

    When you feel on the right path

    I take the footbridge over a forded river and pause halfway to listen to the water. A small salmon swims stationary in the currents, under a shaft of sunlight, waiting to snare an unsuspecting midge.

  • A miniature jungle

    A miniature jungle

    This is another shot from my allotment. I know, I know. Weeds – the gardener’s nightmare. But I love it. If you get your head down low and take a few moments just to observe, you begin to see so much.

  • Red Campion at my allotment

    Red Campion at my allotment

    I returned to my allotment for the first time in a little while. Things have been busy, and so, it would seem, have the wildflowers.

  • Walking thoughts: Of scent and sap.

    Walking thoughts: Of scent and sap.

    I came upon this little patch of wilderness on my travels yesterday and was transfixed by the complexity of every level of life. In the distance, the fields and scrubland teemed with insects, wildflowers and birdsong. The air shimmered with the mid-afternoon heat.

  • Crunching gravel underfoot

    Crunching gravel underfoot

    Here’s a photo I took yesterday, enjoying a gorgeous mid-May walk…

  • Budge up baby barnacles!

    Budge up baby barnacles!

    I visited a rocky beach, and boulder after boulder was covered in barnacles, many of which were miniscule, baby barnacles. There must have been millions of them. I wondered, what is their experience of life? And how many of these tiny babies reach adulthood?

  • The same landscape at four scales: a mindful postcard

    The same landscape at four scales: a mindful postcard

    Sometimes, it feels as if you have wandered into a dream. And that’s exactly what I felt as I was walking in woodland yesterday…

  • Resplendent Gorse Flowers

    Resplendent Gorse Flowers

    Read or listen to today’s meditation. There’s coconut in the air. Yet softer, sweeter somehow. As you crunch the gravel beneath your feet you recognise the unmistakable fragrance of gorse flowers. It is the beginning of spring.