Walking

  • Celtic Nature: Experience the Boundlessness of the High Hills

    Today, we we venture into the undulant hills of the island’s heart, and after weeks of inescapable heat, this touch of shining cold is just what our skin calls out for.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Casting shade…

    Casting shade…

    The more you judge, the worse you feel. Research shows that developing a non-judgemental attitude significantly improves our happiness and general well-being.

  • Paddling on a hot afternoon

    Paddling on a hot afternoon

    It’s amazing how much colder the water is if you stand in the fast moving flows compared with the wider, slower sections. Needless to say, we splash over toward burbling cascades by the rocks.

  • 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.

  • Quiet connections in a woodland glade

    Quiet connections in a woodland glade

    The air was suffused with message-carrying scents and invisible instructions inside grains of pollen. Under my feet, I was aware there must be a knotted network of root and mycelium. And, breathing in this earthy air, I too felt a deep sense of peaceful connection.

  • Temple of green

    Temple of green

    We sit with our feet in the water, cooling down after a walk. The sound of the river, cascading over rocks, washes over us as well as the currents. Each leaf, an acoustic reflector.

  • 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…

  • A Stand of Beech Trees: A Guided Meditation

    A Stand of Beech Trees: A Guided Meditation

    This guided meditation invites you to escape your stress and immerse yourself in a serene landscape. It encourages deep breathing and mindfulness, connecting with nature’s beauty, from the gentle breeze to the vibrant forest life. This experience fosters a profound sense of peace and interconnectedness with the natural world, promoting inner tranquillity.