The Garrulous Jay – In Praise of Walking

Last week I finished reading David Nicholls’ wonderful novel, You Are Here, while I was on holiday on Madeira with my sons.

The principal characters in the book, Michael and Marnie, find themselves unexpectedly spending several days together walking across the Lake District. As some of you will recall, I too spent a long weekend walking in the Lake District in September, although this was more carefully planned.

We were also on Madeira to walk some of the island’s breathtaking landscapes. In addition, in recent years I have enjoyed walks on Corfu and Sicily, in the Atlas mountains, along New York City’s ‘High Line’ and, on numerous occasions, the fabulous North Norfolk coast.

It would also be remiss of me not to mention the so-called ‘Big Old Walk’ organised annually by a friend. This year the BOW saw us in Constable Country on a hot June day.

And then there are the countless walks with the dogs around our home.

Suffice to say I’m a fan of walking…

Sometimes I walk because I have to: the dogs can’t walk themselves, although they occasionally try. Sometimes I walk with friends, sometimes with family, sometimes alone.

I walk in all manner of different weather across a wide range of terrains, in every season. My walks are sometimes short, sometimes long.

In fact, it is the very diversity of walks and walking that I enjoy. It brings with it different experiences, varied landscapes, changing sights and smells.

The pace of a walk can vary, but I think all walks force us to slow down. That in turn lets thoughts in that would otherwise be crowded out by busy lives.

The changing company brings wide-ranging conversations. Sometimes walks can be the cause of arguments, more often they can help to resolve them.

A good walk can provide the space – quite literally – for difficult subjects to be broached, explored and potentially resolved.

The simple process of physically moving in the same direction as another person or group of people is inherently less confrontational and more unifying.

I’m not talking about traversing the cocooned and manicured landscapes of the world’s finest golf courses, but places a little more rugged and varied. Places where the humbling diversity and power of nature almost inevitably deflate rather than inflate individual egos, thereby facilitating an openness to other ideas and perspectives.

I have to conclude, therefore, that if we all walked a bit more before making Big Decisions this would be a good thing. In fact my prescription for a better world would involve our leaders not meeting across polished tables in marbled halls, but outside for a good walk.

I fear my prescription will be ignored, but we can all benefit from it when it comes to making decisions in our own lives.

You may also wish to find out how it worked out for Michael and Marnie.