At 5AM, I look out my window onto Kirkby Stephen’s market square. The market has been around awhile, in 1361 a royal market charter was granted. I see a very early morning hiker already heading out of town.Yikes! I also see a Viking longboat in the middle of the square. Bread Shelf Loki Chained Late …
707. The Path in and through the Lake District
“No man steps in the same river twice.” Heraclitus “No person walks on the same path twice.” Lindquist One way to appreciate the Coast to Coast trail in the Lake District is through William Wordsworth’s classic metaphor in Guide to the Lake District. Place yourself in the center of the district, an area probably 35x45 …
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706. The Wordsworths and Grasmere
Specific individuals link to specific places. Since I was born in Springfield, Illinois, I live with images of Abe Lincoln. Tending store in nearby New Salem; living in the only home he owned on South Eighth Street; giving his sad farewell address to friends at the Western Train Depot. The Wordsworth are forever linked to …
705. “Ramblers for Rory” along the Way to Grasmere
Suzanna Cliff Christine The Borrowdale valley is beautiful in that representative English way. Stone walls. Stone bridges. Stone houses. Cold streams. Green pastures. Sheep centuries old. Lambs born yesterday. Seatoller, morning rain Today, I walk from Seatoller to Grasmere. Upon reaching the pass, I have to choose which route to follow. Once again, the High …
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704. An Ibuprofen Day
Looking north from Ridge line, a tarn (lake) The first day proceeds as I expect. Making for Cleator, I walk almost six miles, a little more than a Stone Mountain circular. Wanting to break-in the legs, I walk in sunshine through a woodland timber area, pastures with sheep munching the grass. Dent Hill toward St …
703. Leaving St Bees
St bees Well, well, well. A diversion. I’m going to walk almost 200 miles and I don’t even get to start the trail in the usual way! The Coast to Coast Trail begins with a diversion. So much for walking along the actual coast as I did on the South West Coast Trail. Last December, …
702. Manchester in a Day, Street Art
This pre-walk period differs. Almost always before my other walks, I spend 2-3 days adjusting. Whether Madrid, Lisbon, Canterbury, Lucca, or Minehead, I let my body and my spirit get used to the new time zone, the new environment, the new food. Plunging into a walk hours after arriving in a new place doesn’t suit …
701. Getting to St. Bees
Train Leighton Buzzard and young woman Unlike other walks, I begin this walk saying good-by to the family. Our traveling family begins to break-up when Charles and Christina have to return to work. I say good-by. Next, after an additional two days traveling with Dwight to Cambridge in order to us to see where his …
700. Another English Walk: The Coast to Coast
A book. A photo. A personal story. So many ways that an idea finds itself in our head. After completing England’s South West Coast Path, I wanted to try another English walk. But where? There are numerous national trails. Arthur Wainwright Then, I came across Arthur Wainwright and his idiosyncratic book “A Coast to Coast …
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858. The Senses Encounter India
The senses are on high alert in India. Either I'm fascinated or repulsed with what I hear, smell, touch, and see. As others have noted, visiting India is a "full-body" experience. Visually, I see what I normally don't see in the states. Garbage is everywhere. Even with signs reminding individuals "Keep Delhi (insert other places …
Journeys: Explorations in Body, Mind, and Spirit 