It is great to go for a walk and to get out into the fresh air. It is even better when you don’t really know where you are going but know where you want to end up – a mystery for all but an adventure for sure. You never know what you will discover and being outdoors, isn’t bad either.
Yesterday I went for a lovely walk with my friend. We ended up walking for over 10 miles. Before we went I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do, but wasn’t sure of how it would work or if it could be done. There were a few routes we could do, but as I had never tried them, it was a case of hoping for the best, trial and error and if all else fails, we can consult Google maps.
The first part of the walk, took us through a forest which was uphill, but not as steep as going up the road would have been. The rain was battering the leaves on the trees but it was warmish. We were enjoying the fresh air, chat and this distracted us from the exercise we were doing.
Once we got out of the first forest, we were on a single track quiet country road. This was a stop for checking Google maps as whilst I knew the direction we should be heading in, I didn’t know the exact route I needed to take.
We followed the road and it took us out parallel to the road I thought we were on, that made me chuckle as it was lower down the hill than I had thought. But not too far away.
The rain had stopped at this point so we continued and enjoyed the easy pavement walking, until we arrived at our next forest. This forest was an unknown to us both. We had no idea where the paths would go or how big the loops were. As soon as we were on the path the heavens opened and the rain began. We had our waterproof jackets on so it was all good as these woods were not as sheltered as the previous. It didn’t dampen our spirits though and we continued our walk exploring the different coloured pathways.
The paths intertwined with each other, after a while we were looking for a bench to sit and have our lunch. The rain kept pouring and the benches were all exposed – rather than being in the sheltered areas of the woods. Eventually though, after a lovely walk around this forest, we came upon a bench in the middle of a wee fairy forest that had been created. It was great to see the ribbons on the trees, the wee fairy doors and a fairy house. I love people have the imagination to create these areas and give joy to people as they walk through the woods.
We put our rucksack covers down on the bench to save getting wet and we sat and enjoyed our lunch. Watching the world go by – which consisted of dog walkers and plenty dogs of all shapes and sizes all dressed up in their waterproofs too.
Finishing our lunch we continued on our way, back onto the pavements for a few miles, before we reached the final of our forest walks. This forest was one I have walked many times. It is a straight walk so we made the decision to walk along to the end and then walk back. This forest is well sheltered and has many fallen trees to climb over. I love it.
We walked climbing over fallen trees, ducking under branches and walking through the autumn leaves. We got to the end of the wood and out into the open where there were big black clouds all around. The rain was close and it was going to be heavy. We did walk quicker on the way back as although we were sheltered under the trees, the short distance we had to walk in the open to complete the walk was going to be in the torrential rain.
On the way back, I was surprised when we ended up on a completely different path to the usual. All the years I have been walking in those woods, I have never known there was another pathway. Many leaves had fallen covering the usual path so it wasn’t clear as to which way to go. But you can always make your own path and get to the same destination. As the rain fell, we re-joined the path making our way out of the forest, into the rain then home.
A brilliant walk of three forests all a bit different. It doesn’t matter where you walk, how far you walk or who you are with. The most important thing is to go outdoors and enjoy the surroundings, the walking or other exercise and let your mind and body be with nature.
I can highly recommend going on a walk where you have a start and end point and then make up the middle part. Google maps is always there if you get lost, but exploring new places, going through different forests and being out in nature, is great for your soul. Enjoy.
Thank you for reading. Have a great week and look after you.
Love Emma xx
Wellbeing with Relaxing Lavender 