blackmorevale.net
New Blackmore Vale, 8 July 2022
Health & Wellbeing
Meditations in nature: Life on the edge
by Susie Curtin I am writing this under a moody Cumbrian sky, perched on a grassy shelf looking down from the side of Helvellyn, England’s third highest peak, towards Striding Edge. It is a typical Lakeland day with occasional bursts of sunlight amid dark rain clouds, and swirling mists that allow only brief glimpses of the waterfalls and steep-sided U-shaped valleys below. For reasons I cannot entirely explain, dramatic landscapes like this lift my spirits like nowhere else. Although there are skylarks, wheatear and pipits on the lower slopes, and some unique alpine flora, there is little to divert my attention away from the immensity of the mountains. I am just here in the moment on top of the world. There are many evolutionary theories as to why we like heights, not least the fact that we can see our enemies approaching. Having scrambled along Striding Edge and down the steep vertical seven-metre tower known as ‘The Chimney’, my feet are planted on terra firma while I just enjoy the feeling of being here in this place. Striding Edge is an arête, a sharp ridge which was once a boundary between two parallel glaciers. It now separates two valleys and is a magnet for walkers and scramblers alike. Although it feels remote, there is a steady flow of people following in my footsteps, one by one stumbling over this famous landmark, stopping to take in the views and to capture the moment with a photo. What is it, I wonder, about ‘edge lands’
Striding Edge, the renowned ridge which flanks the south-eastern passage to Helvellyn.
that are so attractive? Sat here amid the swirling clouds, it occurs to me that much of life is lived on the edge. We exist on the brink between dreams and reality, happiness and sadness, prosperity and poverty, and life and death. Perhaps ‘down there’ in the real world, we take too much for granted. While up here, it is indeed foolish to assume anything given the mountain’s changeability. In the time it has taken me to scribble these notes, the rain clouds have descended. I quickly gather my things, don my waterproofs and climb to the summit of Helvellyn, before scrambling down Swirral Edge and over towards Catstye Cam, unable to see beyond a few metres. That is until I descend. Then, like a miracle, the land appears swathed in a steamy, ethereal light that guides me safely
back to Glenridding and back to reality. Yet, in my dreams I am still up there on Striding Edge, where the ravens call and the clouds gather. Dr Susie Curtin email curtin.susanna@gmail.com n If you love nature and enjoy creative writing, then come and join me for an inspirational day in the beautiful surroundings of Bere Marsh Farm, Blandford, Dorset DT11 0QY. The Countryside Regeneration Trust is running two writing workshops – one for adults on 16 July and one for children on 27 July. The cost is £40 for the day. For more information and to book a place, contact Elaine Spencer-White at the CRT office on 01258 860090 or email e.s.white@thecrt. co.uk
A walk around…East Orchard by Chris Slade
Here’s a short walk of a little over three miles. Park in the layby near the church. Visit it to see if it’s still standing as there was a massive crack at the south-east corner when I visited. There’s an unusual tree, one of the quercus species, I think, in the churchyard. See if you
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can identify it. Now walk south-south-west down the road for a quarter of a mile, then turn right, northwest, up a road which soon joins a B-road. Turn left and, after a short distance, southwest, join a footpath which leads south-east along the parish boundary crossing several stiles to join a road that continues in the same direction along the
boundary for half a mile crossing a bridge and meeting a junction where you turn east for a short distance. Then, at a grassy triangle in the road, turn left, north-west, passing Meads Farm and then join Church Lane heading north-east until the Tarmac runs out at Pennyclose Farm. The lane then bends left and heads north, uphill, along an unpaved
road for half a mile, passing some houses then meeting a road. Here you turn left and head west for 100 yards or so, then join a footpath heading southsouth-west, first crossing a lawn, then a field where the path branches south-west down to the church and your car. Chris Slade is a retired Dorset rights of way officer
