Reflective walking as a creative exploration of earth care
In January, 16 climate activists appealed their prison sentences, and in solidarity with them, I walked 16km along the Gloucestershire Way, from Tewkesbury on the Severn flood plain, to Winchcombe on the edge of the Cotswolds.
I started from Tewkesbury Abbey in bright sunshine. The resident peregrine watched, with a good view of the flooded fields that I had naively not considered. I soon realised that my journey and the land I was walking on would be telling me a story, related to the reasons the prisoners had carried out the actions they had been punished for.
The footpath I needed was barred by flood water, as were two alternatives, so I left Tewkesbury along the main road. The flooded Nature Reserve looked lovely in the winter sunshine, with reflections in the still water.
Thinking of barriers, I came across a house with large locked gates, high fences and cameras – may keep out intruders but useless in preventing flooding. Finally out in open country, the M5 was my next barrier: 35 million vehicles a year, and an immediate impression of the range and number of goods being transported north and south.
Over the motorway, a housing estate was being built on flooded ground: Fiddington Fields – they always seem to be named after what has been destroyed. And adjacent to the warehouses where I had watched a starling murmuration last year, a new designer outlet is “doing its bit for the climate” by encouraging public transport.
Heading through farmland towards the higher ground, I thought the flooding was behind me, but the next field was impassable. Having to turn back once more felt like a real blow as I studied the map for alternative routes.
I came across a large solar farm being built – good to see, as I had previously passed the high pressure gas pipeline. Then in the next field, a massive metal building with no windows - an intensive chicken factory.
The landscape and views changed as I climbed the Cotswold edge to rolling hills. There’s a painting from about 1720 in Cheltenham Art Gallery, showing groups of people gathering in the harvest. My route took me through that field, still the same boundaries, and the view still recognisable. It was pleasing to have that connection with history, after all the discordant signs of 21st century living. Perhaps one day we will re-learn harvesting our food communally and eating it locally.
A final hill before reaching Winchcombe, and a final challenge - a narrow path through a wood, where heavy rain had cut a deep channel. It was hard to balance one foot on each side of the bank, and impossible to walk along the bottom.
My walk showed me how the expectations of modernity leads to building on floodplains for housing and retail, with the expectation of next day delivery, and unlimited choice. And how more frequent severe weather damages the land by erosion and flooding. Adaptation was evident as well, from birds roosting on buildings, to fields used for solar panels instead of agriculture.
The pace and rhythm of reflective walking and the literal connection with the earth, allows me to be in tune with the joys and challenges we share. This walk mainly brought barriers and challenges – appropriate in the circumstances. However I also particularly enjoyed the birds, the views and the connections through time.
Alison Crane