There’s a lovely Latin phrase, solvitur ambulando, which broadly translates as ‘it is solved by walking’. It’s an idea that’s hard to argue with. Stepping outside and placing one foot in front of the other unknots the mind, improves circulation and strengthens a meaningful connection with the outdoors. This is as true in the green heat of springtime as it is in the leaf-litter days of the darker months. But the upsides don’t end there. If you walk regularly, certain paths can become as comforting and familiar as old friends. To know a particular route intimately – to understand its quirks and notice its thousands of details – is to be gifted the potential for fresh joy year-round.
This is why, during recent times when there has been a narrowing of geographical horizons, I resolved to become better acquainted with a footpath that passes close to my home. The path is, in many ways, a typical country trail: a quiet, puddly, hedgerow-lined route on the outskirts of an English village.