I often think of this poem when walking with my friend, we have started doing a long distance walk each year, this year we walked half of the Bay2Bay walk, 100 miles from Grassington to Barrow in Furness. We take our time and organise the walks so we do a maximum of 12 miles a day. We like to have time to enjoy the walk, stop and admire wild flowers, watch red squirrels. Our OH’s think it very amusing as how ever long the walk is, it will take us all day, we have a sausage roll break, banana break, coffee break, lunch, sticky bun break….we basically graze all day. This doesn’t include all the stops for photographing a view, especially if going up a steep hill! If we can organise a teashop at the end, even better.
We don’t see the point of marching up and down dale if you’re going so fast you miss the beauty around you, everyone should take time to stand and stare…
One of my favourite walks ever involved getting up at 4.30 one morning to climb Catbells to watch the sunrise. Catbells is one of the smaller fells in the Lake District, but it has fantastic views of Derwentwater. It took about 45 minutes to climb to the top then we just sat and watched as early morning mist formed over the lake, the sun rose over Blencathra turning everything golden orange, it was absolutely beautiful.
The Poem “Leisure”
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
WH Davies
From Songs Of Joy and Others (1911)
thecraftycreek 