Category Archives: The Monarch’s Way

It’s just after 6 in the morning. I left my bed next to the A35 ten minutes ago, just a bit of flattened grass the only reminder of my brief sojourn. The Monarch’s Way hugs the river Brit as it meets Bridport. The first building in Bridport I come across is Palmer’s Brewery on theContinue reading “Monarch’s Way Bridport May 31st”

This would be the first time I would have been on the Monarch’s Way since September the 18th last year. It was the day before the Queen’s funeral. I can still remember the sense of a nation in mourning: flags at half mast; everyone talking about ‘she’ or ‘her’. Here I am three weeks afterContinue reading “The Monarch’s Way – Broom Cliff to Golden Cap May 23rd 2023”

It feels like late summer: the wind is cooler but the sun still has its strength. Swallows flit overhead flying in arcs showing the white of their breasts. They always seem like they’re having such fun. Suddenly the buzz of a bee is a loud shock in my ear before it drones clumsily away. OutContinue reading “The Monarch’s Way Charmouth September 18th”

Driving along the lanes of South Somerset and Dorset, the road is lined with union jacks at half mast as well as the now ubiquitous blue and yellow colours of Ukraine. Beside the A35, before I descend the steep hill to Charmouth, a Jolly Roger hangs limply, the skull staring blankly above his bones. It’sContinue reading “The Monarch’s Way, Charmouth September 18th 2022”

I’m standing outside the octagonal tower of Ilchester church. A huge star has been attached above the arch of the door. The vicar looks up at it and then turns back to me. ‘It looks great when it’s lit up at night’. Bruce is a robust looking man. He’s broad. He wears a Karrimor waterproofContinue reading “Tramping Diaries. The Monarch’s Way, Ilchester December 4th 2021”

I wake up in a meadow just outside Misterton. Crows are fussing loudly above my head. Caw. Caw. There’s something urgent about them. Then the soft lilting of pigeons. There are minor changes every minute. There’s a Scots pine above me and the first light is amongst the branches like a fire that is justContinue reading “Tramping Diaries – The Monarch’s Way June 1st 2022”

Two of the Teletubbies welcome me to Ashington. They are resting under a sign. I’m back on The Monarch’s Way. My passion for ‘slow walking’ grows, meanders and thrives. There isn’t much of a plan apart from reaching the end of the path. It’s all about the moments that appear like magic en route (andContinue reading “Tramping Diaries. The Monarch’s Way: Ashington to Ilchester October 1st 2021”

I am lying on my back in a green pool. I float through lily pads. The world is reduced to a frog’s view of blue sky and waving green leaves. Sunlight creates flashes of gold in front of my eyes. Is it just the light or is it the light catching the blonde of myContinue reading “Tramping Diaries The Monarch’s Way June 2021”

Every day on the path is a series of mini dramas. They flow into one another as part of the same linear narrative. South of Castle Cary the land is scrubby. It looks like land near a newly made road which is being rewilded. It’s bumpy and uncomfortable to walk on. The path approaches theContinue reading “Tramping Diaries The Monarch’s Way June 2021”

Time moves slowly. The journey is punctuated by moments: of transition, beauty, mystery and fascination. In between there are great lulls. These are the times where I just walk and think. I lose track of the surroundings. It is now the inner path that I wander along. I can be oblivious to the real worldContinue reading “Tramping Diaries. The Monarch’s Way June 2021.”

I’m sitting in another field overlooking Castle Cary. I overhear the conversations of a group of local teenagers. They must be about 14. They sit on metal tubes. They look like large underground drain ducts that have been dumped in a meadow. The grass has grown over the top so they’re becoming part of theContinue reading “Tramping The Monarch’s Way June 2021”

I am in another yellow meadow in North Wootton near Wells. I associate these golden pockets with Somerset at this time of year. Here more than anywhere they seem to be in abundance. The Monarch’s Way skirts two sides of it. Someone has mown these edges to make it easier for people to walk aroundContinue reading “Tramping Diaries The Monarch’s Way June 2021”

tramp verb[ I usually + adv/prep, T ] to walk, especially long distances or with heavy steps: Cambridge Dictionary I began walking The Monarch’s Way as a lockdown project in January 2021 when we were all told to stay at home. For someone who loves to explore this at first seemed like a challenge but it just meant a readjustment where I would have to explore myContinue reading “Slow walking The Monarch’s Way 2021”

Felt a bit strange today. Woke up early in a lovely dream state and lay in bed listening to nothing but the low hum of the wind and the infrequent clicking of rain drops blown against the window panes. So excited to escape the city even if it’s just to the perimeter. There’s something dystopianContinue reading “The Monarch’s Way, Long Ashton to Winford Jan 30th 2021”