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" Friendship is a sheltering tree "

Coleridge

Solvitur Ambulando – A Walk Around Britain

November 11th, 2015
Hayward and Parsons

Hayward and Parsons

A Walk Around Britain describe themselves as ‘ a movement of people rediscovering Britain through songs and journeys on foot’. Hayward & Parsons and Will & Ed are modern-day Pilgrims walking the landscape, singing their way along its paths and trackways. Ed and Will describe what walking means to them:

Humans are the upright strollers of the great monkey family. Walking is our species’ root technology, and great advantage. It defines our kind. Outside, walking, you’re instantly part of living Albion, the hedged and wild-flowered land of our ancestors. Each corner turned brings new conjunctions of history, land and self. Secret doors curl inward, inviting deep exploration. For the mind, soul and body, walking is an expansive act – it opens gates into the landscape, turning swift glassy images into smells, aches and wonders. The hedgerows bubble to glory as the birds sing the seasons. Fresh water flows from the ground, and song rises from our throats. 

A walker’s life is without central-heating, electricity, broadband, fridge, bathroom, mattress, carpets or television. Living without these daily boons, and believing you are still winning, is a trick that takes slow-learning. We walk, sing, meet and learn, encountering Britain’s multiple landscapes of history, culture, nature and dream. Wild food and medicinal plants become allies. Bushcraft becomes basic civilization, and people become experts of their realm. We want to share what we find. This land is not threatening, spoiled, dull, nor depressed. It is vibrant and beautiful; it is our best characteristic. And that’s why we go walking.

You can find their wonderful website here and I have included two short films about both Ed & Will and Hayward and Parsons. They will make you yearn to jump into a sturdy pair of boots, throw a pack on your back and stride out on your own adventure…