Dreams in a career: heading to resume point

Saturday at home, awake early, I read a bit of London Orbital, the account of Iain Sinclair’s pre-millennial trek around the M25. As I drift towards London, I want to avoid literally walking in Sinclair’s footsteps. This doesn’t seem likely on the next stretch, as I will be walking outside the M25 while Sinclair [...]

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Misty en route: Great Missenden to Chalfont St Giles

For a long time now I’ve been pondering the best route to take for the last part of the walk. I could veer off into the southwest, strike the south coast and approach Brighton from the west. Or I could skirt London anticlockwise and end up arriving from the north close to the route of [...]

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Lion Bars, Square Hooks and Cross Keys: Cheddington to Great Missenden

The Guardian are asking people to blog on the topic ‘Three Things I do to Enjoy England‘, and as I think enjoyment is fine in its way and do often experience it it in England, I decided to shape a post around their theme. I doubt if I’ll be able to emulate the breezy style [...]

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Gate grown closed: Linslade to Cheddington, 4

Continued
I’ve left stuff out, so I need to rewind. Back in Mentmore I left Jennie and Wendy in the pub for a while and went to look at my grandparents’ old house. This was a poignant moment – as everything looks the same as it always did, there seemed no reason why I could not [...]

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‘Feast on your life’: Linslade to Cheddington, 3

Continued

Walking along the lanes, I began to approach territory familiar from several holidays at my grandparents’ house, back when I was a child/teenager/young man.

In those days I would often walk alone, away from the cottage, along these very roads. In today’s heat and middleage, heading towards the remembered place, I imagined that I might encounter [...]

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