3 things I love about walking

Oak trees

What was the first tree you could name? I’ll bet it was an oak. Bound up in our national mythology, these hardwood giants are perennially pleasing fixtures of the countryside; whether as maverick loners or growing in woods. English- and sessile-oaks’ burled trunks spread muscular branches bearing heavy crops of of lobed leaves and acorns. And they’re worthy of love not just for their own sake, but for the wildlife they give food and shelter to as well.

Stepping stones

Who needs a sensible way of crossing a river – like a boring old bridge – when you can lay a string of boulders through its shallows? They’re almost always slippery, and one or two will be unevenly spaced to catch out the clumsy among us. But there’s something about stepping stones that brings a brief spark of adventure to a walk, as you leap and teeter from one to another, getting perilously friendly with the fast-flowing water.

Sunken lanes

“Ooh, we’re going into a tree tunnel!” my Granddad would chirp, as a footpath would sink into a hill, and branches would wrap themselves over the shadowy manmade trench, dappling the ground with green light. There’s something magical about sunken lanes, which streak the hills of southern England. And I share my late grandfather’s delight in them. When I walk a sunken lane, it makes my feet tingle to know that I’m continuing an ancient groove, scraped out by the footsteps of our ancestors.