Exploring hidden ways of getting around town
THERE are so many strange and wondrous new things we have found ourselves doing this year. At least, strange and wondrous to me. Don’t know about you. Each to their own and all that. Either way, the list is long, winding and, in slightly bizarre, to my way of thinking. Some of the items on that list are good, some are bad and some are just downright ridiculous. There is one thing we can all be sure of, however. I doubt if any of these new normals were on anybody’s new years resolution list in early 2020. Unless they have an all consuming obsession with masks, alcohol gel and personal space, that is. Which is always possible in this brave new world of ours. Sigh. But, as above, each to their own. Not going to start asking questions at this stage of the game. Might not like the answers. Oddly enough though, snuggled in amongst all these strange new ways and highly hygienic habits, there has been something else I have started to do this year. Something I chose to do. Something that involves ducking down back alleys. And before you ask, no. It definitely was not on my new years resolution bucket list. Well, not this year. Let me explain.
When I was small, my family lived in a rural village. A small clump of houses adrift in a sea of fields. Where they mainly seemed to grow sugar beet. To get to school, my brothers and I walked through leafy lanes and cut across fields. Climbing mini mountains of beets before taking tiny paths that led through trees, then slipped between narrow gaps in hedges. Looking back, I realise that I have virtually no memory of what happened in the classroom. The only things that stay in my mind, are those wild and wonderful walks to and from school. They were as good as magic carpet rides to my excitable young mind. All in all, it was a pretty cute and charming introduction to the joys of exploring.
Fast forward a few years, my dad got a new job and our family found itself moving to a suburb of Birmingham. Which was a completely different kettle of bicycle pumps. Where once we played on farm land and wilderness, we now found ourselves visiting rundown urban parks and gritty wasteland. But one thing stayed the same. We soon found a hidden world of back lanes, muddy paths and overgrown tracks to explore. As the years rolled by, I spent many happy hours making my way around our new neighbourhood, using these back alleys as my very own private bike track and playground.
Fast forward, a few decades this time, Mrs Cullimore and I found ourselves living the good life in a quiet suburb of Bristol. Thing is, this time around, I was an adult. With things to do, children to raise and bills to pay. All of which meant I never found time to go exploring for the hidden back alleys and snickets that I knew would be out there. Somewhere. Just waiting to be found and enjoyed. Sigh.
But then 2020 arrived, with lockdowns and all the other crazy stuff we have had to deal with this year. Suddenly, I found myself with more time on my hands than I knew what to do with. Which meant I could finally get round to ticking some tiny things off my bucket list. Things that didn’t involve money, travel or spending time with other people, obviously.
All of which is just a long way of explaining why I have spent so much so the last few months ducking down back alleys and wandering between hedgerows. I’ve been on the hunt for secret, hidden, lost mysterious ways of getting around town without using roads and pavements. Have to say, it has been an unexpected bonus. An extra added joy to strolling. I have stumbled across miles of bramble edged paths hidden away in plain sight. Almost. Usually, the only giveaway is a discreet sign marooned halfway up a lamppost. Often half hidden by foliage and rust.
On my own, or with small dogs in tow, I have tramped the suburbs in search of these clues, these hints of half forgotten pathways. And as I have found them and taken these paths less travelled, I have found myself transported, not just from one place to another. But from one time to another. As memories of other trails I have taken over the years come back to make me smile.
If you are in need of some tiny adventures, I can thoroughly recommend them.
Hope you and yours are safe, well and happy.