Rambling Restores My Soul!

A few weeks ago I decided to search for a local walking group as I absolutely love long walks in the countryside but am bored of the ones I know already and worry about getting lost if I tried to navigate new walks by myself!!! We also want to get the kids used to doing longer walks as they enjoyed walking the mountains in the Lakes last summer but we’ve not been very good at keeping up the walking since coming home. It’s also great exercise for all of us and gets us all away from the screens, plus our dog Lilly loves a good long walk. So I googled walking group Hampshire and discovered that the Ramblers do a 20s-30s group (too young for Kev!) and a 40+ group. So I looked up the next scheduled walk – an 11 mile walk from Cheriton, near Winchester – and decided to go along to see what it was like. I was a bit nervous as I’d not done an 11 mile for several years, but seeing as I usually walk Lilly 2-3 miles every day I figured it’d be ok…!

It was fantastic!!! The people were so friendly and easy-going, there were about 20 of us altogether – both men and women – some had been walking with the Ramblers for many years, some had just recently joined and one other newbie like me! We set off at quite a pace and it was easy to just start chatting to whoever you happened to be standing next to. There were no welcoming committees or rotas or anything – it all just happened naturally, effortlessly and easily. But it was deeper than just a sense of belonging and community – there was something about walking across the South Downs with others who shared a real passion for the outdoors and the beauty of nature. It did something to my soul – I felt connected to something deeper, something timeless, something much bigger than me. I felt God’s presence all around, in the beauty and wonder of the natural world, in the colours and the smells and the sounds of nature. The Psalmist speaks of God restoring his soul and for me, that’s what it felt like. And, although my legs were quite tired by the end, I loved every single minute of it!!!

Not only that – it was addictive! As soon as I got home I told Kev and the kids all about it and looked up when and where the next walk was to be. This time, a shorter 8 mile walk from East Tisted, near Alton. To my surprise, Rheya, my 11 year old daughter said she’d like to come with us (Hudson had already arranged a play day with a friend that day), so the three of us, plus our dog Lilly, set off on the next walk together. It was great. A real family outing. A shared sense of peace and joy and wonder at just being in amongst nature – and the best bit is not having to read a map or worry where we are going. That’s all taken care of and you can just walk!

For me, being part of the Ramblers has all the elements of church without actually being church: community, belonging, passion, awe and wonder, peace, joy, conversations about life, the universe and everything, and most importantly, a tangible sense of God’s presence all around. I can’t wait for the next walk on Sunday, an aptly named 9 miler called the ‘Temple of the Winds’ from Fernhurst, near Guildford.