Paul McGuinness, editor@countryfile.com
You may notice a bit of a walking theme to this issue. And why not? It is springtime now, after all, which traditionally sees people heading out into the countryside in greater number after the long winter months.
Walking in the wilds is such a tonic for my wellbeing. I’m no technophobe, but I spend so much of my time looking at a screen, both for work and hobbies, that I get a rush of euphoria when I step out into the countryside. I’m sure you know the feeling – it’s like I’ve escaped the modern world and rejoined the timeless and ageless circle of life. I’m free to do what I want, and I’m connected with the past and the future while experiencing nothing but the present.
Which brings me to two of my favourite parts of this island, both featured in this issue: the Scottish Highlands (p32) and England’s historic Ridgeway (p44). The former is a spectacularly beautiful place to roam. I recall many years ago gazing at those hills and thinking how much of a tiny blip on the Earth’s timeline I was.
But on another day, I remember draining my flask at Wayland’s Smithy and feeling connected to thousands of years of human history, a small but equally important cog in a wheel that’s been turning for thousands of years before me and will continue long after me. Enjoy your walk!
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