Hareshaw Linn

Nine miles down the road at my nearest town Bellingham lies a beautiful little magical woodland and I am sure faeries and pixies live there. I had been told about this place but I was so adamant on Kielder Forest being my only resource I had lost my way a little.

One of my favourite topic is called “adapting” something that once upon a time I was resistant of until life whacked me so hard I had no choice but to change. I am not a Tarot card reader but I often contemplate the cards as life lessons and the “Hanged man” for me represents being adaptive. Adaptive happens when your innate resilience is uncovered and you are able to see the truth including your own behaviour. It is never about compromise of your goals or intentions but seeing beyond the hurdles which distract us. It is our conditions which we make for ourselves predominantly to protect our attachment triggers which cause us not to want to change and our predictive minds creating the experience we always think we want keep us unchangeable and stuck. Being adaptable lead me to this wonderful little place. It is only 1.5 miles long with a spectacular 30 foot waterfall at its end. Be adaptable and like the Hanged man looking at something differently rather than led by ego opens ups opportunities.

I had the same feeling when I wandered for a decade around Hackfall Woods in North Yorkshire but I realised today , as today I seem to be experiencing Deja Vu , I had the same feeling when I first stepped into Hackfall Woods. It is a feeling of belonging , of home and a past knowing .

The very moment I walked into the woodland there were beautiful hedgerows with grasses and summer plants. There were masses of Elderflower and the Hawthorn Berries were formed and ready to ripon. Blackberry flowers were blooming as they should be . The path was well made but not good for those in wheel chairs and meandered up to the waterfall crossing the stream via wooden bridges. You could tell from the colour of the water in still places it was rich in iron stone but the mining ceased a long time ago allowing nature to reclaim it once again.

On the other side of the first bridge was a bank of Wild Garlic returning back to earth but the aroma had remained and was intense. It was like walking passed a row of restaurants in Spain enticing you in my the wonderful cooking smells , getting you tummy to rumble. Now I had to return passed this place with a hoping for breakfast.

It was going to be both this place and another ancient woodland about 30 miles away which is bigger. I have a tendency to over reach and then burn out. This move was about changing my life and living simpler , slower and healthier so I can enjoy each moment and be more intentional. The woodland is not going anywhere and I want to learn about this place , find the faeries and pixies , meet the shy red squirrels and see its changing face over the year. I hope you can come along too.

Bakethin Nature Reserve

This place just gets better and better for me each time I go. It has a different unfamiliar feeling than ancient woodlands but there is something fresher and hopeful about this place. Although I have only been living on the doorstep of Kielder Forest for 3 months it has become my spontaneous place to go just for a walk in nature , to reset myself and feel alive again. As the paths are easy , it is a great place for a mindfulness walk.

Having a spontaneous place is magical , somewhere you can just get up without thought put your outdoor clothes on a leave at first light. A place when you come home stressed and just go there unplanned. It becomes your safe place and like your best friend , it’s always ready to chat.

I should take note to whether I could do Mindfulness Walks and Meditation for people next spring once I have completed my teaching qualification. I probably could do it now but I need to build up my confidence , the Mindfulness Association have more faith in me than I do myself at the moment.

June’s flowers are becoming straggly ( is that even a word ? ) which I love. I like the messiness , it always feel real and authentic to me. Who cares for perfect instagram images ! I can imagine myself in a world that is messy and flawed , it gives me hope.

There seem to be a change of colour. From yellow to purple. Two complementary colours ! Foxgloves , Knapweed , Thistles and other wild flowers take its place for July.

Bakethin is a place of 3 parts. The vibrant paths , the ponds and the woodland. There is nothing more delightful than wandering around the moss floor of the woodlands finding tree stumps and although sometimes very nuanced they do change over the seasons and its that making friends with place , getting to know it which I connect to. Sometimes I think I could quite easily come back as a tree stump and just sit there letting the moss , lichen and time clothe me.

Bull Crag Peninsular

What I find quite striking is there is part of an old road remaining after Kielder Water was created which along its side facing the water are wonderful grasses and wild flowers that glisten in the sunshine . People just walk past beauty and I am here to point it out. Imagine what these grasses were to our ancient paleolithic people and how these grasses provided food and clothing. But now , today , they are beautiful , intricate , resilient and a marvel of our wonderful planet. Please take time to notice them.

It was nature which taught me adaptability when I was struggling with my mental health, and my life. What I noticed is that the same plants in different environments were different but still flourished. I saw a mass of bullish bracken or bramble and sitting triumphantly amongst them were one delicate little wild flower. I saw how tree bark created its own intimate art just because it was exactly in that place. It taught me that my art doesn’t need to be planned or envisioned but just the nature of us expressed in our own way.