We’re finally getting some much needed rain here in western Maine. I’m not sure we’ve seen any for over a month. It’s been relatively warm too with the temperatures hovering around 40° during the daytime. Overall, it’s been a pleasant autumn. The rain certainly is welcome though. People have been complaining of allergies and I suspect the dry leaves on the ground have had something to do with that. All that dust flying around the outside air is bound to have an effect on the sinuses. Hopefully it’s all been washed downstream.
A few days ago, I was browsing Google Earth (something I often do) around the Dunkeld, UK region. I was merely searching about, somewhat haphazardly, when I changed from satellite view to street view. I find it fascinating how different the two perspectives appear. A road that looks somewhat busy and well travelled from the air almost always turns out to be a one-lane-like farmer’s driveway. Things are quite different in Scotland than they are in the U.S. I’m used to wide blacktop, double-lane roads here in Maine. In the Dunkeld region of Scotland, the roads are so much more intimate, for lack of a better word.
As I was browsing through the streets of outer Dunkeld, I noticed something striking. Almost everywhere I visited, I found walking path signs adjacent to the roads. I’ve long known that walking is a treasured pastime in England, but I can’t say I was sure of the same in Scotland. Apparently, it’s a thing there too. As a matter of fact, just in the Dunkeld area alone, there are almost a dozen walks that range from 3-4 miles all the way up to approximately 10 miles. To view trail/path descriptions and an official walking map of the Dunkeld Path Network, click here. To see a quick-view of the map, see below.
Dunkeld and Birnam are situated along the River Tay, where it’s most congested on the map. I’ve learned so much about the area and have truly fallen in love with it. I’m looking very much forward to the day Laura and I visit.
The reason I bring any of this up is because, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned in the past, Laura and I are seasoned walkers. We do it both for exercise as well as relaxation and entertainment. I’d love to one day do it out of necessity, meaning, live close enough to a town, pub, or store, and use our walks for purpose rather than those reasons I mentioned above. As we also become older, we consider what we’ll do with our free time. Retirement is still a long ways off, but I’m a proponent of incorporating activities to the point of them becoming habitual, years before they’re necessary. I believe walking is one activity we’ll be engaging in for the long-haul and it’s comforting to know it’s well respected in a place I’ve become so fond of.
