Having lived my entire life in London, I have been somewhat removed from nature. That isn't to say that I never go to the countryside, or don't enjoy being surrounded by trees and fields of green. Quite the opposite in fact, as somebody who lives in an urban setting, I realise the importance of being able to hear the birds and look at endless vistas of flowery beauty.
However I've noticed that often people who have grown up in the country far away from the smoke and noise of the big city, are connected to it in a way that I myself never could be.
I'm not saying that everybody who grows up in the countryside is at one with nature in the way that Ray Mears or Pocahontas-type way. It is much more subtle than that, it's the little things that go over a townie's head. However when I do discover one of these subtle little 'truths' it feels me with the kind of delight that a child must get the first time they discover such things.
Urban Nature
Hampstead Heath in the North London suburbs is a 790 acre site of outstanding natural beauty. It consists of plenty of recent and ancient woodland and is purported to be the burial site of the English warrior-Queen Boudicca.
It is somewhere I go almost everyday to walk my dog, however as you can see from the pictures the woodland can get quite thick at times, and even though it is not that big, it is still possible to get a bit lost on the Heath especially if you take one of the woodland trails.
As I say, it's not necessarily the size of the place that gets you lost, but the fact that when you are walking around in the woods without the kinds of landmarks that a city dweller is used to, you can find yourself walking around in circles.
So this kind of restricts you when choosing a route to take, as there are some ways which lead you into what is an impressively dense forest for the middle of London.
Then one day, I suddenly realised how I could reliably navigate my way around the Heath regardless of where I was . . . as long as it was a sunny day!
Star Gazing
This technique is of course nothing new and has been used by sailors for pretty much as long as the human race has been at sea, however for a townie like me it was a very pleasant discovery.
I'd always known that sailors navigated using the stars, but I'd never really paid much thought to exactly how they did that.
Living in London means that at night you are pretty much constantly surrounded by light pollution, therefore we don't really see stars at night and only ever tend to see the moon and sometimes Jupiter or if you're lucky, Mars.
But of course in the day time there is one star that as long as there is no cloud, we always see, and that is our very own Sol, our beautiful life-giving sun.
So one day as I was standing at the foot of Parliament Hill to the South-East of Hampstead Heath, I realised the sun was situated behind my left shoulder at about a 45 degree angle.
I knew the direction of Hampstead Heath train station where I was heading, and realised that if you turn towards that direction, then the sun is completely on your left side.
So that was it, I knew that as long as the sun was on my left, I'd be heading in the right direction, giving me freedom to just randomly wander to places that I'd never been before.
This filled me with such a childish delight and spurred me on to actually try and get lost, just so that I could use the sun to find my way out of it!
I realise of course that many people who grew up in the country, especially in sunny places would have probably worked this out by the time they were ten, but hey, I'm an ignorant city-dweller so cut me some slack!
The Nature Trail
I'll leave you with a few pics of my walk, if you're ever in London, or even if you live in a different part and have never been up here, I fully recommend you come and just wander around. At times you cannot hear any traffic and are just surrounded by the soothing sounds of nature, birds, crickets and the odd barking dog off in the distance.
What do you think this tree below looks like? I'll tell you my opinion at the bottom of the article, I want to see what you think first. :-)
I personally think the tree I asked you about (pictured below), looks like a dancer throwing a bolt of lightening from her hands, and is definitely my fave tree on the heath :-)
WHAT ABOUT YOU, DO YOU LIVE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE OR THE CITY? OR PERHAPS YOU HAVE THE PERFECT MIXTURE OF BOTH? IF YOU'RE IN A CITY DO YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE LIKE HAMPSTEAD HEATH TO GO AND CHILL AND BE AT ONE WITH NATURE? AS EVER, LET ME KNOW BELOW!
Oh i thought the tree was running towards me with arms out-stretched.
We got lost once in Hampstead Heath, we were leaving that tea place to get out supposedly to the gate near the pond near Royal Free.
One thing i like about working and living in London, parks abound and walking along regent's canal sort of make you feel like living in the countryside.
Haha, yes I suppose she does look like that.
I think you were up at Kenwood House, that's a bit of a walk from the Royal Free. At this time of the year as long as the sun is at around a 45 degree angle in front of you to the left, you are heading down in the right direction, try it next time!
Totally agree, there are bits of the Regent's canal which totally surprise and amaze me, though a lot of it is being changed I've noticed.
Cg
Will try one time..yes kenwood house.
It's being changed?? Not so much around Bethnal Green.
Cheers!
I thought it looked like a ballet dancer leaving the earth in one of those gravity defying spins. I didn't get to the thunder bolt part though.
I live in a town that is rapidly developing. It is not a city so I don't think it qualifies. The thing with most towns is the balance of nature and urban dwelling. There are asphalt roads, concrete walk ways, houses for miles then there are forests and some are thick that when you peer through no light reflects on its face. Hunters still go there hunting after small animals.
Apart from this though, the sound of animals, chickens, goats, birds, are a constant part of our life over here. It is common place even in big cities. So we never truly cut ourselves away from nature. Although we sometimes choose not to listen to it.
Now you mention it, I'd have to agree!
I love the fact that you have that balance between town and nature, to be honest I'm so accustomed to the city that I don't think I could actually live in the countryside, but I definitely like being close enough to go and hang there for hours, days, or even weeks.
Cg
I live in the countryside just outside Kendal, not to be confused with Kensal Green, there are a few greenery areas in London, your Hampstead head mish looked a fun one. I like Richmond Park all the deer playing, great place for a convertible car ride.
As for deer we have 3 residents currently in our orchard.
We are also only .5 miles from the coast too.
Love visiting London, such a change to home.
I've vaguely heard of Kendal... I like Richmond park, but the area of Richmond annoys me, it's like it is built for cars, the pavements are way too narrow, so even on a lazy Sunday it feels like rush hour. The Missus loves it because she's originally a Chiswick girl, whereas I have always been a North/Northwest boy.
Next time you're up give me a shout :-)
Cg
Yes I will do, we were down a few weeks ago for London Concours at the HAC.
Chiswick is where we used to stay at Beverly court now it’s either Ealing or near the Excel to avoid congestion. Sometimes stay in Sudbury too at a friends.
I grew up in the country. I totally understand what you are talking about though. I love visiting the big city, but I don't think I could ever live there. On the way to my parents house you have to go through a wooded area that is often teaming with deer. There are certain times you can barely get down the road because the city people have driven out to the country and pulled over to both sides of the road to watch the deer. It is pretty funny to us, but amazing to them!
Ha I totally get that, I would be one of the gawkers! :-D
Cg
I live in the city, far away from the countryside. I yearn for that pleasure of being in tune with nature, but I suppose I'm used to the pollution around me, even though I hate it.
Yeah we all need nature now and again, I try and walk for at least an hour a day up there, but it isn't always possible.
Cg
Sir, come here to us. We live in the entire village area. Here the row of green trees of the rows of birds and birds are always there. Nice breeze, your mind will be filled. The taste of fresh fruit of nature will change your thoughts. Come on, sir is your invitation.
Very beautiful; whereabouts is this?
Cg
Well, I have the perfect mixture of the two.... Smile
Notwithstanding, I still create time to be alone in a quiet places like this to enjoy the beauty of nature, especially when I'm stressed or I lack the idea of what next to do.
The best ideas comes to me whenever I'm sitting under my favourite tree too, I will ensure I take it picture and probably share it with you when next I visit... Lol
Well, about the tree, it indeed look like a dancer and like someone running who is about to jump over a barrier...lol
I've been hearing people talking about using sun, moon and starts for directions, I never knew how it operates despite the fact that we have them in abundance in Nigeria.. Lol
Well, I will surely give this a trier, to see how it works....
Thanks buddy, this is awesome...
I can relate to this, the ideas for the end of my story Asimov's Ghost came to me while walking on the Heath.
Please do!
I know, same here! The fact is, they are always in the same position, so as long as you know where they are in relation to you when you start, and where they should be (or rather a particular star should be) when you reach your journey's end, you can reliably use them, simple! :-D
Cg
Sure, with the way you explain it, I can easily practice and rely on.
Thanks dear, I will share the picture with you very soon...
Awesome place sir.Thanks for sharing it
I have no clue about directions, and I was actually walking in circles in the desert at Anholt the other day, and I felt so annoyed with myself - how come I didn't notice the sun turning around?
In my childhood town of Tromsø we were always surrounded by mountains, that made it easy to navigate ... as long as it was daylight and not too foggy. Whenever I get to flat land, I'm horrible at navigating.
At least after discovering I hade made a full 360 degree circle, I stopped up and thought for a bit on where the sun should be, and tried keeping a steady direction based on the sun.