A gentle woodland walk in East Saltoun

Today I went on a gentle woodland walk in East Saltoun where I simply enjoyed a bit of nature. It was far less “exciting” than some of my recent walks, but too much excitement isn’t good for a rested soul. Indeed, in recent weeks, as I have ventured out of my Zone of Safety more and more, I have explored many wonderful places with new views and have felt rather “overstimulated” by the end of my days out. But today’s walk was “just” through the woods so most of the views were familiar – even if new (a tree is a tree is a tree… mostly).

Because the woods were so much like what I would find back in The Homeland or indeed here on the rural estate where I live, I felt quite relaxed and “at home” in my surroundings the whole time. It meant that I was able to enjoy just being in the space rather than discovering the space. And that is so good for my soul sometimes because it helps me to feel settled and at peace. (Although I really do love exploring new and interesting things, too.)

Of course, I can still manage to find new and interesting things in familiar circumstances – and I still find boundless joy in rediscovering “old” things. That means that I was quite excited to see the “old favourites” in new settings. Like fungus and ponds and thistles and insects.

And as today’s walking partner knows how much I like a nice fally-downy old building, there was even a detour to a spot just outside of the woods to explore a ruined cottage that’s been turned into a little oasis for the local farmer. It must be a lovely place to sit and enjoy a bit of solitude.

At the end of the walk, we stopped into the local village where we explored the local kirk before enjoying a soda in the sunshine outside of the local shop. It was really a fairly “unadventurous” adventure, but it has left me feeling very settled and happy. The fact that I bagged three geocaches also helped me to feel a bit satisfied, as that gets me closer to one of my 2020 goals!