Ballads Across Borders
Just finished walking the Southern Upland Way where I created a similar ‘songline’ to keep myself going over the long miles. Until I blog about that here’s a wee reminder of last year’s trek.
Off by yourself you could sing those songs to bring yourself back.
Gary Snyder, ‘Good, Wild, Sacred’
Offa’s Dyke Path, descending southwards from the Jubilee Tower, 1821 ft (555 m) . K. Manwaring 2016
Inspired by my experience of walking the West Highland Way last year, when I found myself bursting spontaneously into song (see ‘Let the Mountain Sing its Own Song’, The London Magazine, Oct/Nov 2015) I decided to pack in my mental rucksack some ballads to warble as I hiked the Offa’s Dyke Path from north to south earlier this month (6-16 July). I chose a different ballad for each day of the walk, creating ‘A Walker’s Songbook’, which I printed off to help me learn the lyrics on the hoof. Every morning in my tent over porridge and a cuppa I would cram the lyrics into my skull, and…
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