Nature

Autumnal Englishness

Victoria Jones

09 Nov 2024 — 2 min read

On 8th November 2024 I went on another little nature jaunt to reconnect with my sense of physical place after leaving my fully remote job. This time, I set off on foot from my house around a meander in the river Tees. I even have some fancy tracking via AllTrails.

It was a 5km/3m wander by the river, then inland across farmland. The early November colours by the river were muted (I've seen, and photographed, much more vibrant autumns around here!) but it was ok. This region is northern and grey, and the greyness and softness has its beauty.

I was again privileged to have this walk almost entirely to myself and I've started to conclude that Britain is only overcrowded if you happen to follow the crowds.

The best part by far was the little village of Egglescliffe, which I've lived near to for 8 years without really appreciating. It's been settled since at least the twelfth century, and the pretty village green has been populated for several hundred years. It's really a gem. Here's the green, and a resident cat:

I sat on a bench on the green and enjoyed being in England and appreciating Englishness. I'm so grateful that I got the opportunity to travel so much while I worked for Automattic for those 5 years, but I'm also so grateful I landed back on earth and rediscovered how beautiful my home is.

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