‘Stepping into nature’
Good afternoon,
About a couple of months ago I shared in a Companionship message that five of us from the Chaplaincy were taking part in the Step Count Challenge as a team called St Andrews Peregrinos (Spanish for Pilgrims). Well, we have a day and half to go in which to count our steps – walking, running, cycling, swimming, gardening and more. So far we have taken 3,291,934 steps with Revd Alan McGougan, honorary United Reformed Church Chaplain nearly 200,000 steps ahead of the rest of us who have all taken almost exactly the same number of steps over the past eight weeks, around 620,000 each. We are currently 178th out of 836 teams across Scotland, just above Aberlour Scrambled Legs. Within the University we are a creditable 14th out of 39, just ahead of Cirque Du Sore Legs.
Of course we’re not doing it for the competition (or not much). Instead, we have been glad to be prodded into getting active, and being outside in nature, sharing in creation at a gentle pace, with time and space to hear the birdsong, smell the wildflowers, and see the many shades of green as spring deepens into summer.
Today I walked from Radernie to St Andrews, joining the Fife Pilgrim Way at Denhead. I didn’t meet a soul for about two hours of this walk until encountering golfers near Craigtoun Park. Here are a couple of images from the walk.
In the middle of the picture is Cameron Loch (a former reservoir), its silvery waters home (as I saw) to swans and tufted ducks. And beyond the loch I walked through this beautiful wood towards Denhead:
Life is returning to something like normal – I even went to the cinema last night. But I hope that aspects of our lockdown life will be retained for good, especially the time we have given to walking.
Yours,
Donald.
Revd Dr Donald MacEwan
Chaplain