People change with scenery

I met all sorts of interesting people along the way – both hikers like myself (though only two LEJOG-ers) and local residents.   It’s impossible to characterise people according to where they live, I found there was so much diversity.  But accents changed, of course, and in Wales, I found the local tongue charming to listen to but impossible to understand or read.   And in Scotland, the accents grew heavier and heavier, the further west i travelled.

I did notice though that probably the friendliest people, and the most generous, were those in the north of England (and I’m not just saying that because I come from Yorkshire…).   Read the “Scouts” blog, to learn in particular about the generosity of the people in Warrington.

One thing I did find is that there is a whole world going on out there between monday and friday which those of us stuck in offices all day never see.   Towns are thriving, and a sort of parallel universe exists living and existing alongside, but never overlapping, the evening and weekend world I inhabit.   And I did find, at the time of year I was walking outside they school holidays, that many of the popular paths were being trodden by clean-smelling newly-retireds, with time and energy on their hands.   If you happened to overhear snippets of their conversations, they were almost inevitably talking about parsnip soup, or jam.

Read other notes by clicking the link below the line

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