Women’s Walks to Remember: 'With memory I was there'

The remembered walks presented here formed the heart of the project. Each participant shared memories, photographs, objects, stories and a memory-map of a walk that could no longer be undertaken.

Using these materials, I re-walked each route as a surrogate walker, returning with drawings, photographs, maps, words and other 'treasures' that were gathered into a bespoke memory booklet.

The pages that follow bring together a selection of these remembered walks, alongside extracts from the prototype memory booklets created during the project.

Margaret Crayston's Upper Eskside Walk: 'As a Child, I walked this valley everyday'

Starting at Brotherilkeld Farm take the public footpath alongside the River Esk. Meander as far as you like – you have great views of the fells ahead, and the river turns and has many deep and beautiful pools. Head through fields, to the gate at the end of them, known as ‘the Fell gate'.

Pages from the prototype memory booklets created following each surrogate walk.

Jill Peel's Black Coombe Circuit Walk: 'I envy you going for a walk'

It begins here in my house, Greenrigg (Silecroft) and ends here. Usually in the bath. It was my ‘daily walk’ I did it often. No not every day but whenever there is an opportunity.

I walked by myself. I don’t think I ever had anyone with me except my dog to start with. We had a lovely black Labrador, she would come with me. When we lost her I didn’t do as much solo walking.  She was a great buddy. One day I’d been going up Black Coombe, I’d been picking bilberries, because there’s lots of bilberries up there, and I got them in the pack and I was sitting down somewhere half way up it I suppose. Bella was sitting beside me and she yawned a great big yawn so I thought she must be bored stiff, so I jumped up and knocked over the bilberries that I’d had carefully picked… and she laughed. She was a great pal. I wouldn’t have like to do that walk without her I don’t think. It was nice to have someone to talk to really …

I like walking by myself. I feel like the ‘cat who walked alone’ (The Cat That Walked by Herself by Rudyard Kipling).

Sue Faulkner – The Tuesday Walkers

This walking group started about 34-years ago by a lady called Jill Peel who lives at Silecroft. It started as the Silecroft WI Walking Group but over the years it has morphed into whoever wanted to come and about 7 or 8 years ago Jill, who’ll be 89 this week, couldn’t do the walks with us anymore and I took over bringing everybody out every week. We go every Tuesday and just have a lovely time.

We walk every week, every Tuesday it doesn’t matter what the weather’s doing we just don our waterproofs and get going. We just love walking. We’re all over 60. I’m over 70. Walking is such a wonderful past time. We have such a laugh and such great fun. It’s just women that walk. We have a laughs lots giggles. You chat to everybody about things that have wrong, things that have gone right by the time you’ve got to the end it’s all sorted out.

Jill reckons she could have got up Everest if there was a zig-zag paths.

Wallace Heim’s Low Wood Walk: ‘My heart goes out’

From Low Wood, turn left, ‘up the hill’ through Birk Dault Wood to Bigland Tarn. Round the tarn (west side) up to Bigland Heights. Scramble-up to the wind blasted trees for a view over Morecambe Bay and the Furness Fells. 

Just look, don’t do anything, just look.  

Harriet Fraser’s Brigsteer Woods Walk: ‘Once Daily, and the Holder of Years’

I got ill in in 2008 – it grounded me (literally). I couldn’t even walk the kids to school. I releaised I might have had my last walk… you never know when your last time will be. Not being able to do what I could previously do physically made me think ‘so who am I anyway.’ It was a really big hole.  I thought about ‘the tree’ – I thought about what I could do, what I could cope with. Someone said ‘just get yourself out into a green space even if it’s just for 5-minutes’. Walking and creativity played a huge part in finding my way back to wellness, and continue to be a vital part of my health. 

Joanna McLaren’s Catbells – Maiden Moor – High Spy Walk: ‘My last Wainwright, A very happy day’