Living, working and walking together as a mindful community
From Cornwall to East Anglia Beltane – Summer Solstice 2008
A walk along the Michael/ Mary Ley Line
You will need to be fit, and know that you are able to walk between 10 and 15 miles a day, at times up and down hills and on quite uneven ground. If you are uncertain of your abilities in this regard, we suggest you practice! Walk to visit a friend 10 to 15 miles away, stay overnight, and walk back the next day. Please arrive bringing only what you can comfortably carry in a rucksack. We will have a support vehicle to transport people’s camping gear, but it will be of limited capacity. We will also have a second vehicle with a team that will support the walkers, providing tea and lunch breaks, so walkers should only need to carry a small daypack. If you are unable to walk for a day or so, it may be possible to ride in this vehicle, but again capacity is limited.
The sites we have found for the overnight stops are quite varied. We have tended to avoid large commercial sites. Sometimes we are using simple campsites that provide toilets and showers; often we are in a farmer’s field where we will create our own facilities. Expect simplicity.
This will be shared collectively amongst all the walkers. In any particular week, each person is likely to walk for 5 days and crew for 1 day, there being 1 rest day each week. The crewing work will consist of either being part of the site crew, or the walk support crew:
– probably 3 people. This will involve staying behind and packing down the campsite after the walkers have left. Walkers will have packed their individual gear, but the crew will dismantle the communal yurt, re-turf the fire-pit and toilet trench, pack all the gear into the van, drive to the next site and set everything up for that night. The duties may well also include preparing that evening’s meal.
– probably 2 people. This will involve driving to prearranged spots, to provide walkers with tea and lunch-breaks. It will probably also involve doing much of the group’s daily shopping. The vehicle may also be able transport those who are too tired or injured to walk that day. For both crewing jobs drivers will be needed.
Though we, Lynne and Graham, have organised this Walk, our hope and intention is that the Walk community will be one of diverse equals, each giving of their best in service to the whole. Everyone will be sharing the daily work aspects of the Walk, and while some may be making offerings in their particular area of expertise, we trust that everyone's contribution will be recognised as being of value. Though the primary purpose of this Walk is to walk, other activities are welcome as offerings. An important aspect of the Walk will be learning how to live and work together as a team, a willingness to participate being a basic requirement. We envisage regular sharing circles in both large and small groups, as well as having work meetings. We also imagine that there will be plenty of time for playing, singing and dancing, and making music together.
