Hiding places
Some of the paths in this area of the park have been reclaimed by badgers. You might also spot red squirrels here if you are lucky! The path is lined by only a few trees really, but it feels like walking through a forest. It is filled with the smell of leaf litter and the sound of the birds rather than the scent and the singing of the sea...unless there is a particularly roaring tide. It is a good place to sit with human silence, taking a moment to listen to the hum of the land here rather than filling the way with speech.
Things you could do!
Go into the bird hide! Remember to be quiet and mindful of other users who could be here to watch the birds! You could do these exercises here or you could just enjoy birdwatching too and do them afterwards, outside on one of the benches...
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Writing/Drawing Exercise - Try to connect together all the things that you have noticed and collected so far. Record any memories and stories that come to mind in the quiet and the dark of the hide...
These can be gathered together in a drawing, a poem, a story or even be worked into a song (which you can put a tune to once you have left the bird hide).
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Mapping Exercise - Make a map of the country park as you know it from your memory... if this is your first ever visit you can make some of it up! Mark the route you have taken and any significant landmarks and noticings so far.
The pill box whispered in my ear...
In the hollow dark
The tide thumps twice a day
The beat of my heart
And the breath moving
Through the cracks
That have opened in the fabric of my being
The Ocean lends me life
While she smooths my bricks
Washes and carries
Particles of my concrete and clay
Suspended flying in salt water and mixing
With the sand she has teased from the cliffs
What was once my foundation
Becomes hers
Holds her up
As this whole place will soon enough
Metres lost to her caress
What was once remodelled
By human design
Into structure
Seemingly solid
Is taken back.
From dust and water I was made
To dust and water I return again
The only marker
Is time.
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Next stop... Flotsam & Forts