Fabulous stuff! Weirdly, I have increasingly found myself singing, initially to sheep and cattle, but increasingly to the landscape, when I walk. It... does something. I really should try to make some walks in silence though (I annoyed myself yesterday by listening to podcasts as I headed up the fell - I knew I shouldn't have, but I couldn't stop myself).
We have barn owls living by us - if I open the front door at 5am, one will often fly out of the barn. Also bog owls (AKA short-eared owls) and, although I've yet to see one, little owls. And my greatest reward from silent-ish walk this autumn was to encounter a HUGE adder basking in the long grass. Do pay us a visit if you're ever up this way - we're about an hour's drive north of Swaledale.
Oh wow, I love the idea of singing as you walk. I hadn’t thought of that. I sing when I drive – it’s about the only time when I do sing. I’m not sure the livestock or landscape would appreciate my voice though!
I hope to be back in the Dales in 2025 at some point so I’ll let you know when I’m up there. I want to visit Hannah Hauxwell’s meadows (as we chatted about on Instagram). Summer seems the best time for that. Although I’ll be happy not to cross paths with any adders. I’ve evaded them so far and long may that continue!
Ahhh, adders are lovely... weirdly, that one came back to me in a dream a week or two ago, it felt like it was living in my belly, and I was very happy with that... some kind of a spirit animal, perhaps? They're fairly common up here (in the grand scheme of things) - apparently there was one slithering down the main road in our nearest town, Stanhope, a few years back. I gather they don't really cause people any problem, but a lot of dogs get bitten.
The singing-to-livestock thing started when I was yomping cross the moors west of Sheffield, approaching some sheep, and I really didn't want that thing to happen where they suddenly spot you and run off, terrified. So I decided to make like a satiated bear. I hummed yombling bombling bear sounds, like Winnie the Pooh when he's just had all the honey, and it seemed to work: they knew from a distance that I was around, but I wasn't trying to sneak up on them and eat them, and so they kept their distance but didn't panic. I also now feel a lot more confident around cattle when I do it: again, they know that I'm not wanting to eat them, but also that I'm not scared of them, and so they seem to treat me with a certain amount of respect (although bullocks are still nosy as ever).
Fabulous stuff! Weirdly, I have increasingly found myself singing, initially to sheep and cattle, but increasingly to the landscape, when I walk. It... does something. I really should try to make some walks in silence though (I annoyed myself yesterday by listening to podcasts as I headed up the fell - I knew I shouldn't have, but I couldn't stop myself).
We have barn owls living by us - if I open the front door at 5am, one will often fly out of the barn. Also bog owls (AKA short-eared owls) and, although I've yet to see one, little owls. And my greatest reward from silent-ish walk this autumn was to encounter a HUGE adder basking in the long grass. Do pay us a visit if you're ever up this way - we're about an hour's drive north of Swaledale.
Oh wow, I love the idea of singing as you walk. I hadn’t thought of that. I sing when I drive – it’s about the only time when I do sing. I’m not sure the livestock or landscape would appreciate my voice though!
I hope to be back in the Dales in 2025 at some point so I’ll let you know when I’m up there. I want to visit Hannah Hauxwell’s meadows (as we chatted about on Instagram). Summer seems the best time for that. Although I’ll be happy not to cross paths with any adders. I’ve evaded them so far and long may that continue!
Ahhh, adders are lovely... weirdly, that one came back to me in a dream a week or two ago, it felt like it was living in my belly, and I was very happy with that... some kind of a spirit animal, perhaps? They're fairly common up here (in the grand scheme of things) - apparently there was one slithering down the main road in our nearest town, Stanhope, a few years back. I gather they don't really cause people any problem, but a lot of dogs get bitten.
The singing-to-livestock thing started when I was yomping cross the moors west of Sheffield, approaching some sheep, and I really didn't want that thing to happen where they suddenly spot you and run off, terrified. So I decided to make like a satiated bear. I hummed yombling bombling bear sounds, like Winnie the Pooh when he's just had all the honey, and it seemed to work: they knew from a distance that I was around, but I wasn't trying to sneak up on them and eat them, and so they kept their distance but didn't panic. I also now feel a lot more confident around cattle when I do it: again, they know that I'm not wanting to eat them, but also that I'm not scared of them, and so they seem to treat me with a certain amount of respect (although bullocks are still nosy as ever).
Excellent advice in this over-noisy world.
Thanks! Hope you get to enjoy some silent walks 💚