Jenn Ashworth embarks on Alfred Wainwright's 192-mile coast-to-coast walk, departing from her routine of daily circular walks. She seeks a break from the constraints of lockdown, motivated by feelings of cabin fever and the support of a terminally ill friend along her journey. While she faces physical challenges like blisters and fatigue, she approaches her experience with authenticity rather than romanticism, offering a gritty reflection of her northern identity that contrasts with traditional depictions. Her journey is one of personal ownership, signifying a return to herself amidst a backdrop of nature.
Lockdown had left her with post-Covid cabin fever, itchy to be elsewhere after the long months of caring for her family and students.
She might be off on a jolly but there's a price to pay, in pain and guilt.
When she evokes the damp green air and the heavy, alive smell of the still-wet branches and mulchy undergrowth, it's a plain-as-muck authentic response.
Her version of northern-ness isn't Alfred Wainwright's, whose gruff complaining she engages with throughout.
Collection
[
|
...
]