Hartshill Hayes 12 February 2018






7.01am  Oldbury Hills

This is such a beautiful morning. Clear sky, snow, moon in the last crescent, stars when I left Bethany, but gone now. It's bloody cold here, and I don't know how long I can sit, but waiting for sunrise - twenty five minutes off. My phone says east is to my left, Atherstone way, but the sky is brightening in what seems to be south, so we will see where the sun appears. Didn't manage to get here for complete darkness, though quite dark. There were sounds of bikes, motorbikes, which unnerved me as I didn't know where they were. Then there were lights in the wood. That turned out to be some dog walkers whose dog had a light collar. I saw some muntjac. They are so small. It makes me think there deer I saw last time was something else, though I don't think there are meant to be other deer here. Don't know if I'll get to see Mike today. I texted him but got no reply. Right, I think I have to move, it's so cold.

7.25am
Sun due in four minutes, sky in north is such a lovely pink it makes me want to cry. More orangey in south, but still quite pink.

I can see the sun. It's where my phone says is west, so the compass is useless, or I am.
So beautiful.




7.31am
That was so bloody fast. The sun is right above the horizon. It is huge. It is beautiful. It is a god. I can see you would worship it as a god. It's almost too bright to look at.

I want to write about footsteps. This morning people can see where I have been by following my footsteps. I can see where they have been. I can see if someone has been here before me. If I divert, if I stop to wee, someone can see that. On Moorwood Lane in the dark I passed someone walking the other way. Their footsteps will show where they came from. At least until the snow melts or they get obscured by other prints.




8.35am
Up at the visitor centre now. No cars. Nothing open. I have made a plan. I have just walked around the outside of the woods.



I'm now going to walk around, just inside, then keep going inwards, until maybe, I find the centre. Marking out a spiral with my feet in the snow. Not that anyone could see it, but never mind that. Then perhaps I will walk out again, like a big labyrinth type thing. It's a lovely morning. Views across fields with snow and sheep in sunshine.








Just walked up Oldbury Road. Made me think of doing the paper round with Pete. I saw someone on the estate doing a paper round earlier, 6.30 in the dark, before school. The roads are not gritted. They're icy and everyone is driving very slowly.





9.45am
Back at the visitors centre., having just done another circuit of the woods, this time just inside the edge. It was different those few yards the other side of the tree line. Felt both safer and more dangerous. Enclosed, but also hidden. Not exposed, but secret. I kind of wanted to get out. Its such a lovely day, I want to be out in the open, in the sunshine, not in the shade of trees. I think there's more birdsong than last month. And the snow is sparkling. It's a very different kind of day than the one last month. I'm going to do another circuit, a bit farther in.








10.57am
Some lads, probably bunking off school, just asked if I was an explorer. I said, kind of, are you? They said, why would you explore here? These woods are shit. I've been trying to do the next circuit, it's not very easy. I've had to go off piste a couple of times. The lads are still hanging around. They are making me a bit uneasy, but I think they're harmless. One of them just threw a snowball at me. Lots of snowballs now. I suppose I'd better move on. Not sure if I'm on a path or not.

11.32am
On Oldbury Hills again. Not on the spiral circuit anymore, I wanted to come and sit in the sun for a few minutes. The boys were a bit annoying, though just being boys, so I continued and completed that circuit quite successfully. The next one should take me into the heart of the woods, so I will sit here and eat a sandwich, then I'm going in. I wondered if I would see signs of new growth, and I have. There are bluebells coming up everywhere.




I should write about leaving the path, how that is both scary and liberating. I kind of know which way to go, but without a path it's harder to keep going in the right direction. Some paths look like they're going nowhere, then just as you're about to go into the middle of a huge holly bush, it veers in a way you wouldn't have anticipated. Lots of metaphors and life lessons.



12.48pm
I am now in the centre of the woods. I got here my following my desire. I was walking along the established paths, but a path to the side called to me, and brough me here. I've looked on the OS map app - pretty much the centre which ever way you look. I am sitting on a tree which has fallen across the path.


The trees are creaking and moving in the wind, and it's quite alarming. But it's not a strong wind, and I guess the trees are used to it. If one is going to fall there will probably be a bit of warning. I'm quite warm now. I have taken off my hat and gloves. I have eaten some food - baguette with butter and emmental, nut, date and cocoa bar - they tasted so good. I have more food, another sandwich, another bar. I could eat something here in the middle of the woods. I think the trees are larch and lime. They're very tall, bare, some of them were coppiced once.





14.16pm
Outside the Stag and Pheasant. Just been on an unexpected walk. Thought I'd have a look at the quarry behind Nuneaton road, ended up walking right around it, to the Anchor pub, along a very grotty bit of canal, then up Grange Road.





Made me think about woods that aren't lovely, at the back end of places, litter and condoms, danger, loneliness.


I walked past the quarry and it's now a huge lake. I thought, this is what's behind, this is unease. Maybe I should contact whoever runs the quarry and ask for a tour. There is such a difference between this place and Hebden Bridge. Here, I don't think many people walk the paths, except in the woods. There's probably lots to say about this. I wish the Stag was open - a pint and some warmth would be nice. The BBC are predicting a hailstorm at three. I'm going to get moving again.





14.53pm
Back at Oldbury Hills. No sign of hail at the moment. Just wanted to say more about the quarries. About how I was quite scared, both of the quarry and of the path, which was a bit dodgy to be honest. Then I realised I was going to have to walk past the stoneworks, and I always hated them when I lived here. they scared me. I hated the machinery. I said out loud, well it's all part of the Hartshill experience, you have to have the bad as well as the good. Then I got there and it was completely different. All that old duty, rusty towering stuff was gone, replaced by new machines with bright green and yellow paint. There's an entrance into the quarry, a portal. I was quite exhilarated. The canal was much worse.




20.25pm
Walked seventeen miles today. I wanted to write about the difference between last time and this time. Today it was brighter. There was sun in the sky, clear skies, long views, sparkling air. Snow on the ground, glittering green shoots of bluebells coming up. The birds were louder and more numerous. It was colder. I had more clothes on that last time, but it was bright with cold. In January it was dark, the hours brief, there was cloud cover. Today I was back in the light. There was time after school.



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