Taking the Shoelace Express

A library of free herbal resources

Ordnance Survey - Great Britain's national mapping service, has been in operation since 1791. This photo is a map of a recent group walk, during which we explored ancient woodland and abandoned tin mines in the Lappa Valley.

There’s a saying in my family - “You can go anywhere you want on the Shoelace Express.” In other words - there’s no excuse not to use your own steam power to get to wherever you need to go.

Despite passing her driving test as soon as she was able, my mother never got behind the wheel of a car. As a child, this meant I clocked up a lot of miles on foot. Although I miserably trudged behind in protest on many an occasion, as an adult, I now have the luxury of memories that never would have existed if she had driven.

Having to walk everywhere meant I developed an natural sense of direction and an instinct for sourcing short cuts. I could gauge how long it would take to get from A to B without ever looking at a watch. I learned about nature, which birds sang what song, and what berries were safe to pick. But the best thing by far, was that time spent walking gave me an opportunity to let my mind wander. I could think, imagine, and dream without interruption. I could make up stories in my head.

Walking is a rare, free pursuit - a sumptuous chance to go off-piste; something which is sadly lacking - neigh, even discouraged in our busy, modern world.

“Can you find the odd five or ten minutes during the day to just stare into space and let your mind wander? There is a lovely activity called “day dreaming”. When I was at school, I would get told off for staring out of the window and going off into a dream world. But daydreaming is perfectly natural and it is healing. We were not made just to work, like machines. We were made to think and to dream. After all, everything begins with an idea.”

Tom Hodkinson - Lessons on Idleness.

Lowland Walk Leader Training

From left to right: 1. The 200 year old harbour at Charlestown where episodes of the Poldark series were filmed. 2. Trudging through flooded lanes on my Lowland Walk Leader training. 3. The underground network of tunnels at the Shipwreck Museum.

Lately I’ve been doing a lot more walking. This is because I was recently presented with an opportunity to become a Lowland Walk Leader through the South West Coast Path Connectors Scheme.

The training itself was (to put it mildly,) quite challenging. Our first day was spent drenched to the skin as we marched for four hours in torrential rain. It was without doubt, the worst walking conditions I have ever experienced (at one point we found ourselves walking uphill against what felt like a river of brown sludge, with no idea of how deep it went, or where we were even putting our feet.) However, after two gruelling days of hiking, map reading and learning how to safely evade the attention of cows, I’m proud to say I completed the initial part of the training.

Thankfully, the next walking event I attended was a much more leisurely amble. Unlike the previous weekend, this experience ended with a delicious selection of home-baked cakes and a visit to the fascinating shipwreck museum, which housed a moving exhibition of Shackleton’s expedition to the to South Pole.

The incredible story of the crew of the Endurance and their Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition was an inspirational reminder of what the human spirit is capable of under the most extreme conditions. It certainly put my own walking experiences into perspective!

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This is a photo of a “Packhorse bridge” I stumbled across while out walking near St. Eval. Packhorse routes were the arteries of trade across Britain. Horses fully loaded with heavy packs would transport goods along single-file tracks, bypassing bigger lanes and roads in order to save time and money. Where these trade routes met a river or stream, simple bridges were built with just enough room to accommodate a single horse and their load. Numerous packhorse bridges survive to this day. They are living testaments to an age before the dawn of canals and paved roads.

Walk With Me

With all this in mind I thought it was high time I got around to hosting another herbal ramble. Summer will soon be upon us, and with that comes the hustle and bustle of the tourist season - the very best time to escape from the crowds and get out and about in the magical, shady, woodland lanes.

The plan is to spend around three hours following a circular route along easy going, flat terrain while immersed in the sounds of nature. We’ll stop midway at a secluded boutique rest point for tea and cake. The ticket price includes field notes, refreshments, and a nature meditation in a 13th Century churchyard.

If you’ve previously joined me on one of these outings, you’ll know that groups are deliberately kept very small. This ensures we all have time to meander, stop and tell stories about the plants, and really disconnect from the mainframe.

Tickets and information about our outing along the Cornish Celtic Way can be found here.

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Your Library of FREE Resources

In other news…

Digital Herbarium for Chinese Medicines

The Department of Health of Hong Kong, China has created a “Digital Herbarium for Chinese Medicines” to provide comprehensive and professional information about Chinese medicines. This content-rich, user friendly database is now available in English. You can search and browse images of plants, medicinal materials, and decoctions, as well as learn more about their uses and safety information. There’s also a virtual tour of their herbarium!

Season Watcher

Some of you may know I’m currently immersed in an acupuncture training programme based here in Cornwall. As part of this course I’m required to write a seasonal journal to demonstrate my understanding of 5 Element practice and theory.

At present I’ve written four posts and have the grand total of ZERO subscribers. The material is all completely free, and hopefully will be of interest to nature lovers, walkers and anyone intrigued by in Chinese philosophy. I’d be ever so grateful if some of you might consider reading and subscribing, if only to offer your thoughts and comments on the photographs of me walking through rivers of rain.

Please feel free to peruse my seasonal musings here:

CNM Online Open Event - 8th June 2024.

My horticultural work at Newquay Orchard, along with my keen interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine, has led me to become increasingly interested in exploring the concept of seasonal eating (also known as Macrobiotics.) If this is something you’d like to know more about, this free online seminar on the energies of food in Chinese Medicine is sure to be of interest.

The seminar discusses a wide range of other interesting topics such as homeopathy for stress & anxiety, and a talk on immune supporting herbs with my former Iridology tutor Peter Jackson Main. This knowledgeable man doesn’t often take part in these free events, so this is definitely not one to miss.

To secure free tickets use coupon code AMBASSADOR2024 at the checkout.

(*Please note that this is an affiliate link. However, as I’m of the fervent belief that the world is in dire need of more herbalists, as well as having myself spent a marvellous five years studying at this college, I feel confident in recommending this stalwart institution.)

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Update for paid subscribers.

Thank you again to all you wonderful folks who generously support this publication. I appreciate that due to additional study commitments I’ve been somewhat less organised at getting content out to you as of late. Please rest assured that these experiences are generating a wealth of material I’ll be sharing in upcoming posts.

My next missive for paid subscribers is a rather more serious and personal one which deals with herbal protocols for anaemia. I hope it will serve as a useful resource for both students and sufferers, by providing insights into herbal and energetic solutions to help improve the condition.

This includes:

• The use of blood nourishing herbs and Traditional Chinese Medicine theory

• Simple interventions for helping to oxygenate the blood and increase iron uptake

• Acute practices for tackling common symptoms such as lethargy and brain fog

I hope it will be worth a read.

Paid content makes a great gift for herbal medicine students, or family members interested in self sufficiency who need authentic and reliable information on the topic of curating a home medicine cabinet. Whatever your reason for subscribing, you can feel good about doing your bit to ensure that herbal medicine is kept alive and well in our communities.

Thanks again for reading!