11am-3pm on Sunday May 4th from Kingswear to Greenway, Dittisham with Dr Fiona Tilley.
This is a short day, one way, guided pilgrimage offered on a donation basis (£20 – £60 suggested, according to means). Please bring a packed lunch. More details below. To book please email Sam at livingspirit3@gmail.com or message 07979 057169
This is the first of our 2025 River Dart Way pilgrimages, starting near the mouth of the Dart Estuary and winding through ancient woodland upstream towards Dittisham. Our start point is Long Wood Car Park near the new Noss on Dart Marina (with cafe and toilets about 15 minutes walk from the car park) and we end in the meadows above Agatha Christie’s house ‘Greenway’. The walk is about 3 miles long and includes stiles, steep hills and some uneven terrain so a reasonable level of fitness and outdoor clothing/footwear is advised. Much of the walk will be in silence, plus some reflections from our guide (see below). Please bring plenty of water, snacks and a packed lunch. The walk is timed to give different options afterwards: take time to explore Greenway and/or Dittisham, then follow the footpath back to our start point or take the ferry to Dartmouth. Further walking & short ‘Higher Ferry‘ ride are then needed to return to the start point in Kingswear.
I’ll let Tilley introduce herself and her intentions for this special pilgrimage below, which is the first of a new monthly series towards Dartington and beyond. Click here for an overview.
‘My name is Tilley and I will be co-leading the pilgrimage along the Dart in May following the theme of Time.
For many years I have supported Dr Stephan Harding when he would guide Deep Time Walks, sometimes along the coast from Little Dartmouth to Dartmouth. In more recent years the walks would be through Dartington Estate. Sadly with Stephan’s passing in September 2024 and the close of the Old Postern, Schumacher Colleges home in October 2024, it now falls to others to continue sharing this story. Today’s pilgrimage will be in remembrance of Stephan and a reflection on Deep Time.
The notion of time maybe more nuanced and complex than we possibly imagine. The invitation on our pilgrimage today is to play with our notion of time through each encounter and conversation we have with nature beings along our way. This is a form of meditation, moving meditation and reciprocity. If we allow ourselves to merge with the stream, become crow, be with gorse and broom, oak and willow what shape does time take. If we ask bluebell and the creepy crawly ones – does time even exist, if it does how might you describe it? What answers may we be given?
There is something called Deep Time a form of ecological or evolutionary time that tells a story of how Earth has journeyed from her beginnings to now, with each of our steps we can experience this perspective of time.
Who knows how all this might effect how we each feel about time when we reach our destination. My hope is we will have moved into a depth and slowness that momentarily allows us to uncouple from chronos/clock time and touch into kairos/qualitative time.
I look forward to meeting you in May and taking a Deep Time walk along the Dart’.