Walking Diaries #8 with Glenys Nellist

A Walk in the Lake District

Welcome to the Walking Diaries where each month a friend of mine will share a story/reflection/poem/photo essay from a walk they took. With each diary shared, I hope you’ll be encouraged to lace up your shoes and put one foot in front of the other. New to the series? Start here for the introduction or this walk in search of birds and hope.

Today’s Walking Diary is from Glenys Nellist. I first met Glenys through her words and the wonderful book Love Letters from God. Through the years my children and I have fallen in love with her books (especially the Little Mole series). And over time, Glenys and I have become friends and colleagues in this world of writing and publishing. Glenys has a gift with bringing the Biblical story to life and sharing engaging rhymes and characters. I hope you enjoy this walk through the English countryside, and feel inspired to find some silence in your day.

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It happened long ago—this walk, one of many, that we took with our four young children. But I remember it like it was yesterday.

We trundled off the bus, backpacks strapped tight, gloves on, hats pulled around our ears. We knew snow was forecast that day. The weather in the north of England can be brutal. And that day, it was.

We were walking the Cumbria Way, a 73 mile, relatively low-level linear walk through some of the most beautiful & contrasting landscapes that Cumbria has to offer, or so it is described if you google it.

It’s a totally accurate description. If you were to embark on this gorgeous hike, you would, indeed, witness the beauty of lush, green meadows, meandering paths, sheep dotted on the hillsides, peaks above and valleys below, and the loveliest little English villages with cobblestoned streets and quintessential pubs. We would aim to cover about twenty miles each weekend, stopping off at youth hostels on the way, where we would collapse on the not-so-comfy sofas in the evening, rest our tired feet and play Monopoly.

With map in hand, we troop down the little street and head through the gate, into the meadow and towards the peak in the distance. The ground is muddy, and I’m aware that we follow in the footsteps of the many who have traversed this path before us. A solitary cow lifts her head and surveys us with big brown eyes before returning to her breakfast.

I am not as fit as my four young kids, nor as my husband. I am always the one to tire first, always the one to suggest a snack, always the one to linger too long on the bench or the log or the rock. Today is no exception. We begin to ascend the hill, climbing the steep, pebbly path that winds alongside a stream. The views are magnificent. The little village fades behind us and the cow becomes a white speck in the distance. Our kids are way ahead, sprinting up the hillside like mountain goats while I puff my way slowly behind them.

But when I reach the top, it is all worth it. There, nestled on the top of this hillside is a tiny lake, like a teardrop caught in the middle of the mountains. It begins to snow then. And the beauty is just incredible. Up here, there is no wind, no rustling in the treetops, no ripples on the water. There are no birds singing. There’s no one else here, only my kids shouting and laughing and running ahead.

“Stop.” I say. “Listen. Just listen.”

And we do. We stand and listen ... and we hear … nothing.

The silence is singing.

And I have never heard silence so very loud and so very lovely.

Silence is so very hard to find in our world. Perhaps that’s why I remember that long ago day like yesterday and why I’ll never forget it.

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Glenys Nellist, author of Song of the Seasons and Little Mole Finds Hope. Glenys was born and raised in a little village in northern England. The author of multiple award-winning children's books, including the bestselling 'Twas the Evening of Christmas, The Wonder That is You, and five popular series: Love Letters from God, Snuggle Time, 'Twas, Good News and Little Mole, her writing reflects a deep passion for helping children discover joy and hope in the world. Glenys lives in Michigan with her husband, David.