Into nighttime
Published on 14th February 2022 
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutesOver the last few months, I have gone walking in hours of darkness by design rather than accidentally as often has been the case. Much of this has been in urban areas in the name of remaining active after a day of working from home, but some have taken me away from hard surfaces as well. It all helps with getting through these more uncertain times.
The first time that I ever tried this was during a much-needed career break at the end of 2017. Then, I chose a nearby route that I knew well, and I relished the quietude once I had over some initial nervousness. The same route was plied by night several times during the winter of 2020/21 and the reduction in the chances of encountering others was as much an attraction as being out on moonlit ones and ones that were not so bright. Naturally, a head torch was put to good use in the process.
The same sense of peace and solitude drew me out again, and other routes were chosen. Most were near at hand and with better starting points as well. Each time, I was reminded of the reduction in the amount of information from what we have by day, and I was always on familiar ground. It was not just one's whereabouts that demonstrated this, but the placement of one's feet and one's sense of balance, especially when crossing a steep slope with a significant drop should one fall.
This traipsing reached its zenith on New Year's Eve at the end of a long day out that added an extreme elbow to two places that are not that far apart. Mostly, I try to keep away from where people live because having unexpected lights around a home in the countryside could feel unsettling and intrusive. Nevertheless, the countryside feels very different at night and being out there feels more adventurous than it might during the hours of daylight.
