On Saturday Third Space went for a 2 mile walk from the outdoor centre to Thruscross  reservoir and along towards the dam.  The name is taken from Thor’s Cross, evidence of the Christianisation of the Vikings in the area.  The air was clear and crisp with the sun causing the hills to glow green.  The reservoir was frozen around the edge giving a feeling of stillness and calm but with an abrupt shelf part way out where the current resisted the ice.  The ice could be heard cracking and straining around the trees that it held captive and the breeze made strange groans as it whipped across the lake. 

Stillness exemplified

We were encouraged to walk ‘mindfully’, slowing right down and paying attention to the here and now, the landscape, smells and sounds around us and tuning in to what God might want to say or to show us.  This required us to refrain from conversation (with the promise of being able to chat as usual on the return!).  We paused at a few points to explore the ruins of the thriving textile industry that once dominated the valley and of the village that was flooded to create the reservoir. 

Exploring the old

 We practiced some ‘slow walking’, concentrating on the contact of our feet with the earth in each step and the movement of our muscles.  We finished the walk with a “body prayer”, praying that we each would grow in faith, hope and love.