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| The Hazards of Walking to a Near Neighbour's for Dinner (1812-1823) by Diana Sperling |
She described herself and her great friend Martha Lloyd as "desperate walkers" in 1800 when she was 24, something I can heartily relate to. In my 20s I hiked almost every weekend and for my holidays I solo hiked the Ridgeway and South Downs Way in southern England. And when I clocked that not only did I have that in common with Jane Austen, but I also lived near where she grew up and have friends who live near places she stayed regularly, it seemed almost like a sign. A sign to revisit those walks that she regularly took, see the sights she saw, and feel the exertion she felt on those walks.
I've painstakingly gone through all of her surviving letters plus all the various memoirs and references from her nieces and nephews to pull out into a massive spreadsheet every documented walk Austen took. And I've reached a whopping total of 70 walks. These range from long afternoon strolls from Bath into the surrounding countryside for pleasure with family and friends, to very short sprints to visit close neighbours in Kent.
Walking for Jane was clearly both practical, helping her get from A to B and connect with loved ones, but also so much more than that. It was a pastime she relished and enjoyed, a medium in which to bond with others socially, a way for her to maintain her health and stay active, and a way to experience the world on her own terms. Not only that but the connection between walking and writing is well documented, and having time and space outside helps give a writer perspective as well as enabling them to think at 3 miles an hour.
I'm very much at the beginning of my journey, but having now identified a number of Jane's walks that I will recreate, the task ahead of me now is to continue with my research of women's experience of walking in the late 18th century and early 19th century, and to follow in her footsteps.
My first walk will be one she will have walked many, many times: between her home at Steventon Rectory and her friends the Lloyd's (and then her brother's) home in Deane Rectory, just up the road.
All that's left is for me to put one foot in front of the other...
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| Evening & Walking Dresses in August 1807 National Portrait Gallery, London |
