Land Listening Walk

On Saturday afternoon, I took part in a Land Listening Walk through Epping Forest led by Hannah White and Stephen Shiell (known collectively as Blanc Sceol). The walk was organised by "We're All Bats"; a special programme of events, activities and creative workshops to express and enjoy sound.

Having met at Chingford Overground Station, we took a rather soggy walk across to Chingford Plain before taking refuge under the canopy of the Forest. To prepare ourselves for the walk, Stephen led us in a physical/spiritual warm up which included tapping various parts of our bodies to help awaken our senses.

Hannah asked us a few questions for us to think about before we set off on our walk:

• Are you listening now?
• Are you listening to what you are now hearing?
• Are you hearing while you listen?

As we walked through the Forest in silence, I found that looking at the floor helped me to focus on my listening rather than the distractions of the visual environment (I did try walking with my eyes closed a couple of times but soon realised the health and safety implications when I nearly walked into a tree).

It occurred to be while walking that we hear so much but how much do we listen? Although I live nearby, I rarely notice the number of aircraft that fly over as they are generally masked by the road traffic noise. One participant described the aircraft noise as initially disturbing but then thought of its presence as waves that broke before receding. We heard all sorts of sounds from rain on the canopy, and geese, to our own footsteps, twigs breaking under foot and dog walkers shouting for the return of their four legged friends.

Having paused to discuss our personal experiences, we ventured on and left the canopy for the open plain. I was surprised not only by how much the acoustic environments differed but also how the sounds present in each space varied and carried.

As we turned a corner in silence, we were confronted by the awesome sight of grazing longhorn cattle.

The opportunity to stand in silence with nature all around us was one not to be missed.

We hear so much but how much do we listen?

We completed our adventure with a warming cuppa in the Butlers Retreat and discussed our various thoughts and experiences. It was fascinating to hear how we had all experienced different things from the same acoustic environments and how different sounds had sparked memories of childhood in a number of us. A thoroughly engaging and worthwhile Saturday afternoon and a welcome relief from the 'numbers of noise levels' to consideration of the wide variety of sounds that we can experience.

Nigel Burton is a Chartered Acoustic Engineer, Qualified Life Coach and all round good egg. He's also typing this and questioning his use of the third person...