An (almost) flying wander.

It was cold, grey and very windy in Farringdon, the normally busy rail hub was having a peaceful day – thanks to multiple engineering works, and my trusty Street Wisdom umbrella wanted to begin a flying wander before my intrepid participants could find their way to our meeting point. Clerkenwell is one of the oldest suburbs of the City of London and Sundays can often be quiet, but the weather and lack of public transport allowed us to explore through almost empty streets and alleys.

Each participant rose to the challenges of tuning up in their own inimitable way, puzzling over the unexpectedness of some of the tasks, whilst working out the question they most needed to ask. Two hours later as the heavens opened and rain fell like stair rods, we repaired to the Crown Tavern for tea and beer (some of it ginger), and started a very lively discussion around the experience of Street Wisdom.

One had an answer of elegant simplicity to a tough question, another decided to continue following where her feet led, a third pondered the significance of a garden behind a blocked up doorway and our last participant wondered how it was the streets could possibly give answers to life’s questions, but hoped to understand after deeper reflection. We parted in high spirits after a rewarding afternoon, hopeful that the Wisdom of these old streets can inform our future wanderings.

Caroline Bond