Have you ever realised you’re completely off track?
Recently a good friend and I were lost on the South Downs. We had set out to do a lovely 4.5 mile loop and ended up doing a hot, hilly and exhausting 9 miles.
It was not intentional!
We’d followed the signs, and it had looked pretty straightforward, and yet we got lost more than once. Even my beloved Maps app couldn’t help.
As we stood at the edge of a field, covered in scratches, hopelessly willing the path to emerge it was a brilliant example of how easy it is to veer off course.
Especially if you’re not paying attention (there was a lot of chatting), or if the sign you’re looking for just doesn’t appear and you keep going anyway (!).
We made it in the end, and had a lot to laugh about as we recovered over lunch. We also learned a lot about what to do - and what not to do - when you realise you’re off track:
Don’t keep going and hope for the best. If the sign you’re looking for isn’t there, stop and figure it out rather than hoping it will magically appear (we never found the 3 metal gates!).
Don’t be fooled by something that looks like a short cut - they are often dead ends. We cut across a field that proved to be quite the outdoor challenge, only to be faced by fences.
Do double back if you know you’ve taken a wrong turn (that field!). We kept avoiding this as we thought it would take too much time - which of course meant it took us far longer! Sometimes you have to retrace your steps to find the path.
Do work with where you are. For a long while we focused on the original route and where we should be. It helped to restart from where we actually were and find a different way.
Do have support - two heads are better than one. We each saw different things, brought different supplies, and could cheer the other one up when it felt like we would never make it - what a gift. I love that we could find the humour and the partnership.
And of course, what’s brilliant is that these are useful things to remember if you’re feeling off track in any way - not just on the South Downs :-)
Have you ever realised you’re completely off track?
And what has helped you find your way back?
Wishing you a wonderful week,
