Craig Dunain: Accessible… from the outside in.
I’m writing to share a startling realisation that i have been celebrating since it’s dawning earlier this week… You see, I’m living in a prime, accessible place for outdoor learning and i’m an outdoor learning provider. Magic!
“Once upon a time there was a man by the name of Jack Parker; Jack was a man that made magic and mystery of things you thought you’d seen a thousand times before. He’d have you look & listen to things in rather odd ways; and one afternoon…having had our minds turned around so many times… we tried to follow him home….”
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“With his webbed feet Jack crossed a stream we didn’t know was even there! I stayed dry & speechless, staring; wondering if he meant it all along…I learned so much that day.”
Almost a quarter of a century on…
I’ve found myself not only having moved to a beautiful wild edge… but on exploring and conserving the landscape over the winter months I have come to know it as an extremely accessible wild place! I invite you to come and sense for yourself…
Meeting at the edge of Dunain Woods is fortuitous in so many ways:
- By bus (T)here is a 10 minute ride from the Highland Capital of Inverness; on the No.2 Bus to Great Glen House.
- For Drivers there is massive, secure car parking at SNH’s Great Glen House.
- For walkers and bike tourers…. (T)here is on the Great Glen Way.
- For paddlers (T)here is a 20minute walk from the Beginning/End of the Caledonian Canal & Coast to Coast Canoe Route.
- Either way you decide to get (T)here; a short guided walk ‘in’ leads quickly into experiential mysteries!
These fortuitous facts has implications for me and great opportunities for collaborations and ultimately; our clients. Up to now, getting to work has always involved willfully following paths from my home, often for weeks at a time; from the ‘inside-looking-out’ so to speak.
“Now, I invite opportunities for people to come and explore in a place I am getting to know really well.”
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In a Nutshell…
I invite you dear reader to witness this sea-change; & to share the good news with other outdoor providers. I know from experience that the setting and context for activities are really important. I can see clearly, that a walk-in, activity, reflection and parting from this place would be quality.
Be it Forest School, Outdoor Connection or simply helping to Mark, Frame or Review a Journey of some kind, crossing and returning over the threshold is accessible from the outside in.
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