Developing these programmes of spiritual walks in nature has been an absolute delight. We have walked in so many beautiful places over the last six months trying to find the perfect locations for our guests.

We have had some specific criteria, ancient woodlands being one, not too strenuous a climb being another, however some of the criteria has been much more subtle. For example yesterday we were walking in a beautiful meadow and it was a potential site for a meditation or a sound circle, when we realised we could hear the occasional car passing on the road some way beneath us. So many of the places we go to are silent except for the sound of the birds and the wind in the trees. Yes we do sometimes hear an aeroplane or an occasionally man-made sound linked to agriculture. But it surprised me, and also delighted me, that we could dismiss this beautiful meadow simply because of the occasional passing car!

Every walk we do makes my heart sing with happiness. Most of them have been done in the summer months when we have needed to wear sun hats and drink lots of water, but as we move into autumn, the weather is changing and we have on our warmer jackets. We are now also repeating some of the earlier walks and witnessing the landscape alter as the trees change colour and seeing the leaves fall like snow in the wind is just beautiful. 

My mother, who died a few years ago in her late 90s, loved spring and would always talk about ‘The shades of green’ that appear at that time of the year. I often think about her when I see the different colours of the trees. However in autumn it is not just the shades of green, there are also deep shades of yellow, red and brown, giving the woods a wonderful richness in their autumn clothing.

I am so excited about doing these walks over time and seeing the scenery changing with the seasons of the year. But what ever the time of year, to be in nature in this beautiful part of Northern Croatia is nothing but a joy!