It was the 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who wrote:
“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.”
Although he might have been amongst the first to state something along these lines, it has certainly been taken up by others since. American writer Rebecca Solnit defined walking as:
“a state in which the mind, the body, and the world are aligned”
and Austrian author Thomas Bernhard considered that:
“There is nothing more revealing than to see a thinking person walking, just as there is nothing more revealing than to see a walking person thinking”
Nearer home, author Kenneth Grahame (perhaps best known for his Wind in the Willows) declared that:
“Solitary walks set the mind jogging … make it garrulous, exalted, a little mad maybe.”
I think you’re probably getting the idea by now, and indeed, a great deal of independent research has backed up Nietzsche’s statement that walking does indeed create opportunities for creative thinking.
Some years ago I was employed on a temporary contract to work for 10 hours a week to come up with ideas for an interactive Welsh learning website. Quite honestly, it’s quite difficult to sit in front of a screen and be creative or feel inspired, but I discovered that by going for a walk in the countryside – something I could do from the back door – I could always return with some good ideas. Initially I felt guilty about being paid for going walking for an hour or two, but if I came up with the goods, then all well and good.
As walkers will know, walking alone is not only good for creative thinking, whether intentional or not, but it’s also an opportunity to empty the mind. Most solitary walkers are aware of the mindfulness benefits to their walking, and many surveys report on the mental benefits of walking. Walking alone is not the same as being antisocial; far from it.
When I’m working on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), I’m always with at least one colleague, and the continual chat and banter (about anything and everything) makes it impossible to reflect quietly on things. Perhaps that’s why I’m more than happy to go up on my own at other times, especially in the winter, when I can largely have my own thoughts. (That’s not to say that I ignore others – I’ll often chat and walk with strangers – but the option of solitude is there if I want it.)
And that’s possibly why I’ve never been one for walking in large groups. The inevitable chat means that you miss out on a great deal, both visually and audibly; without others to distract your senses there’s a much fuller world out there. Admittedly, the wildlife on the mountain is more limited than, say, in woodland, but there’s still plenty to be seen and heard by those who seek it.
I guess there’s a time and place for walking alone (and incidentally, walking alone in the mountains is not always such a good idea, though on Yr Wyddfa there’s usually other people not too far away should an emergency arise.) You may want to visit our page on walking alone on the mountain.
And lest you think that Nietzsche was a loner, he also appreciated the social qualities of creativity, writing:
“We are the happy living beings, not as individuals, but as one living being, with whose creative joy we are united.”