Originally published on Photoblog by Gethin Thomas AUGUST. 31, 2020
[26-365] 31st August 2020- It's a Bank Holiday today. A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom and the Crown dependencies. The term refers to all public holidays in the United Kingdom be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation or held by convention under common law.
The term "bank holiday" refers to the fact that banking institutions close for business on such holidays.
So to avoid the busier holiday hotspots we walked inland instead, over the top, on some Green Lanes. Two hours later and we had only passed one woman, with a King Charles spaniel in a pushchair. Not quite what we expected.
There are hundreds of green lanes in South Devon, often running from the coast and up towards Dartmoor. All lanes were green to begin with. Some have been made into ‘roads’ with tarmac laid down from the 1920s onwards.
Since our hunter-gatherer ancestors first created tracks and ridgeways to reach water and food, we have been following their footsteps. These ways are as historic as any ancient church or hillfort and are being kept open by their increasing use as paths for recreation. The best way to explore them is to take yourself to any village in the area from which you can see a pattern of lanes emerging, and then just walk out. You can explore the countryside through which you are walking and you will be reluctant to return to the roaring roads which surround green lanes.