Dear all,
My month long residency in Huntly, working on ‘Perambulator’ with Deveron Arts has now finished. The Project blog: http://huntlyperambulator.wordpress.com records all of the activities that took place in, and on the edges of Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the map at http://goo.gl/maps/eImII records the routes that I walked.
I have walked with Mums, Dads, a Grandmother, a Community Health Worker, a Cultural Health Visitor, and of course with babies, toddlers and small children. Their generosity, insights and local knowledge have generated a wealth of information and ideas, much of which I am still ruminating on.
With my daughter Ruby I also conducted a series of walks that tested the edges of Huntly, finding the limits of reach for a walker with a pram: up the Bahill, the Clashmach and the Battlehill, and along the river Deveron. Accounts of these can be found at http://huntlyperambulator.wordpress.com/category/testing-the-edges/.
The first public event of the project was a ‘Baby Slow Marathon’ on Saturday 10th May, walking the final (pram accessible) leg of Deveron Arts’ ‘Slow Marathon’ route as it descended into the town, accumulating a marathon through our collective walk (and push). The last was ‘Perambulator Parade’ a celebratory mass walk from Huntly’s castle to the Linden Community Centre on Wednesday 28th May, with a baby-friendly picnic courtesy of the Rhynie Woman collective.
Participants across the month’s events contributed to a map of Huntly, sharing with me their hints and tips for where to walk, and where not to. Over the next weeks I’ll continue to work with Deveron Arts on a publication version of this map showing good walking routes for pram users, as well as awkward places and blackspots to avoid.
All best,
Clare
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