By Maki
Blencathra, the Saddleback, high in the north of the Lake District. We’d been promised that from there On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, but the fog descended, and I never got to check if I really could see all the way down to Pavey Ark.
Lyke Wake Walk: first attempt. That northern fog again. The hike was called off at three in the morning and we were bundled in a Transit van all too aware we wouldn’t be having any Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape that particular day.
Adrift in the Gulf of Lyon I had the best lasagna I’ve ever eaten. Hove to at eight in the evening. Over thirty-six hours we flew straight, with perfection from Menorca to Corsica and saw the entrance to Bonfacio harbour bang on the nose just as the morning sun tumbled over the cliffs to light everything up.
Cruising now, in full control I’ve got better at this sailing lark heading across The Endless Sea to My Island Home.
Keeping my hand on the tiller, I feel at one with the boat and the sea as we surge forward, relentlessly to whatever lies ahead. We Are the Wave, I think, we really are.
Lyke Wake Walk: second attempt, later the same summer. We hiked our way from Osmotherley to a Faraway Beach the other side of the moors. 14 hours and a couple of hundred blisters later.
Island life is hard and sitting at home waiting for your love, the boatman (Fear a’Bhàta), to return can make the place seem even tinier, lost in an Ocean Sized wilderness.
Voices are raised in protest back on the mainland. In Cairo they sing both in and to the square in Ya El Medan (Oh, You the Square). A celebration of the open, urban space where the people found their voice.
Escaping the humdrum life is something we all dream of. Who hasn’t fantasised about being Washed Ashore on that distant, desert island? Hell, they even made a radio programme about it and you get to take your music.
Soria is empty: I spent a year there teaching English in a hotel. All we had for company were the vultures and the Drovers as they came through with their flocks. Peaceful times.
Mountains ahead of me, mountains behind. I really shouldn’t have driven up here. The car engine is overheating but it’s so beautiful, I’ll sit here and enjoy the view.
A Perfect Winter’s Day and a long, crisp walk in the country beckons. Time to blow those cobwebs away.
Teambuilding exercises can go very wrong when you’ve got more budget than sense. Fancy flying a bunch of execs to the northern Sahara in heels and Italian suits for a survival course! That happened at a company I taught in. There was no African Tribal Orchestra to soothe their frazzled nerves as they plotted revenge on the HR Director, and they were in no mood to go Searching the Desert.
Then of course there are those who want to be there. Those who draw their inspiration to write their Desert Song.
Blind Willie McTell: a place to search for the blues
Endless Freeways offer us a route out to our chosen wildernesses taking us to where our journey starts, or we can go all the way across on an Empty Highway to our journey’s end.
Remarkable effort from all involved this week. It was a pleasure to be allowed to choose the list. No A list or B list this week, just one big list. No distinctions it’s all good music.
The Epic, All-Inclusive Journey A-List Playlist:
The Peddlers – On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
The Decoration – Pavey Ark
Be Bop Deluxe – Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape
The Stranglers – Longships/The Raven
Iggy Pop – The Endless Sea
Warumpi Band – My Island Home
Harry Belafonte – We Are the Wave
Brian Eno – On Some Faraway Beach
Capercaillie – Fear a’Bhàta
Jane’s Addiction – Ocean Size
Cairokee ft Aida El Ayouby – Ya El Medan
The Platters – Washed Ashore
Bill Callahan – Drover
Biffy Clyro – Mountains
Eri Sasaki – Fuyu Biyori (A Perfect Winter’s Day)
African Tribal Orchestra – The Desert of Namibia
Blind Willie McTell – Searching the Desert for The Blues
Stanley Clarke – Desert Song
Peaches and Herb – Freeway
Joan Armatrading – Empty Highway
Guru’s Wildcard Pick:
The Stranglers – Freedom Is Insane
Once I spied a wisp of smoke on the horizon, but I didn’t think to let you know.
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations from last week's topic: Places to breathe: songs about wide, open spaces. The next topic will launch on Thursday at 1pm UK time.
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