A few years ago I went on a solo walking holiday to Lanzarote. On day one, I walked up a coastal hill path and came across a view I still see in my dreams. Huge ochre mountains pierced the sky. Craters of black sand and eerie green lagoons dotted the landscape. It was like Mars. My skin rippled with goosebumps. I was briefly, deliciously, insignificant.
The holiday was a week of daily awe walks – intentionally shifting my attention towards my surroundings, allowing myself to be wowed by new details. Many of us have been awe walking (whether or not we called it that) over the past few years, as the pandemic forced us to interact with familiar surroundings in new ways. The use of green spaces is up on previous years, which suggests some of us have been seeking awe – an emotion that has fascinated philosophers for centuries.
