Flaneur Walk
- Maxine Callow
- Aug 29
- 2 min read
As promised, I am including more of my overall life into my blog in order to show how my influences affect my everyday existenance, not just my research and studying. This event is a good example of this.
For many years now I have enjoyed walking. In Zambia I would walk in the bush most days, listening to an audio book, meeting zebra or impala along the way. I'm sure there were snakes, but they avoided me. In the UK I walk at least once a week with my friend, Debs (and many a dog over the years). I also have sporadic walks with Tom and my friends Paul and Joa. Finally, I'm a member of SHAmblers, our local walking group who meet weekly.
Earlier this year I happened upon a Flaneur walk on social media. I'd never heard of it but it looked amazing. It was in London, and the people were all dressed in period costume looking wonderful. I desperately wanted to join in but had just missed this year’s event. Ever the organiser, I decided to hold my own event on a much smaller scale in our local village. I roped in my friend, Brenda, to help to wade through the legalities and marketing.
We completed some research and discovered the term 'flaneur' was coined by the 19th Century French poet, Charles Baudelaire. To flaneur is to walk without purpose on an undefined route, simply observing and taking in the vibe of the city. The point is to wander and immerse oneself in the soul of your surroundings.
Modern days flaneur walks adopt the costume of the day and make it more of an event. This, obviously, was the lure for me. I could get togged up in my best Victorian garb with a solid reason. Smiley times.
Brenda and I opted to start the walk in our local village park and the tap into the pavilion coffee shop with its homemade cakes. They were running a charity day at the end of Autumn, raising money for local charities. This suited us as we had already decided to run a completely inclusive event, open to all ages, all abilities and those who did and did not wish to dress up. Dogs were encouraged too. People were asked to drop some coins into the hat on the day and to purchase tea and coffee before setting off.
My lovely Mum agreed to take on the collection and stay at the pavilion to encourage walkers. She also has a friend, Lesley, who is a local journalist who wrote a piece on the event for the local papers.
On the day, the weather was not great, but we still gathered a group of people who mostly dressed up, generously donated and had a thoroughly lovely time. We got tremendous support from the villagers who encountered us meandering around. In total we raised over £50 to add to the fundraising of the park. Additionally, I received many messages after the event from those who were sorry to have missed it and were asking if there would be another walk next year. Given how much we all enjoyed it, I’d say that was a certainty.
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