“Our townsfolk were like everybody else; wrapped up in themselves …” — Camus, La Peste.

My daily walk has become sacrosanct.

Under lockdown, it has become the highlight of the day: a time to think, breathe fresh air and enjoy the simple pleasure of putting one foot in front of the other.

But it is also forcing me to reassess the world close to my front door.

After all, limited to one hour of exercise per day, I can only venture so far from the area of Chester where I live.

This means I’m starting to notice things that I was previously blind too, too busy rushing to be somewhere, rather than enjoy the act of getting there.

One of my new favourite walks leads through Handbridge and along Dukes Drive towards Eccleston.

It passes the Chester Cross signpost [pictured above], currently with a beautiful symmetrical display of daffodils that Wordsworth himself would envy.

There are several of these signs around the area but I’ve never really studied them before, nor do I know how long they have been there.

But I like them. At a time when everything feels very uncertain, the Handbridge signpost has become a cornerstone of my day.

It’s keeping me grounded.

Does anyone know more about the history of these signs? Please share.

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