Sand Walk
Darwin’s Sandwalk at Down House
Darwin's walks were an exercise in reflection — a kind of moving meditation that enriched his scientific work, and gratified his constant curiosity.
Charles Darwin. The world's greatest naturalist. Collector of barnacles, orchids and beetles. Every day, once in the morning and again in the afternoon, Darwin strolled and reflected on a gravel track called the ‘sandwalk’ near his home in Kent. In his autobiography, he noted that he was known for his long strolls, even as a child. 'I had, as a very young boy,' he wrote, 'a strong taste for solitary walks.' For the budding naturalist, the point was not simply to get from home to school, but to reflect without interruption.
There are many benefits of walking either in quiet solitude or conversation, and the stimulation that happen that enrich our creativity and enhance our character. Neuroscientists have argued that exercise can encourage innovation and problem solving. Not because it helps us study more rigorously, but because it allows our intellect to relax a little; to digest our meal of facts and arguments. Researchers describe it as 'transient hypofrontality': a state-of-mind promoted by pursuits that require physical exertion but little thought or concentration. The parts of the brain that coordinate general concepts and rules are turned down, while the motor and sensory parts are turned up. In this state, ideas and impressions mingle more freely. Unusual and unexpected thoughts arise. It's what might be called 'walker’s reverie'.
This is partly why Darwin's son said the naturalist's walks were for his ‘hard thinking’: not simply because he analyzed data, but because he allowed his mind to wander as he walked. He let his idle mind metabolize its massive meals of data. Darwin's daily strolls played an important role in his life, but also in the development of his ideas. He rose early, and took a turn around the Sandwalk. And he did the same at noon, enjoying 'a very little walk in an idle frame of mind', then returning for lunch and study. Darwin kept walking every day, in sunshine or heavy rain as a a lifelong exercise in a rhythm of work, recreation and correspondence.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
-CHARLES DARWIN
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