Held by the Night

A silent walk in darkness, exploring the ancient land of the Cranborne Chase

Not long ago, walking at night without torches was normal. We knew how to find our way by moonlight, our feet trusted the path and the darkness was a familiar place.

Now, in our busy, modern, superficially lit lives, we may have forgotten what it feels like to be Held by the Night, but our bodies soon remember. This night walk is an invitation to return to the dark, a realm humans have evolved to thrive in.

Explore the Cranborne Chase at night

We will gather at dusk and step onto the old footpaths of the Cranborne Chase. Walking in silence, we will follow one behind another, snaking our way along the chalk and flint paths, winding through woodlands and basking under vast dark skies.

As the night holds us, our eyes adjust, our hearing sharpens and our body begins to sense in different ways. Shapes blur, the horizon softens and our chattering minds begin to settle.

For almost all of human history, this was how we knew the darkness. Our senses evolved for low light, for shadow, for the subtle language of the night. When we allow ourselves to walk this way again, we start to connect with the landscape and the stories and the history it holds.

We will walk together in communal silence, without the use of torches, taking care of each other without words, trusting what unfolds from our own memories and imaginations.

Immerse in the darkness

The route is approximately four miles, with pauses along the way to immerse in our surroundings and notice what is arising. We will end with a gathering around a fire, with tea, sweet treats and space to share reflections for those who wish.

This experience has been carefully created and guided to ensure that everyone feels held and safe as they explore night walking in this way. Many people, particularly women, have not had the opportunity to walk through open landscape after dark with a sense of ease and support. This evening offers that possibility.

Held by the Night is created and led by Becky Burchell, founder of storytelling pilgrimage Women of the Dark Skies. While this walk does not include storytelling, it carries the same depth of atmosphere, intention and care.

So join us and have trust in yourself: your body will remember the darkness and know how to respond.

Becky is a storyteller, curator, collaborator and convenor. She creates experiences at the intersection of the arts, environmentalism and community. She has over 20 years of experience as a visionary producer and organiser, working within festivals, charities, arts venues and communities. She has a passion for combining different art forms, ideas and people to co-create extraordinary gatherings and experiences including multi-artform festivals in national arts centres, evenings where musicians duet with wild nightingales, a visionary play set in 2050, a vibrant community wassail, environmental short films to inspire young people and regular women's circles for her local community. She launched the environmental organisation CHANGE Festival in 2019 to elevate people, ideas and narratives that celebrate bold new ways of regenerative living, where humanity and the natural world are both able to thrive.

Becky lives with her family in Chettle, where she is co-creating with the land, the community and the ancestors to lay cultural foundations for the future.

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Chettle Car Park (meeting place), Chettle Village Store, Blandford Forum, United Kingdom

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