There's life in the mundane.

HARROW — 51.5806° N, 0.3420° W

Harrow on the Hill

— England

Home, viewed as if it were somewhere else. A day of walking the hill like a tourist.

Day 1 — 07:40. Decided to spend a Sunday walking around Harrow like I had never been here. Bought a coffee I would not normally buy. Read the blue plaques.

09:15. Up the hill. It is steeper than I remember from school, or I am older. The view from the churchyard goes all the way to the reservoirs, and on a clear day further.

11:30. Down the other side. Lowlands Road has the best shadows at this time of year, long ones, cut by the railings.

14:00. Back on the high street, which I know too well to see. Tried anyway. Noticed that the old bank is now a gym, a café and a dentist, all at once, in different floors.

17:50. Home. Twelve thousand steps in a place I already live. Felt, briefly, like somewhere new.

Placeholder — a street leading up the hill, black and white.
01
Placeholder — a tall facade on Church Hill.
02Church Hill
Placeholder — shadows on a pavement on Lowlands Road.
03

Worth remembering

  1. The bench at the top with the view west. Go before 8.
  2. The café by the station that still does toast on a plate.
  3. The shortcut through the churchyard, which is steeper than it looks.