Views, chat, discussion and debate from a stone seat high on Exmoor above Horner Valley near Dunkery Beacon in West Somerset

Today's bench is made of stone and sits high on Exmoor near Dunkery Beacon above the sleepy Horner Valley near Porlock in West Somerset. It's a wonderful place to sit with breathtaking views - although certainly quite difficult to find and the hill is very steep.

Today's topic is about visiting places or people.

It occurred to me that we spend a lot of time looking for interesting places - castles, countryside or whatever - but we don't have the same approach to seeking out and visiting interesting people.

Imagine if there were cafes or places we could visit full of interesting people! Perhaps even themed cafes or places might be possible.

If we were interested in talking about tennis we could go to a tennis chat cafe, if we were interested in talking about politics, we could go to politics cafe or chat place.

Perhaps benches or public seating areas could also become places to discuss anything or everything. When I was recently on Southbourne Overcliff in Bournemouth, Dorset one early morning, lots of people seemed very willing to stop and chat

Of course, all this already exists online in discussion forums and chat rooms. But virtual chat and discussion, to me, perhaps lacks something. It has huge value but personal proximity also seems to be very important too and, at the end of the week when I have been working on the computer for many hours, I would like to get out and meet some real people. Am I alone in this need?

I hope you enjoyed today's views from a bench and I look forward to your comments.

Tomorrow, another bench or public seating place and some more views for chat, discussion and debate. I look forward to seeing you here :-)

Bye for now

Rob

Rob Hopcott - online author