In a calendar filled with meetings, briefings, ribbon cuttings, and responsibilities, the idea of a “free Saturday” is a rare and precious thing. When the stars aligned in February and I found myself with an unexpected day off, I faced a familiar question: What to do with it?

Now, I’ve never been drawn to the ordinary. Over the years I’ve walked some lesser-known Catholic pilgrimages, attempted to visit every London Underground station in a day, and even dashed to Paris and back just for dinner. Why? Because sometimes, stepping outside the usual gives us a better appreciation of the everyday.

This particular Saturday I took the chance to explore something odd and wonderful—not a grand gesture, but a purposeful detour. Whether it’s a historic folly tucked away in Essex or an ancient woodland with barely a soul in sight, the strange and the small have a way of refreshing the spirit.

There’s a lesson here for public life too. We spend so much time inside the expected—in boxes, agendas, manifestos—that we can forget to wander. But wandering matters. It’s how we reconnect with curiosity. How we rediscover our own towns, our own stories, our own capacity to be surprised.

So here’s to the unexpected Saturday. To the curious turn off the main road. And to remembering that even a Chairman needs a little bit of wonder now and then.