It was a lovely day for walking. Sunny but not too warm with a pleasant cooling breeze. Shoeburyness is an hour’s train journey from London. I went with a friend. We didn’t have any firm plans about the route except to walk along the coast. When we got to Shoeburyness, we asked someone which was … Continue reading / view photos Shoeburyness to Southend-on-Sea
Category: Hiking
Friendship, connecting, and Chess Valley
After my walk this weekend, I had some random thoughts about friendship and the role the internet plays in connecting people together in various ways, from WhatsApp to Facebook. There are many ways of communicating via the internet and they have emerged for various reasons. There is the obvious need for connection that human beings … Continue reading / view photos Friendship, connecting, and Chess Valley
Queueing for chips in Margate
When we got to Broadstairs (by train) and started to walk to Margate, we realised that the Viking Trail looked familiar. Then we remembered that we had walked the trail in reverse last year! Last year, the UK was coming out of lockdown in May and therefore the beaches and trail were largely deserted. This … Continue reading / view photos Queueing for chips in Margate
Walking in North London
Last weekend was spent in North London. I forgot how rural it can be. On Saturday, I met a friend for an improvised walk from Finchley Central to Moat Mount and back. Along the way, we popped into the Sail & Anchor Coffee for a light lunch. It turned out to be a friendly small … Continue reading / view photos Walking in North London
Ironbridge
An impromptu diversion took us to Ironbridge in Shropshire, possibly the heart of the Industrial Revolution. En route, I found a walk in the area that passed many of the places that were key to the industrial era. The walk itself quickly rose into Lloyd’s Coppice then continued to Coalport. We crossed the River Severn … Continue reading / view photos Ironbridge
Angelsey — Ynys Llanddwyn walk
This walk begins and ends in the Newborough Forest. This Site of Special Scientific Interest has sand dunes and mudflats that make you feel like you’re in another country. You also have impressive views of Snowdonia, which is just across the water. The forest has red squirrels, which we didn’t see, but there were a … Continue reading / view photos Angelsey — Ynys Llanddwyn walk
Anglesey — Aberffraw walk
Aberffraw is a popular place for sun seekers. There’s also some good walking to be done amongst the covered sand dunes. The highlight of the walk is “the church in the sea” — St. Cwyfan’s Church. This medieval church was once on a peninsula but erosion left the church stranded at high tide. A causeway … Continue reading / view photos Anglesey — Aberffraw walk
London Loop – sections 22, 23, 24
After a six-month lockdown break, we finally resumed the London Loop. These three legs (from Harold Wood to Purfleet) are the end stages although we have more to do since we’ve not walked the Loop sequentially. This walk was straightforward, flat and passed without incident. The last time we were in this neck of the … Continue reading / view photos London Loop – sections 22, 23, 24
London Loop – sections 20, 21
Ela and I squeezed in two more legs of the London Loop just before Season 2 of Lockdown started streaming across England. We had to limit our walk to two people because of the two-household rule. This walk started at Chigwell and went to Harold Wood via Havering-atte Bower. All were new to me. It’s … Continue reading / view photos London Loop – sections 20, 21
Tarzan, trees and me
Nature has many splendours. Three that come to mind are mountains, trees and the many forms of water (lakes, rivers, oceans, snow, ice). Of these, I find mountains frightening. No matter how many times I walk up them, apprehension overrides the veneration I feel at the foot of a mountain. Rivers and vast expanses of … Continue reading / view photos Tarzan, trees and me