You’d be forgiven for thinking, reading this blog, that the majority of the walks I do are in the mountains, National Parks, Highlands and Islands. In fact, living in the south east of England, the bulk of my walking involves day trips to the Home Counties. And it has to be said, there’s a great deal of beauty and variety in the scenery to be found within twenty or thirty miles of London, much of it accessible within a couple of hours from where I live.
Over the years, I’ve got to know dozens of different places and developed a number of favourites, but always tried to discover new ones too.
While not every walk is a gem, once you leave that train or bus, every walk gives the opportunity to escape the bustle of London, and often, even on a sunny bank holiday like the one we have just had, to escape the crowds. In fact, many if not most, have some real highlights, and include some beautiful landscapes, sometimes not necessarily associated with the south east of England.
I’m a great fan of woodland, and the last month has seen the annual transformation of the countryside as tree buds turn into leaves, daffodils and bluebells bear flower, and the yellow gorse and pink cherry blossom bring colour to the scene. Birds sing, butterflies flutter, and bees buzz as the temperature rises and the sunlight brings life to all that is around.
Summer brings long warm days, blackberries, dragonflies, alongside the purple of heather.
Later in the year, as autumn arrives the leaves turn red and then brown and the ground becomes a carpet of leaves. chestnuts abound.
In winter, pine, larch and other conifer brighten a sometimes bleak landscape. An early morning start can bring the beauty of frost covered fields.
There are many beautiful spots, and it has to be said, a lot of them barely seem to be known other than to locals. We are fortunate to have a number of areas of outstanding natural beauty around London- the High Weald, the Surrey hills, the Kent Downs and the Chilterns. There’s also the South Downs and New Forest national parks. There are some fantastic long distance walks too, capable of being broken down into day walks. The Greensand Way, the North Downs Way, the Serpent Trail, the High Weald Landscape Trail are among my favourites.
Reservoirs, such as Bewl Water, Bough Beech and Ardingly, although manmade , river walks like the Thames path, and lakes and ponds abound with butterflies, birds and flora of many types and can provide ideal places for an afternoon picnic. Forests such as Wendover, Alice Holt, Bedgebury and Mereworth Woods provide a yet different environment and wildlife. Pretty villages with idyllic pubs, churchyards with convenient benches abound.
If you are willing to walk 10 to 15 miles there is barely anywhere in the south east you can’t get to by public transport, offering the advantage that you don’t have to return to you car and can plan a linear walk. But there are lots of lovely circular walks too. Be adventurous, try somewhere different and you begin to realise how much there is out there to see. It’s hard to believe sometimes when you are in these places how close you are to London.
Across the Alps to the Adriatic 