For our second walk in February 2018 we chose a lovely walk along the Beverley brook. After the long walks we did in the last couple of weeks training for the Big Half, it felt good to do a bit of a shorter distance, although the muddy paths made the 8 mile walk a lot more strenuous than it looked on paper.

Even though we kept it dry during our walk, it had been raining a lot in the week before our walk, and the part of the walk through Wimbledon common was exceptionally muddy. I was glad we had our poles, as they really helped us to navigate through the slipperyness. It was a relief when we could use our poles for Nordic Walking again.

I really enjoyed the Beverley Brook walk and following this relatively unknown river. Where the river Lee/Lea felt quite industrial, the Beverley brook felt in most parts much more natural and pretty. The Beverley Brook walk crosses – and in a small part follows te same route- as the Wimbledon to Richmond walk we did in October, and it was fun recognising bits we had seen before. After all the walks we have done this year, I am getting a much better sense of how the city is laid out, and how it is connected. The way a cab driver will know all the major roads in a city, I am building a green map of London in my mind.

Picknicking in Richmond Park, the deer grouped together in a field behind us. What a gift. We made a small detour to get a bit closer, but by the time we had finished our lunch, the flock had separated and only a few had stayed close by. In Richmond park the Beverley brook was probably at its prettiest, with willows flanking he brook and long views of the heath behind it.

We followed the river until it flowed into the Thames by Putney, where half of the group ended up in a lovely pub to reminisce about the walk we just did, and dream about next adventures!