A healthy start of the year: Join us for a New Year’s Nordic Walk on Monday 1 January 2018

On our first Explorer walks of the year we will explore the Royal Parks and (re)discover many of London’s attractions and historic sites.

We will start our walk in front of Buckingham Palace. We will walk through Green park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to Bayswater and Paddington, and on to Little Venice. We will follow the Regents Canal to Regents park. Our walk will end in Camden, where you might want to join us for a drink to toast to a Fit and Happy New Year!

Training to Nordic Walk the half marathon (aka the Big Half) on 4 March? This walk will keep you on track with your training schedule, so do make sure to join us. Don’t worry though, you don’t have to have ambitious plans like a half marathon to enjoy this walk. We will walk at our usual pleasant pace, so don’t expect a super-fast walk.

Now the days are getting shorter, it is even more important to spend time in nature, get plenty of daylight and enjoy the friendship and company of others. So, come on a walk with us – it is a healthy start of the year and we promise we will help you feel absolutely fabulous, both mentally and physically!

Will you join us on this walk?

How to get there:

Meet us at 11.15 By the gate of Buckingham Palace, or, if you would like you could join me at 10.30 on Camberwell Road, bus stop X (opposite Burgess Park entrance), where I will take  bus 148 to Buckingham Palace.

All stations are within the Oyster and 60+ Freedom card zone, so there is no need to buy tickets in advance.

The walk ends in Camden, where there are plenty of transport options to get back home.

Terrain and length of the route:

The route is about 7 miles/ 10 kilometres. This walk follows mostly hardened surfaces and is fairly flat. It is January, so puddles and mud can be expected. Please bring good footwear.

Toilets, food/drinks & what to bring:

I suggest we find a nice park café for lunch, but if you want you can bring a pick-nick and enjoy your lunch outside. It is a great idea to bring a flask, so you have something warm to drink for on the way if you get a bit cold.

There are public toilets in the parks as well as plenty of pubs, restaurants or café’s along the way.

I have a reputation to uphold, so I am counting on sunny weather, but this walk will happen in any weather, unless it is unsafe. Please check the forecast and bring your waterproofs and shoes with a good grippy profile. It is January, so the path might have puddles. Waterproof trainers with good profile are highly recommended.

My recommendation for cold weather is to wear plenty of layers. I like wearing 2 thin merino wool t-shirts with long sleeves, covered with a warm fleece sweater and a gore-tex rain jacket. I also like to bring a thin puffa jacket, which I can slip on during breaks, or when my layers are not warm enough. I also wear insulating tights underneath my walking trousers.

Puffa jackets are thin insulating jackets. Sometimes filled with down, sometimes with man-made fibres. Nordic Walking UK members have 15% off at Cotswolds Outdoors, so that could be a good place to look, but other good places to look for budget options: TK Maxx, Decathlon and Uniqlo. I can also highly recommend Uniqlo’s heat tech underwear. Lasts for ever, soft, warm, even when you get a bit sweaty. If you don’t mind buying online, then I can highly recommend the Sportpursuit website for great reductions on the best Outdoor brands.

(There are lots of good waterproof shoes and great walking clothes available. They don’t have to be expensive. Get in touch, I would be happy to share my favourites that fit your budget).

Who can join?

Anyone who can comfortably walk 10 km.

Feel free to bring a friend or family member, with or without poles. Nordic Walker or not, you are very welcome to join us, if you are Fit (enough) and Happy! 😊

Cost:

£10 or, if you are one of our regular Fit and Happy Outdoors walkers, one stamp on your 10-session card. (£89 for ten walks)

If you are genuinely poverty stricken-  £5

(Train tickets and food or drinks at café not included)

Need poles?

Are you a Nordic walker but don’t have your own poles? Would you like to borrow some from me? Text me THE MORNING OF THE WALK on 078 078 3456 4 and I will bring you some. (please, please do not ask me for poles days before the walk unless you remind me the morning of the walk, or risk walking without poles.)

Check our shop if you would like to buy your own. Feel free to give us a ring, we are happy to advise you on the best poles for your lifestyle, needs and wishes.

Joining A Walk

New to Fit and Happy Outdoors? Please fill in the registration and health questionaire, which you can find here and email them to walks@fitandhappyoutdoors.com at least 24 hours before the session, mentioning in the header which walk you want to join. That will give us enough time to get back to you and discuss your needs and experience.

Please sign up for our Meetup Group to easily RSVP and find out when the next walks are.

Not on Meetup (yet)? You can also use this contact form: