On a Walkabout until June….

Dear friends, I hope you are well and healthy! As most of you know, today was our last session before I leave to walk the Camino. Fellow Fit and Happy member Frankie and I will get on the train to Bordeaux on Wednesday, where we will meet my mom. Together we will drive (in mom’s car) to Porto, where we will meet our Elisabeth, another of our members. On Saturday…Keep Reading

Our walks and Covid 19

As the RULE of SIX has come into force last Monday we are aware that it will be tough for everybody. However, if you see our groups out and about please rest assured that it is not a bunch of people disregarding the COVID group rules but a professionally organised, OUTDOOR EXERCISE session with strict COVID 19 protocols in place. Our groups are usually small, with a maximum of 12…Keep Reading

Let’s go on a virtual adventure together!

Stay physically distant, but socially connected. Let me help you stay motivated, active and happy. Let’s go on a virtual walk together. Use your fitbit or step counter on your phone to add steps to our walk. All steps count. You can walk in the safety of your living room, in your garden, on your balcony, or in your local park. I have picked a walk with great views for…Keep Reading

Fit and Happy Outdoors has moved Indoors… for now

Oh, how I miss you, and how I miss our rambles in the woods together. This situation only makes me more aware how important you are to me, and how grateful I am we have found each other on the same path one day. In the beginning of our time at home, I was really sad, as many of the things I hold important in life seemed to have been…Keep Reading

Saturday 25 January: Join us for a Thames walk and visit Chiswick house gardens

Let’s go for a lovely walk along the river Thames, visit the gardens of Chiswick House, enjoy the views from Hammersmith Bridge and explore a Leg of Mutton. No, that’s a nature reserve, not Sunday Roast. On our walk we will take some time to explore the gardens of Chiswick House, and we will have some lunch in the garden cafe before we continue our walk. Hogarth’s fans can pay…Keep Reading

Saturday 18 January – Join us for a walk along the New River to Islington

Join us on Saturday 18 January for this wonderful exploration of the New River in North London. The New River is neither new nor a river. Built when Shakespeare was alive, it is a water aqueduct, completed in 1613, to bring drinking water from Hertfordshire to North London. The aqueduct is Thames Water’s oldest manmade asset, pre-dating some of London’s more famous historic sites like Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s…Keep Reading

Saturday 8 February: Through the woods and along the river (with a warm ferry back)

Join us on Saturday 8 February for a wonderful walk in Southeast London. This walk has some of my favourite things. One of the finest woods in East London, an almost car-free walk to the river, then a lovely stroll along the river Thames, ending with a ferry ride back to central London, so we can relax and enjoy the sights of the barrier, Greenwich and the Tower Bridge on…Keep Reading

Sunday 10 November: Walk the East London Greenway

Looking at the forecast, Sunday should be our best bet for a dry walk. So why not join us on this surprisingly green walk in East London? Our walk starts in Mile End Park, follows the grand Union canal a little bit, then crosses the wonderful Victoria Park. From there we will cross to Hackney Wick and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The walk goes alongside Lee Navigation to Old…Keep Reading

We are starting knitting classes!

Coming in from an autumnal walk, I love cosying up with my knitting, a hot chocolate, and some lovely people. These wild and wet autumn days, knitting something warm and cuddly can bring the perfect a bit of ‘hygge’ in our life. Here at Fit and Happy Outdoors, we are all about creating community and doing the things we love. This autumn, we will bring it indoors too. Many of…Keep Reading

Saturday 2 November: Autumn walk in Richmond park

Join us for this beautiful green autumn walk in Richmond. We will start our walk in bustling Richmond. We will soon find our way to the Thames. From there it is a bit of a climb through a lovely park to Richmond park. While we are taking a breather we will admire the views over the River, before exploring the varied and less visited landscapes of Richmond Park. It will…Keep Reading

Sunday 27 October: Join us for a walk in Epping Forest

Discover Green London with us and join us for this lovely walk in Epping Forest. Starting at the Northern end of the Central line in Theydon Bois, we will enjoy a beautiful area of Epping Forest and some of its surrounding Buffer Lands. (In case you are wondering, like I did: The village name is usually pronounced to rhyme with “boyce” or “boys”) Our route passes some magnificent veteran pollarded…Keep Reading

Saturday 28 September: Join us for a walk in the Chess Valley

Explore green London with us and join us on another fabulous walk. This time we will explore the Chess Valley, one of the most beautiful and tranquil parts in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This walk is actually on the Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire border but is still super easy to get to as it starts and ends on the Metropolitan line. Our route will take you through old…Keep Reading

Friday 20 Sept: Afternoon walk in Peckham Rye Park, Nunhead cemetary and Sydenham Woods

Let’s make the best of this lovely late summer weather. Join us for a lovely afternoon walk exploring some of my favorite nature spots in South East London. We start in the hustle and bustle of Peckham Rye, but soon the city will open up into Peckham Common and Peckham Rye Park. Peckham Rye Park is an often overlooked little juwel of a park. As a young child William Blake…Keep Reading

Saturday 14 September: A walk through Rainham Marshes and the Thames Estuary

Join us for a walk from Rainham station to Purfleet station, via Rainham marshes and the Thames Estuary. Rainham Marshes nature and bird reserve covers an ancient, low-lying grazing marsh in the Thames Estuary. Its wet grassland, ditches and scrub support a variety of birds and other wildlife. The marshland supports breeding waders, such as lapwing and redshank and important numbers of wintering wildfowl and birds of prey. Some areas…Keep Reading

Retry: Saturday 3 August – Gravesend and the Tilbury Forts

With the cool and rainy weather last weekend so few people took up this walk, that I decided to postpone it with a week. So here is to hoping this weekend’s weather will be better! Our exploration of green areas in and around London leads us this time to the Thames Estuary. This walk combines important and interesting British history with London’s gritty industrial past, and binds it all together…Keep Reading

Saturday 10 August: A walk along the White cliffs of Dover

Time to celebrate summer with a coastal walk, and this one is exceptionally beautiful. From the train station in Dover we will find the old winding roads to the steps up to the castle. We will take a moment to catch our breath and to enjoy the view over Dover harbour with the ferries buzzing in and out. Our path keeps climbing up, until we find ourselves on top of…Keep Reading

Saturday 27 July: a walk along the Thames Estuary – Gravesend and the Tilbury forts

Our exploration of green areas in and around London leads us this time to the Thames Estuary. This walk combines important and interesting British history with London’s gritty industrial past, and binds it all together with nature, the river and lots of birds. From Gravesend station we will walk past the statue of Pocahontas, the Indian princes who famously died in Gravesend in 1617, towards the Tilbury Ferry to use…Keep Reading

Saturday 29 June: Discover Green London: Ancient woods, fabulous views and the Grand Union canal

Join us for this beautiful walk in Northwest London. We will discover London’s first National Nature Reserve; the ancient woods of Ruislip, after lunch the woods will open up to splendid views over the Colne Valley. We will pass trough some old villages and walk along the grand Union Canal to the lakes near Rickmansworth. The woods in this walk, located on the boundary between Hertfordshire and the old county…Keep Reading

Friday 19 July: Picnic and Midsummer Night’s Dream in Burgess Park

After last year’s success of going to see Edith Piaff together, here is another chance to enjoy each other’s company. No sweat or mud involved! People’s Company, an adult community theatre company based at Southwark Playhouse, is bringing Shakespeare to Burgess Park with an open air performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Where: Chumleigh Gardens, Burgess Park When: Friday, 19th July, 7-9:30 pm Chumleigh Gardens and Burgess Park provide an…Keep Reading

Saturday 13 July: Woodmansterne and the Mayfield Lavender fields

Cannot do Sundays? Sad to miss the Lavender on the Darent Valley walk? Don’t dispair, we’ve got your back! Here is another lovely walk on a stone throw from London, and another chance to see and smell the Lavender fields. This walk passes parks, commons and the beautiful Banstead downs. We will pass Warren Farm, which is a Woodland Trust Reserve, a park with the intriguing name of Nonsuch Park…Keep Reading