Best beach for walking

You probably have your favourite, I love the beaches on the West coast of Donegal or Scotland, just as good in winter as in summer and always empty. I just love being able to walk for miles, breath in all that fresh air and paddle if the mood takes me. I also love sitting in the sand and looking out to sea and having bar-b-ques. What do you love about beaches?

Coast Magazine recommends Oxwich Bay on the Gower Peninsula in S Wales as the best beach for walking on. Far from being empty it is 'one of the most popular' apparently, as well as 'being most dramatic' - now I like that. 'It's a haven for sailing and other water sports and when the tide is out you can walk more than two miles along the sand to the three rocky pyramids of the aptly named 'Three Cliffs Bay'

You can find out more about the beach at http://www.enjoygower.com/

May walking with the East End Girls

The engineering work on the Central Line tried to scupper our plans yesterday but we were having none of it, so abandoning cars in station car parks, making sure loved ones provided lifts and remaining optimistic, 7 of us met at Uxbridge tube to complete another section of the London Loop.

We were walking from Uxbridge to Moor Park, roughly a 9 mile walk which took us along the Grand Union Canal for about 5 miles where we had a very tasty meal in the Coy Carp.

Here are the girls having a relax atBlack Jack's Lock.

After lunch we turned away from the water and headed up along narrow paths through woods teaming with richly scented bluebells, alongside fields of beautiful horses and onto ridges where we had fantastic views over rolling scenery and finally to another Metropolitan Tube station.


Tube stations and wonderful scenery don't always go hand a hand but here they do and being among the furthest reaches of the tube lines, we were truly in the country.

Hopefully, if engineering works allow, we'll be back on the Loop next month walking from Moor Park to Stanmore. Wonder what we'll get to see then?

National Trails

We are blessed in the United Kingdom to have such a range of National Walking Trails, you can walk in the hills, along the coast, by rivers and in the mountains. You can choose to do parts of these trails and in my time I've walked chunks of the Cotswold Way, Offa's Dyke Path, the South West Coast Path and the South Downs to name just a few.

At the moment I'm close to completing the Thames Path with the East End Girls - http://www.walkerscoach.com/east_end_girls.htm and if you look at the page you'll see some of the photos taken on our Thames path journey. It's been great to be on a National Trail and we have a long list of others we want to complete, perhaps we'll just decide to do a full set!

Two very different view of the Thames from the Thames Path

If you were to choose which trail would you opt for? My top two at present are the Hadrian's wall Path and the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path.

Before setting out, you don't have to know the paths, there are official National Trail Guides and they are wonderful, mine for the Thames Path is well thumbed through. These books are all currently being revised and the entire set of 20 are due to be completed within the year. So far
the Cotswold Way, Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path, Hadrian's Wall Path and Cleveland Way are now in the shops and the South West Coast Path ( Falmouth to Exmouth), Offa's Dyke Path, Pembrokeshire Coast Path, South Downs Way, North Downs Way, Thames Path and Pennine Way North will be completed soon. If you are up for any of these trails, make sure you get the new books and make sure that your information is the best that it can be.

Bluebells - take in that scent and that sight.

I love bluebells.

As a child I spent so much of my time with my friends in the field and woods behind our house and the woods would be carpeted this time of year with that fantastic blue. Have you ever noticed how often they grow in beech woods and how the colours of the beech leaves and the bluebells complement each other. And have you ever stood there and just breathed in that scent, it's wonderful.

Yesterday I took a detour out of my day to go for a walk in Wanstead Park so I could soak up the bluebell atmosphere and take some photos. Here they are for you to share.

At this time of year there is plenty of opportunity to walk amongst the bluebells. However, with the very cold winter we had some of the bluebells are blooming later than usual. To find out where there are bluebells in your area visit the National Trust site and check in with their bluebell watch - -

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-news/w-latest_news/w-news-bluebell-watch

You can also just google "bluebell walks" into your browser or to make it a little easier, here are another couple of sites to visit -

http://www.countrylife.co.uk/countryside/article/443446/The-best-bluebell-walks-in-Britain.html

and http://www.ramblers.org.uk/walkthemes/Themedwalksbluebells

At one point I was lying on the ground getting right up close - good job there weren't too many people around. Is this the view a small creature gets?



I'm off to see how well these wonderful flowers are faring in Epping Forest. Wherever you go, enjoy.

Want to climb Kilimanjaro?

Join the Excellent Development Kilimanjaro Challenge. This is your opportunity to climb Africa's highest peak and raise money for Excellent Development. You will then have the opportunity to go to Kenya and spend a week with a community building a sand dam.

The 2010 expedition leaves on 14th September and they will be signing people up over the next few weeks. However, if you can't make it this year, do not despair as next year's trip leaves on 9th September 2011.

To find out more visit - http://www.excellentdevelopment.com/kili2010.php

Fancy a walk in the Cotswolds?

You may be based in the Cotswolds or fancy making a trip to this lovely part of the world, which ever doesn't matter but I have it on good authority that the Annual Rotary Cotswoldds walk is a great one to take part in and here you have some warning as it's due to happen on Sunday, May 2nd.

Now in it's 20th year, this walk is 7 miles long taking you along the footpaths and bridleways of attractive North Cotswolds offering spectacular views over four counties . It starts just outside the idyllic village of Ilmington in South Warwickshire.

There are choices for you, you can just come along and join in the walk or you can raise funds for your favourite charity (sponsorship forms available). Bring a picnic or enjoy the free drinks & biscuits plus other refreshments at a nominal cost available at the half way point. Marshals located around the course.

The minimum donation is £5 per adult walker and £2 for schoolchildren, all payable at the start.

If you want to know more then check out www.cotswoldwalk.org.uk where you will find a map, instructions and sponsorship forms (if required).

The start is staggered with first walkers setting off at 10.00 and the last at 2.00. Free car park at the start at Foxcote Hill, near Ilmington - CV36 4LD and near Shipston on Stour.

Fabulous April walking.

April's East End Girl's(EEG) walk was held in stunning sunshine for every inch of our 12.5 miles. At last we managed to be able to get out of Mile End tube station before 12.30 ( something that's been impossible due to engineering works for months) so headed off down the canal towards Limehouse basin and the convergence with the Thames Path.


We'd just joined the Thames in this photo, not sure what's being pointed out ahead but behind you can clearly see the familiar outline of Canary Wharf. You do get stunning views from here.

We had 13 wonderful women, one who'd walked with me on a Friday before but was new to the EEG; another who is training for Edinburgh's Moonwalk and came along with Marie and if we could make it possible, the plan was to meet up with Lina, another new lady who is training for the 13 mile Moonwalk in London and who would make the total 14.


Look how calm the river is and with no planes in the sky either due to ash clouds, things were very quiet - well if you forget about the chit chat from such an exuberant group.



Everyone was in good form here and the pace, set by Cajsa and Teresa was pretty brisk. The great thing about a big group though is that it's actually easier to let everyone go at their own pace and stretch out.

At this point we were heading for one of our favourite coffee shops never Wapping Tube. I found this the first day it opened and the coffees, pastries and 'made to order' sandwiches are fantastic. Was a little concerned how 13 or 14 of us were going to all get seated but our timing was superb - did feel sorry though for those coming in for a quiet Saturday morning coffee and a read of the paper. Still it's good for the Deli's business and we only frequent once or twice a year in such large numbers.

Having had a call from Lina, we managed to meet up here and after using all the facilities and having a good battery recharge, we set off heading for Tower Bridge. Here's the motley crew with the famous landmark in the background.


From here our route took us over the bridge and onto the Southbank which at this point was pretty busy with tourists, locals etc . Lovely to see so many people out enjoying the wonderful weather. Being so broad, the Southbank is a great place to walk and there's so much to see as well. Our next stop was lunch - so important to look after yourself when walking and at EAT, just below the Oxo Tower, we found a great sunny spot with plenty of room for everyone. Good food here too and plenty of choice as well.

We were heading for Westminster Bridge where, once across, Barb peeled off to do some stuff around Trafalgar Square and soon after it was Vanessa saying farewell as she headed home to get ready for a birthday do. Helen did a wonderful 7.5 miles leaving us after a bright and sunny walk through St James Park and along by the flowerbeds at the Palace - well done.

The intrepid rest headed up through Hyde Park, still deep in conversation, well 14 people is a lot to get round and as one of the ladies said - "it was an added bonus meeting such an interesting and friendly group"

A loo and ice-cream stop in Regent's park, then up Primrose Hill which was littered with bodies as were all the open spaces and then the final push to Belsize Park tube. Teresa and I did look for a table in the sun where we could all partake a cold beer but none to be had and having finished the spirit was not willing to have to explore too much further. I phoned my husband and asked him to make sure the cold beers were available in the garden for when I got home!

Great feedback since -

"great photos to go with a great walk. It really was so enjoyable, thanks for organising it"

" Heather, thanks for a great day. G"

"Thank you for organising such a lovely walk, I really enjoyed it. Can't make May but would like to do the next one, so hopefully see you all soon."

and it's still coming in.