Alastair Humphreys Adventurer | Author | Motivational Speaker

Walking home for Christmas

This year I will be spending Christmas in Kent for the first time, with my wife’s family. I thought it would be fun to walk there. I got up early and, after 9.5 hours of walking, through pretty depressing landscapes, I made it with a suitably Christmas-sized appetite!
I decided to document my walk through photographs, and through live Twitter updates.

- Heading out my front door. I’m walking home for Xmas.
- The first grey of dawn. Walking past MI6 at Vauxhall.
- Commuters whizz past on bikes. Hmm… Perhaps I should have ridden?
- Big Ben peals 8am. London’s streets are quiet this morning.
- Trumpet rendition of O come all ye faithful drifts across the Thames
- Less than 2hrs and I stop for coffee. I am neither as tough or as tight as I used to be!
- At Tower Bridge now. Ticking off the icons.
- Grey sky, grey earth, grey people. East London is depressing me.
- Reached Canary Wharf, the former hub of smug.
- Not much Xmas cheer in Lewisham.
- Stare at the geezers to show them you’re not lightweight.
- Lewisham. A woman drags a dog down street as it tries to crap. Grim town.
- Into the eastern hemisphere at Greenwich.
- Eating a mince pie and walking through Greenwich park.
- Trees and green spaces are good for the soul on this walk.
- On Blackheath Common. Used to be v dangerous- highwaymen!
- On Blackheath Common. Where London marathon begins.
- is there a Mc-D’s on the a207 east of Blackheath?!
- On the ‘green chain walk’ now. A blessing to be off road.
- A long haul up Shooters Hill. Hoping it’s all downhill from here.
- Big long downhill- my kingdom for a bicycle!
- 5hrs walk from my house i see the first sheep and field. Goodbye London!
- Walking down an old roman road on my way home for Xmas.
- Food! I’m lovin’ it!
- Nothing looks or feels very Christmassy.
- Just waved at 2 grannies. Big grins. Think they fancy me…
- Just passed a pub that’s having a ‘meat raffle’ tonight! Gross!
- Approaching Dartford. Light seeping from an already pallid day.
- Only about 2 more hours to go.
- Firemen collecting cash for kids’ charity. First festive thing I’ve seen since London.
- I wish I had counted all the fast food joints on this walk. No wonder the UK is fat.
- 7.5 hrs wall from London and I cross the jammed m25.
- Reached Bluewater, a Mecca of materialism.
- Made it! 9.5 hrs walk from London to Kent. Time to relax now!

Merry Christmas to you all, and thank you for your support this year.

If you liked this post you might enjoy these too:

1. Shameless plug for Christmas presents
2. Home From Abroad – Laurie Lee

nice idea, and nicely done

Fresh eyes for a familiar place.

Especially liked the meat raffle, theres something really gross about giving away bits of flesh, and the streets reference, nothing like a goood old stare to show your gravity.

Enjoy your christmas dinner, roast spuds, too much brandy, warm sitting room with all of the seats filled, family, chrismas specials, re-runs, wrapping paper, and familiar comforts and all the cliches that become so dear when you’re removed.

You tell a good story – you’ve got a gift for making an interesting story and taking quirky pictures of very everyday events and scenes … can’t say I fancy the walk though (originating from that part of the world I remember how grim Lewisham is!) – nice one! Happy new year!

[...] – The world of micro expeditions [...]

I can honestly say, that is EXACTLY, how i see London/Lewisham/Dartford!
I myself live outside of Dartford and have been to every place you have described in this story, and I cannot agree more on everything you have described!

Everything being described as grey and lifeless! Canary wharf! And Bluewater! i have worked at Bluewater and my God i cant agree more! The exploiter of all things Christmassy.

This is genius, and im glad someone else agrees with me that this place is miserable!
5 STARS!