This year I will be spending Christmas in Kent for the first time. 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.
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3 Comments
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!
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!
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