With my next trip down the Camino de Santiago (see previous blog postings) coming up soon, I’m making an effort to properly prepare myself. Buying more gear was the easy part; the challenge is to make time to break it in and iron out any problems before getting to Spain.

Yesterday morning, with walking sandals, anti-bacterial socks (they should smell less even with my feet!), wicking t-shirt (quick drying to prevent chills) and camel pack (easy access to sips of water), as well as some stuff I already had, I decided to set out for a walk over to the Horniman museum in Forest Hill rather than to drive to a starting point out in the countryside.

I’m glad I made that choice! I was was struck by how much of nature there is in a metropolis like London and also by the variety of surfaces I trod across – plenty of pavements but also everything from woodland trails to rocky surfaces (malformed concrete but it felt like rocks).

Since I got to the Horniman too early to get to the museum, I also added an extra loop onto my walk and discovered the tranquil tracks of Sydenham Hill Woods and Dulwich Woods – amazingly peaceful and clean in the midst of South East London. Click on the image above to see my pictures for illustrations of what I found.

Tags: walking, south east london, sydenham hill woods, camino de santiago