Walking for Fitness

I’ve been meaning to create this thread for a while, but while the site (and the area) seems to be full of cyclists, and a fair few runners, my own fitness regime is walking (and Pilates - but that’s another story).

Is there anyone else out there who walks for fitness?

I’ve always enjoyed walking around the area (that was my first blog) and I’ve recently signed up for Shine - Cancer Research UK’s overnight marathon-distance charity walk.

I’m in training for the full marathon and am looking for ideas for great routes of 8-15 miles in and around Forest Hill. I will share a few of mine for anyone interested too.

If there is enough interest, we could even create groups a bit like the cyclists with private threads and shared groups on fitness sites (I use MapMyFitness / MapMyWalk)

Today’s walk was a 10 mile walk from Forest Hill to Forest Hill … via Peckham.

Weather was not great, but cool enough. Lots of damp bunting being strung, … feel sorry for them.

I was introduced to some new parks and green spaces in Peckham that I didn’t know - nice and open, but not that exciting. The return journey took me though some pleasant Victorian residential streets both in SE15 and SE23.

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I thought I might also re-share the route I did last weekend which in many ways is more pleasant, though I need to work on the return route.

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I love a good walk from time to time. Earlier this year I was doing silly amounts of walking, so woukd be fun to join others on a long walk for sure.

I shall keep my eyes open for more news.

I’d love to hear about the open spaces you find tucked away as I’m always looking for new places to walk the dog. When he gets a bit older, I’d definitely be up for doing longer walks, if you don’t mind canine accompaniment. We may have crossed paths in Crystal Palace last week.

I’m also a devotee of Pilates for health reasons. Extraordinarily powerful, if you’re doing it right. If you’re not, it’s just a lie down.

I must say I have wavered with interest over pilates, but am becoming more and more attracted to it these days.
Maybe if I get a chance I can learn a little more about it from someone.

One of my favourite bits of the long walk is the route through Beckenham Place Park (and Golf Course). I’m very sad that the course is to be closed and the the Park “renovated”

Have you been through there?

I used to live locally to there, but must confess to having never been through the whole park.
Lovely hidden wilderness though.

Beckenham Place Park is our absolute favourite for dog walking. The mixture of woods and meadows gives plenty of variety and there are hills to get the heart rate going.

It IS underused and I understand Lewisham’s thinking, but I like it the way it is!

@anon64893700 Pilates is transformational if you’re doing it right. You need to be able to visualise and activate the muscles that lie beneath the ones you can see. I think the very best way (though most expensive) is to start in a reformer (machine) studio with a trainer. The reformer machines train you to do it right. Then you can do it yourself or in a class.

I’ve started a separate conversation to discuss Pilates so as not to confuse the topics, but am keen to talk about it as I would like to find others to consider doing joint classes.

As for the walking, I’ve started exploring the Green Chain Walk in the first instance as it links many interesting places and it makes navigation easy. Since I’m trying to keep a steady (fast-ish) pace of 15 minute miles it helps not to have to look at maps as I go.

I’ll have a think about writing up any new places I find - I will consider adding these to my blog … which should be revived, over at http://se23streets.blogspot.com

My hubby is a keen runner.
When he was training for his marathons the long runs from home would take him to the Thames and back. For an even longer run there was a longer stretch by the river.
My experience of walking for fitness was in short bursts few times a day. I was always setting from home 5 min later and therefore had to walk a 20 min walk in 15. Easiest exercise I ever did.

I run a lot locally and I love all our green spaces. I do some routes that link our local parks. Often a lap of the park can ‘bump’ up the distance really easily. A lap of Dulwich Park is 1 mile etc.
I often run between Peckham Rye Park and Dulwich Park. Mayow Park is lovely too. I also like the route from the Sainsburys at Bell Green, all the way along the canal to Catford and then through Ladywell Fields. You could add Hillyfilelds if you were feeling energetic. Just also discovered Nunhead Cemetery.
I love the book http://www.runnersguidetolondon.co.uk/ for ideas for routes.

I’m on maternity leave and spend at least one day a week doing a massive walk in the local area. This week I discovered the waterlink way as mentioned above from behind bell green sainsburys to catford. Wow. It felt like proper countryside (apart from a shopping trolley in river pool) and I saw one other person the whole way. Freaked me out a bit!

(full route Honor oak > forest hill > sydenham wells park > baby sensory class in Jews walk > Mayow park > shopping in sainsburys > waterlink way to catford > south circ > lunch in railway telegraph and nimble tots > HOnor oak > Crofton park > snack in Fred’s > home).

This just popped up on Twitter - looks like a useful site full of information for walkers: