Читать книгу Walking in London. Park, heath and waterside - 25 walks in London's green spaces онлайн

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Perhaps surprisingly, London is far more accommodating to wanders off of rights of way than many other areas. After all, most of London’s parks and commons were safeguarded precisely because city dwellers were to be encouraged into the great outdoors, and are open to the walker, criss-crossed by a multitude of informal paths. Discretion should be used however – if there’s a perfectly serviceable path going in your direction, use it, rather than cause erosion elsewhere, and certainly don’t push your way through thickets and bushes just because you think you can.

In farmland, respect the rights of way. Even here there is often a give-and-take between locals and the farmer, and once or twice the walks in this book use a farmland path which is respected in custom and practice. You will also come across a few ‘right to roam’ areas, shown by a brown logo of a walker traversing rolling countryside, but these are not frequent in London.

What to take

Good walking shoes or trainers will be perfectly adequate for these walks, except perhaps in winter or after wet weather on the more rural walks that traverse farmland or wood, when proper walking boots will be better. The shorter walks need almost nothing in the way of specialist clothing, but if you’re out for a long half-day or more, look for a wicking top, trousers (if not shorts) that will dry easily (so not jeans or cords), and something warm to pull on when you stop. If there is any doubt in the forecast at all, take a windproof and/or waterproof layer, preferably breathable. But on most of these walks, you are only a few minutes from a station or bus stop, or pub or café, to take respite from the weather.