The other day I needed to go to London for a work event. I had originally planned on going by train and tube and to be honest I’m not entirely sure why this was my plan. While I think the underground is a great system and a clever way of transporting people around I generally try and avoid it as much as possible. Far too many people for my liking! However on this occassion I had followed the venue’s advice on the quickest way to get there. Perhaps it was because it was an evening event that I fell in to the trap of believing that speed was of the essence.
I was feeling a little apprehensive about the trip, not the event itself but the travelling, mainly because our train service is so unreliable these days and so while in theory I wouldn’t be back too late, there wasn’t much wiggle room for any unexepcted delays. When planning what time train to get I could either get one that got me there on-time or one that was about 30 or 40 minutes early. So given the unreliability of the service I thoght it would be safer to opt for the earlier one, thinking I could take a walk around the area to kill time if the train was miraculously on time.
Then I had my penny-dropping moment. Why was I planning on getting the train and the tube when the venue was only a couple of tube stops away from the mainline train station. If it’s only two stops away then that means it’s a walkable distance. This is what I usually do so why not this time? As we gradually step away from winter the sunsets are getting later which meant it would still be light, or at least twilight, when I left the train station and while I don’t know London that well this was an area of the city that I was familiar with. Plus if the train was delayed I could still fall back to my original plan of hopping on a tube.
Funnily enough just making the decision to include a walk had an instant calming effect, or even a soothing one. I felt even better once I realised that the walk would include a brief stroll through Green Park. I love the fact that the parks are known as “the lungs of London”, I’m not sure who said that originally but it was my Grandad who told me and so in my mind it will always be him that said it. They do provide a respite from the hustle and bustle of city life and trees are always a welcome sight.
Well luckily for me the trains were on time for once and so I had plenty of time to walk from the station to the venue. Google estimated it would take 40 minutes, I had between 45 minutes to an hour so plenty of time even if I did take a wrong turn. However I’ve noticed that walking through the city is different from suburban or country walks. There is something about the buzz and the energy of the capital that makes you want to match its pace. I found myself zooming along, my boots were marching me through the streets as if this is what I did everyday. No doubts, no quandries just march, march, march.
I started to wonder if perhaps I should walk back as well but after the event, I was tired, it was colder and I had a chance to catch an earlier train than expected so I happily hopped on to the tube. However I was glad that I was able to get that pre-event walk in, it meant I got to actually see a small slice of London rather than just train & tube. It also gave me time to get my head into the game before arriving at the event.
The evening was a useful reminder that speed is not always of the essence and that sometimes it’s best to take the slow way – better for us and ultimately better for the planet.
That’s how I stroll.
Soothing Strolls 
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