We only went for a walk and . . .!

During the summer, we walked early in the morning to avoid the heat, now in autumn we went close to the end of the day to see what the light levels were like just before dark and if they were any good for photography. Sadly, we went on a dull evening and the light levels were gloomy with grey clouds but it was not a ‘dull’ walk. We noticed the water levels were still very low and the waterfall was just a trickle. We saw the swan sanctuary vehicle being guided in by the park staff – to see some swans.

We also came across a professional photographer working on a project to help people’s emotional moods. Having a bank of happy photographs helps people remember the good days when they are having a low mood day. Apparently, photographs taken in a place you really like and spend a lot of time in helps you remember the past and people who have passed on, especially if your memory is not as good as it once was. We really like that project and as we reflected upon all our monthly photographs taken over the course of this year on our Walks for Friendship we certainly felt a whole lot better. We would like to say a huge thank you to the people involved for allowing us to take a photograph of them doing their thing at Virginia Water.

Finally, we have talked about the need for the Walking for Friendship walks. They have served their purpose and are really not needed any more for this group of friends. So, what’s next? – well we liked the walking and the talking - we are going to see the year out at Virginia Water. In 2019, we are planning to walk the River Thames, all 184 miles of it. We have broken it down into 15 sections and we will walk the river over the course of the year (check out the calendar and upcoming events section of our website). Everyone is welcome to join us - parents, grandparents and siblings. However, in order to do this, you need to be fit enough to do the distances.

Some of you chaps thought you were fit enough to do a 43-mile bike ride this summer without putting any effort into the training and learnt the hard way how wrong you were! So, on our walk we worked out some guide lines for training for Walking the River Thames. The shortest walk is about the same distances as twice around the lake at Virginia Water, most walks are about three times around the lake and one is almost four times around the lake. We are starting the training this month aiming for one and a half hours around the lake. Then in November we are working towards 3 hours around the lake twice. By Christmas we should be fit enough to do 3 times around the lake in 4.5 hours. Why not join us!