A few of you have been asking where I'll be walking next week. The walk is a National Trail known as the Ridgeway.
It's said that it's the oldest road in Britain, having been walked by traders and travellers for over 5000 years. I will be posting my journal of the walk probably after I've completed it.
I have been feeling rough this week as I picked up a virus from the grandkids and so haven't been out walking so as it was a reasonable day today ( well it didn't rain!) I decided to go for an easy walk. I started in St James's Park then continued through some of the other London parks.
St James's Park has numerous flower beds as well as a large lake.
At the other side of the park is Wellington barracks and I could hear the band playing so I wandered over to have a look.
When I got there the band were playing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem so I assume they are rehearsing for a State visit.
The French guards were being put through their paces. I had to feel sorry for them as the British guards are drilled to within an inch of their lives and are accurate to the centimetre when marching.
Couldn't quite get all their arms in synch.
I left the marching guards and went into Green Park. This is the smallest of the eight Royal parks and is the link between St James's Park and Hyde Park. There are no formal flower beds here. It is said that Queen Catherine, wife of Charles II was so angry to discover that her husband had been picking flowers in the park for another woman that she had all the flowers removed.
I then crossed Hyde Park Corner and entered Hyde Park. A very popular park for cyclist and runners but stepping away from the main paths it is usually quiet.
The flower beds were stunning and numerous.
The Serpentine lake in the middle of the park. There is also a lido here and boats for you to rent. Close by is the Serpentine Gallery. It is a small free art gallery so I went in for a quick look at the exhibition. I was so glad I did as it was excellent. It was called Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive by Refik Anadol
This is Anadol's first major institutional solo exhibition in the UK. It is described as 'an immersive environment that utilises years-long experimentation with visual data of coral reefs and rainforests and showcases the creative potential of AI.'
It is difficult to show how impressive it is from photos. I did take a video but it wouldn't download. I'm sure if you would like to see more it will be on youtube somewhere.
One section of the gallery had large cushions/bean bags on the floor for you to lie on and watch the video on the ceiling. I could have stayed there for hours.
I left Hyde Park to continue my walk in Kensington Gardens, home to Kensington Palace. This art installation by Henry Moore has the Palace at its centre.
There are some wilder parts in this park as well as the formal gardens.
This is the Italian Garden. Today it was home to numerous artists who were competing in some competition. From what I could see, the standard looked very high.
I walked back through Hyde Park and then Mayfair.
I finished my 7 ml walk in Trafalgar Square which was hosting the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi. There was free food and Indian tea, demonstrations of martial arts and how to put on a turban.
My walk through some of London parks today turned out to be a great day with lots of things happening and at the end of the day it was all free.