Urban Strolls...

As someone who has spent their entire life living in the countryside I have always loved country villages and towns and have always shied away from urban areas but in recent years as I have been working in London more and more and I have discovered a new love for urban areas and their hidden secrets. I have discovered that even in central London you can find small oases of tranquility and greenery and that you needn't leave a town to watch Herons collecting nesting materials and listen to nothing more than running water!

A Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) fishing in Central London.

There is nothing more beautiful than walking along the River Thames as it bends around Richmond-Upon-Thames and Kew Gardens or back towards Hampton Court... you can be in the middle of Kingston and never even notice it! With such a vast amount of green areas within the reach of an Oyster Card there is no excuse now for anyone not to get out and enjoy nature!

The view down towards the Thames from Richmond Hill.

This beautiful Fungi was spied beside Old Deer Park.

A while ago myself and some friends got involved in a Facebook challenge where we challenged friends to take a photo of nature everyday for a week. By far the most interesting results were the photos taken by friends that were living and commuting in city's... something as simple as a yellow Dandelion poking up through a pavement or Pigeons stuffing their faces underneath a park bench really show the pervasive power of nature. 

The other fantastic aspect of urban walks is the plethora of different things to see and do... on a country walk you are often captive to the landscape and can go all day without seeing another soul; with an urban walk you do not have this luxury but what you see is interesting and often entertaining as well. The history is far more accessible in a city: you can walk along the Embankment and see the 'Town of Ramsgate' Pub where Judge Jeffreys was finally apprehended or look across at the Tower of London or stand at the site of the original Globe Theatre (or at least have a photo in front of the replica). You could walk down to Borough Markets for lunch and have Egyptian or Italian food or even have a pub meal looking out over the river! There is so much variety and option when it comes to a city walk, you can make it as long or short as you like; it could fill a lunch break or an entire day.

Looking across the Millennium Bridge towards Sir Christopher Wren's magnificent St Paul's Cathedral.

The iconic Tower Bridge with the Shard and Crash Helmet behind it.

London is perhaps the most appropriate urban space to use as an example although most cities are interesting to walk around. None more so than the university city of Oxford. The city of Oxford is a perfect place for city walking as it has beautiful green spaces such as Christchurch Meadow, the University Parks and the Botanical Gardens and has a visible history stretching back to the Romans. There is also the draw of the 38 colleges that make up Oxford University; you can discover the history of Charles Dodgson and Alice at Christchurch College or look out over James Gibbs' Radcliffe Camera from the terrace of the Exeter College Gardens. You could even go and search for the Turf Tavern, which has been a popular pub with students for hundreds of years, including several Prime Ministers, and is also where President Clinton famously 'did not inhale'.

The view of the Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College from the gardens of Exeter College.

Looking across the Botanical Gardens towards the tower of Magdalen College from Christchurch Meadow.

Another city, which has a beautiful rural feel to it, and is often voted Europe's greenest city, is the UNESCO World Heritage City of Bath. The gardens and Royal Victoria Park in Bath are spectacular but Bath also boasts some of the most intact Regency Era buildings in the United Kingdom. Although it is a city of 90,000 people and boasts two universities, everywhere you go within the city makes you feel as if you are in a much smaller town and is perfect for a relaxing walk or weekend.

Looking towards Bath Abbey.

Blossom in Royal Victoria Park.

The Royal Crescent is one of the best examples of Regency Architecture in the country.

Pultney Bridge was built over the River Avon to connect Bathampton and Bath during Georgian times. It was a novelty as it has shops spanning the entire length of the bridge and it remains one of the most iconic images of Bath.

This goes to show that you do not need to travel far to enjoy nature and even enjoy a long walk; you can even walk from the door. Many tourists see cities as an unloading point before traveling outside to more rural locations but if you actually stop, look and absorb you find that city walking can be just as rewarding and beautiful as country walking and you are only ever five minutes away from a decent coffee or pint of beer...