Walk from Kew Gardens to Putney

A glorious warm September day to walk a section of the Thames Path, choosing the South side of the River, from Kew Bridge to Hammersmith Bridge, one of the greenest and most beautiful lengths of the Thames Path.  The path is flanked on both sides by trees and bushes that form a canopy overhead in some places which was shot through with dappled sunlight.   A great way to get to know each other better and get some exercise too.  We clambered up to Joseph Bazalgette’s magnificent iron Bridge at Hammersmith and had lunch at Bill’s.  17,000 steps. 5 miles. 606 calories burnt!

Written by Rebecca

Footprints of London: Suffragette City. Walk led by Oonagh Gay

To mark the 100 year anniversary of some women getting the vote, we have had a very special walking tour meeting; this also gave us a chance to enjoy the sunny weather. We had a very pleasant walk around the central London Suffragette sites. We saw the outside of their headquarters in Holborn and the site of the Endell Street Military Hospital which was run by Suffragette members, as well as many other sites. An interesting observation that we made is that window smashing is apparently much harder than you might think, the Suffragettes had evening classes in order to learn how to do it effectively!

Woman and her Sphere, Elizabeth Crawford – lots of individual stories
http://womanandhersphere.com
Link to her books
http://www.thesuffragettes.org/resources/books/
LSE Woman’s Library details
http://digital.library.lse.ac.uk/collections/thewomenslibrary
Fawcett Society
http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk
Muriel Matters  Australian film
http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s3864731.htm
Robert Wainwright biography
https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780733333736/
Dr Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
http://www.egaforwomen.org.uk
Suffragette hospital
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-26393776
http://www.digitaldrama.org/deeds-not-words-history/
Emily Wilding Davison funeral
https://britishpathe.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/emily-davison-killed-by-kings-horse-at-1913-derby/
Huntley film archive The funeral of Emily Wilding Davison from youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpmtl-k9zhs
UK Vote 100 project in Parliament
https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/vote-100/
Schools Education by Parliament
http://www.parliament.uk/education/teaching-resources-lesson-plans/suffragettes-timeline/
Library talks at LSE
http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/suffrage18

Walk from Princes Risborough to Great Missenden

Three of us from NW London WI were joined by two from N1 WI at Marylebone station to catch the train to Princes Risborough as the sun broke through the clouds and we all dusted off our sunglasses.  We had a lovely walk with panoramic views across the Chilterns and through beech woods.   The recent rains had left quite a lot of mud, through which we picked our way.  We stopped at the Gate Inn in Bryants’ Bottom for lunch and were able to sit outside in the sunshine.   After lunch, a couple of steep climbs, another couple of forests and we were back at Great Missenden before 5 for the train home, tired and satisfied after a good day’s walk.

Written by Angela

Practical Woman Workshop

About ten of us had a very enjoyable day courtesy of the Practical Woman team learning how to put up shelves, replace door locks and fix simple plumbing problems.  It was refreshing to be able to wield electrical screwdrivers and spirit levels in a friendly atmosphere.  Best of all were the tips and tricks to demystify the world of plumbing in our homes.  So it was a good use of an otherwise unseasonably snowy day.

Written by Angela

Photos by Jessica Watson and Emma Halford-Busby from the Practical Woman Team.
https://www.practicalwoman.co.uk/

Runnymede to Windsor Walk

A walk which connected two of the most historically significant locations in English history.

Three of us (plus dog) had a glorious sunny day in Windsor Great Park which even included ice creams and a polo match.