The horrors of the last eighteen months have been plentiful but the pandemic and resulting lockdowns, as tiresome and painful as they’ve been, have not been without silver linings. Locally, one of those silver linings has been the emergence of Walk Tonbridge.
James Pavlou created the group at the beginning of the initial March 2020 lockdown when leaving the house for one’s ‘daily exercise’ was the only legal way of doing so, other than queuing for a few hours outside the supermarkets to compete for toilet roll. James used the group as a blog, where he wrote wonderfully informing and guiding posts visitors to the page through terrific Tonbridge walks. Now, though, James admits “as Walk Tonbridge has evolved, my role has morphed into that of an event organiser and a cheerleader for Tonbridge”.
We’re so blessed to live in a place surrounded by countryside, aren’t we? Do you feel people have started to appreciate the beauty we have locally a little more since the pandemic and the lockdowns?
Absolutely! The lockdowns presented the perfect opportunity for many people to explore what’s on their doorstep and reconnect with the landscape around them. Having time to indulge in long country walks meant that many of us could get up close and personal with the countryside and appreciate the subtleties of nature.
Would you mind telling our readers about your mid-September marathon?
We recently held the Walk Tonbridge Festival, a two week long celebration of walking, community and countryside. On Sunday 19th September I was event-managing the Walk Tonbridge Marathon – a 26.2 mile sponsored walk around Tonbridge, supported by Cooper Burnett Solicitors. We had 17 walkers taking part, each raising money for our festival charity, Sustain – a local food bank. In addition to the marathon, the festival included a packed programme of events including guided walks, a local drinks festival, a family fun day and The Tonbridge Art Trail.
Why should readers get involved with Walk Tonbridge?
We have 22 beautiful walks on our website, many of which feature a brilliant pub en-route! The walks range from 1.7 to 8 miles, offering something for all ages and abilities.
Each walk is accompanied by a blog that explores the people, places and nature en-route, so the reader can discover the history behind them and learn more about the landscape they are travelling through.
Autumn is the walkers’ season, there’s no time better for a stroll is there?
There is something undeniably irresistible about an Autumnal wander. Crunchy leaves underfoot, blazing colours and magical fungi are just some of the highlights – not to forget snuggling up next to a toasty pub fire at the end of your walk!
How long have you lived in Tonbridge and what makes it such a special community to be a part of?
I grew up near Tonbridge, before spending my twenties living in Tunbridge Wells. I returned 11 years ago and love it more than ever. Tonbridge has an incredible community spirit that makes it feel like a big friendly village at times. Tonbridgians are very proud of their town and embrace every opportunity to celebrate it.
Walk Tonbridge is a not for profit site and is funded solely by the sale of our beautiful greetings cards and badges. We would welcome your support to help us keep the website free for all so that everyone can enjoy our countryside.