We all know how easy it is to sign up for a crazy challenge down the pub or when you are feeling particularly adventurous. Most of the time though the training required comes as an afterthought!
When a team of us from Head Office decided to take on the National 3 Peaks Challenge (climbing the highest mountains in Scotland (Ben Nevis), England (Scafell Pike) and Wales (Snowdon) in 24 hours) living in London with zero mountains in the vicinity didn’t even cross our minds!
So we came up with a few training walks to prepare us as much as possible without actually climbing any. Here’s a few our tips for training spots in London…
Thames Path
The full Thames Path is 184 miles, running along the Thames from the Cotswolds into central London and offers plenty of unexpectedly scenic walks. Obviously doing the full thing is not option, but you can join at any point along the trail very easily and follow signs to keep you right.
We did our longest training walk on the Thames Path starting at Blackfriars Bridge along to Richmond which was around 18 miles. We also did some other shorter walks joining at various points. The options are endless; the national trail website has a very handy route planner so you can calculate the distance before you go.
The 3 Peaks Challenge involves walking 24 miles (although up and down mountains) so getting some distance in and building stamina is invaluable. It is also a good idea to wear your walking boots and get used to wearing them for long periods of walking.
For our 18 mile walk we started at 9am on a Saturday, but even then the area around the London Eye was really busy and was quite stop and start. We’d recommend trying to start even earlier from that area. We finished around 3ish and were sitting in a pub in Richmond about half past! We also stopped for packed lunches…don’t forget to bring your sandwiches!
Distance: Varied, can choose long or short route
Difficulty Rating: No hills, so very easy but if you try a longer walk then it should take its toll on the thighs!
Scenery: Surprisingly nice views at various points, lots of lovey little towns and very green in places.
Box Hill, Surrey
To get a bit of incline training, we took a trip out a little further to Box Hill in Surrey. It’s only 50 minutes on the train from Victoria, but you instantly feel like you are out in the countryside when you arrive.
We chose the 17km Box Hill Hike following National Trust arrows. It’s a good idea to also grab a map from the visitor centre at the top if you don’t already have one. Also find directions to the starting point of the walk before you go as when you arrive by train it is not immediately obvious!
There a good couple of steep hills to tackle on the route and it is advisable to bring your walking poles for a helping hand, after rain it gets a bit slippy and we did have a few falls. It is a lovely walk, very scenic with stunning views.
We also added an extra hill in at the end, just going down to the bottom and back up one more time before heading to Dorking for a beverage. It took us around 4 hours to complete but with a necessary packed lunch break.
Distance: Box Hill Hike route is 16.5km
Difficulty Rating: Steep at parts but not too taxing
Scenery: Gorgeous setting, great view from the top with lots of pretty stone stairs and the stepping stones across the river at the end- lovely!
Hampstead Heath
For central London walks when you don’t have time to travel very far i.e. after work, there are a few options with the various parks and heaths. We chose Hampstead Heath on a very sunny evening and did a shorter walk (approx. 1.5 hours) to try and get a few hills in.
There are various routes to take, we went to Hampstead Heath station and walked around the heath before heading to Finsbury Park on the old railway line on the Parkland Walk. This roughly worked out as 10km all in.
This was perfect for a quick after work jaunt with some nice greenery in the centre of London and only took around 1 hour 40 minutes.
Distance: approx. 10km
Difficulty Rating: A couple of small hills but not tough
Scenery: Several ponds with ducks and a nice view over London from the top of the heath
Walk Home
As well as planned routes for the group, walking to and from work is another way to build your walking fitness. The more you walk the better prepared you’ll be!
As well as walking, working on your cardio, core and strength is also very important to improve your general fitness and will help you on the day.
