UK Lockdown 2.0 — A Walk a Day: Fulltime Summary

Hello again, my fellow travellers and lockdown walkers! We finally made it, UK lockdown 2.0 done, 28 daily walks in the bag, and lots of pictures and insights to show for it. So, what did we learn this time around? Let’s have a look!

Nonsuch Fact Finding Mission

One of my avid readers asked me why Nonsuch Park is called ‘Nonsuch’, wherefore I spent quite a few of my walks in that area to hunt down some info boards and find you an answer to that question. Thanks, Dave, for your curiosity, always appreciated! If you also have a burning question, a fact to share, or any recommendations and requests regarding what to cover next, comment below or drop me a message via my contact form — I look forward to hearing from you!

So, Nonsuch Park, what’s your secret? Believe it or not, it actually goes back to good ‘ole Henry VIII, you know, the one who had a rather loose perception of marriage, or simply couldn’t get enough of it. Either way, he also fancied a grand palace (to fit his ego) which he started building in 1538. It was supposed to become the finest palace in the world — ‘none such’ that could be found anywhere else. The palace was never finished and whatever had been erected before Henry lost interest — story of his life — was taken apart throughout the years leaving its surrounding park behind which carries on the name, tadaaa.

As that was too easy of an explanation, I thought I throw in a few more facts for the history buffs out there, who might also like to know what happened to the palace itself and Henry’s ambitions, whereby the latter might not be as surprising given his rather busy or shall we say ‘engaging’ life?!

Truth be told, it wasn’t the lack of interest but rather death interfering with his plans. As some of you know, Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 until 1547, the year he died. Before that though, he acquired the village of Cuddington, demolished all buildings, and started constructing his new palace, which was bound to become the first great Renaissance building in England.

Its dimensions were incredible, especially if you are familiar with the area. It covered Worcester Park, which ran from London Road towards Malden Church, plus Nonsuch and Cheam Park, two separate areas today which are equally gorgeous. In fact, I often think of Cheam Park as a prelude to Nonsuch giving you a taste of what’s about to come. At least that’s what it felt like when I first discovered the area. Imagining all of this to be one estate is rather mind-boggling.

Not for Henry though, his palace was made up of an Inner and Outer Court, the latter you’d enter via an avenue of walnut trees all the way from London Road, passing by kitchens, gardens and a maze — a must for a great mansion I would say, shame that one didn’t survive. In addition to such aMazing greenery, the palace also featured a Privy Garden beneath the South front decorated with statues, fountains and knot work flower beds, something that’s still maintained today, even if on a smaller scale, along with a lovely walkway that offers a rather romantic backdrop if you solotravel less these days and have a companion on your side.

Even if solo, it’s still an enjoyable view and if you have a closer look, you’ll spot little golden insignia hidden between the twigs and petals around you, heartfelt mementoes dedicated to locals who loved this park and visited regularly. It adds a humbling human element to the already quite impressive nature that surrounds you — a nice touch which you will find throughout the whole park as some people also commissioned wooden benches to be made for their loved ones. They might no longer be able to walk the grounds, but shall always remain a part of the park.

And speaking of human element, towards Ewell, the palace park featured fruit and forest trees, alleys that were boarded up to create tennis courts, and a Banqueting House for outdoor meals and entertainments — things we probably all miss terribly these days. But we shall get there again, and when we do, we’ll appreciate and enjoy every social moment more than ever. Stay strong guys, consider it nature’s reset for us, and keep walking! 🙂

Also, if it makes you feel better, it actually never came to the grand festivities Henry had in mind, rather the opposite. Nonsuch Palace was passed around quite frequently throughout the years, whereby debts appear to have played a big part in its ever-changing ownership. It even turned out to be its downfall once it reached Charles II who passed on the palace to his mistress, Lady Castlemaine — a lovely lady with a gambling habit forcing her to dismantle the palace and sell on the building materials to stay afloat.

Not quite the glamorous ending its creator had in mind I’m sure but at least it was used as royal hunting grounds by Elizabeth I at some point. And even though Lady Castlemaine might have destroyed Sutton’s greatest landmark, besides the Winning Post of course, she also contributed to the stock of national treasures and left behind quite an impressive line of descendants including Lady Diana, Bertrand Russell, the Mitford sisters, Anthony Eden and Sarah, the Duchess of York. Who asked again if ‘anything interesting EVER Happened in Sutton’? Rock’n’roll and real royalty, what more can you want? 

If I managed to pique your interest, you now have a destination for your next walk which will lead you passed this slightly weathered info board providing a bit more detail. As mentioned before, it was quite a mission to find that board which is rather ironic as I kept running into them all the time but once you’re actually looking, none of them wanted to be found. Murphy’s law at its best.

Even better yet, once I did find it and had a read, a queue started forming behind me. I swear, nobody paid attention before, probably one of the reasons why I kept missing it. But as soon as I had a closer look, I felt impatient eyes burning holes into my back. In order to clear the view quicker than anticipated, I took a picture to read the rest at home. Annoying at the time but rather convenient now as I get to share it — you’re welcome.

I would still encourage you to check out the park for yourself though as it’s rather special, not just from a historical point of you. Its vastness leaves quite an impression and does help re-shifting your thoughts, especially on days when you just can’t stop them from going round, round, up and down that pandemic rollercoaster. Days when all you need is a bit of ‘awe’, and I don’t mean the noise we make when seeing a puppy, although the calming effect might be comparable.

The Awe of Nature — There Is Such Thing?!

“In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity… which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, — my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into the infinite space, — all mean egotism vanishes.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Have you ever noticed when coming back from a long walk, hike, jog or anything else that gets you out and about, problems seem much smaller than they were before? It appears that out in nature, our sense of self fades and egoistic feelings of everyday life fall away, as Emerson put it when describing the human emotion of ‘Awe’ — a concept I came across when taking advantage of my library’s online offer during lockdown 1.0.

I came across a whole array of lectures on Mindfulness, something that’s been overused and under-practiced one might say, especially when looking back to the early weeks of our current situation. While it’s often linked to practices such as yoga and meditation, there’s actually much more to it.

Being a lover of the outdoors, a lecture by Dr. Dacher Keltner caught my attention as he was talking about awe-inspiring experiences challenging our understanding of the world. More specifically, he talked about a study that asked people to draw a picture of themselves in their current environment. The study was facilitated in two different locations, one being Fisherman’s Bay in San Francisco, and the other, Sierra Nevada’s Yosemite Park. When comparing both images, the ratio of people to environment offered quite an insight. Fisherman’s Bay merely served as a backdrop whereas Yosemite took centre stage with its visitors rather interrupting than dominating the picture.

“Awe quiets the voice of self-interest and turns up the volume on others, …it renders the sense of self small, and makes us more aware of our social connection,” Dr. Keltner pointed out. While nature is a great catalyst for such realisations, it’s worth noting that awe-inspiring experiences can come in many forms and places.

Spirituality is probably the first one to come to mind but people’s kindness and heroism can render similar effects which I’m sure many of us have experienced throughout these testing times strengthening our sense of community. We started paying more attention to each other and once such caring behaviour unexpectedly comes back to you when you most need it, words can hardly explain the rush of emotions taking over — luckily, we have one now: Awe.

Some of you might chuckle when I keep going on about my geocache findings (and yes, I went on another hunt last Sunday), especially as I brought it up in a child-like context, but looking at it from the perspective of sporting communities and collective rituals, things that are bigger than yourself, I’d dare adding it to the ‘awe’-full list. 😉

But there is more — art, music, architecture, you take your pick. Find something that leaves you at a loss for words and brings you back to what truly matters. Reap the benefits of our awe-inspiring world which not only lead to greater humility but reduce stress at the same time. In fact, awe expands our sense of time, it reduces the activation of the default-mode network in our brain. It stops us in our tracks, and transforms us from merely functioning to truly living beings.

On top of that, it also lowers stress-related inflammation. It basically keeps us young! If that doesn’t make you want to pack your bags and get out wild camping, I don’t know what will?! But jokes aside, relating such concept to my outdoor adventure, greater humility, expanded sense of time and social connection are probably things I would have highlighted without even knowing.

Having had a full weekend of such rejuvenating remedies, the effects on body and brain could not be denied, whereby the latter took on an affinity for nature jokes — something not every outdoor enthusiast seems to appreciate but I’m sure Emerson would not have minded. After all, he declared that “[t]he lover of nature is [s]he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of [wo]manhood.” 

If meandering theory and clever quotes could not convince you, maybe a tune from the late 70s will get you there while offering some background music to my final lockdown thoughts and discoveries. If Crosby followed me around Tromsø, the Nick Straker Band definitely provided the soundtrack for lockdown 2.0, continuously sending me out there, “to get some sense back into my head”: 

Ravens, Swans and Other Airy Topics

As I was following such theoretical and musical advice, I noticed another melody taking over my lockdown walks lately. Although melody is probably a bit of a stretch when talking about this less colourful bird that reminded me of another factual stroll around Nonsuch. Funnily enough, this fact also came from lovely Sylvie who already enlightened us about Surrey’s parakeets. Given my travel story about Shetland, one can probably see now why we are friends, sharing an interest in feathery creatures, or is it more their gift for flight that fascinates us, gypsy souls and all? Food for thought I shall say.

But back to the fact I learned that day which coincidently links perfectly to Nonsuch Park’s history. Have you heard of the royal tradition to keep ravens with clipped wings in the Tower of London due to the superstition that if they’d leave, the Crown will fall and Britain with it? Yes, you are right, the Tower of London was another one of Henry’s playgrounds, the place where he discarded toys he no longer wanted. But even better yet, when I looked up who introduced such tradition, all sources pointed to King Charles II, whose mistress gambled away Henry’s palace back in the day.

As I passed on such snippet of wisdom the other day, my less impressed walking companion countered my historical fact with current legislation outlining that all swans are owned by the queen. That’s right, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II owns all unmarked mute swans swimming in open waters throughout England. Introduced in the 12th century, the law was supposed to take swans off the menu at banquets and feasts. Taste palettes changed but the law is still in place putting swans under protection of the Crown, potentially explaining their attitude when being fed with breadcrumbs.

And to keep the random trivia going, shall we address the fun topic of names for groups of animals? Many of us have heard of a ‘murder of crows,’ but did you know that a group of ravens is called an ‘unkindness’, something that matches their dubious reputation one might say. The next one I did not encounter during my walks, not in the shape of an animal at least, but have you heard of an ‘asylum’ of cuckoos? And to return to royalty, how about a ‘bevy’ of swans?

So, it’s official, the queen loves a bevy, and so do we! Especially during this time of the year leading me to my last lockdown epiphany and very own tradition — one that does not involve birds, don’t you worry, but wine, chocolate and Christmas lights.

Jolly Walks and Silly Talks — Which One Would You Rather?

While digging through old pictures and reminiscing about past adventures, I noticed that this will be my very first year without Christmas markets, a family tradition we never skipped, not even when I lived on the other side of the world. In addition to wine-infused market visits, we also always made a point of strolling through the village and scoring people’s decorations on display. Before you ask, no, the scoring did not result in dance-off situations, a great idea though, maybe we should introduce that next year?! The ranking was pure family amusement often leading to interesting conversations involving small town gossip — what better entertainment can you get these days?

Not wanting to break with tradition, I armed myself with a mulled wine-filled flask, some gingerbread-flavoured chocolate, and a walking companion the other night who happily joined me in judging the neighbours, their decorations I mean. Here some of our favourites:

We did have to cover quite some distance to find a few good ones. I think some people are still setting up, or my neighbourhood is grumpier than I thought. Either way, the Christmas twist to our walk kept us going — it’s all about the little things in life sometimes — and so did a silly game I remembered from my office days when light-hearted material for discussion was needed to get you through. Lockdown might have come to an end but social interactions are still down to tiers, so I thought I share this one which might help spice up conversation, offer some welcome distraction and hopefully lift the spirits in one way or another, mulled wine or not.

The name of the game? Would you rather…?! As in, would you rather be a swan protected by the Crown or a raven that could bring down the whole kingdom? Or, to come full circle, would you rather be one of Henry VIII’s wives or remain one of his mistresses and never marry?

Concluding Words and Deliberations

Well, as I like my head where it is, I’d choose the latter if I’d had to, but play along, what would you choose? And most importantly (to finally wrap up this post), what did YOU discover during your last two weeks of lockdown?

Comment below or send me a message, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up. What did you learn, what did you find, and did you try any of my suggestions? Let’s keep walking and talking, be it out in nature or any other awe-inspiring environment that helps you rejig your thoughts and appreciate the benefits of these travel-less times. Let’s embrace the surprises our neighbourhoods still have to offer, especially during the festive season, and the sense of community that’s stronger than ever.

Would you rather solo-travel? I’d say, let’s get through this together. Let’s solotravel less! 🌍🏔🏕🎒🙋‍♀️

Would You Rather (Have a) Bonus

As Albert Camus once said, “life is a sum of all your choices,” so here a few more to ponder upon: Would you rather…

• be able to talk with your pets, or read people’s minds?
• lose the ability to lie, or have to believe everything you hear?
• be able to teleport anywhere instantly, or rewind time?
• have a car that could fly, or a car that could turn into a submarine?
• swim along with sharks, or have to grab a rhino’s tail?
• have to eat an insect every day, or eat roadkill once?
• try to survive on a desert island for one week, or on a snow-covered mountain peak for one night?

Still keen for more? Check out Joe Shooman’s book Would You Rather? which I randomly picked up at Asda the other day — you never know what you find out there, just keep looking and pondering…