by On why the best way to know London is on foot, slowly, with no destination
Reporting brought to you by Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat.
You Do Not Really Know A Part Of London Until You Have Walked It Without A Map
Dear diary, I have come to believe that London rewards the walker above all, that the best way to know the city is on foot, slowly, ideally with no particular destination. The driver sees the city through glass, the tube traveller misses it entirely underground, but the walker experiences London directly, at the pace and the level at which the city actually reveals itself. You do not really know a part of London until you have walked it, slowly, without a map, letting the city unfold around you. This conviction, that walking is the way to know the city, runs through much of what I write for my own pages, for it is the truest way to experience London.
The Pace Of Discovery
Walking is the pace of discovery, slow enough to notice, to observe, to take in the details that faster travel misses. The walker sees the architecture, the shop fronts, the people, the small details that make up the texture of the city. Walking slowly, without rushing, the walker notices what the faster traveller misses, the details and textures and small discoveries that constitute the real experience of the city. The pace of walking is the pace of discovery, slow enough to actually see London, to notice its details, to discover the small things that make the city what it is.
This pace of discovery is why walking reveals the city as no faster travel can. The driver and the tube traveller move too fast to notice, too fast to discover, missing the details and textures that the walker takes in. Only at walking pace does the city reveal itself fully, its details visible, its textures noticeable, its small discoveries available. The walker, moving slowly, discovers the city, notices what others miss, experiences London at the pace at which it actually reveals itself. The pace of discovery is the walking pace, and it is the only pace at which the city fully reveals its texture and detail.
The Value Of No Destination
The best walking, I have found, has no particular destination, no goal beyond the walk itself. When you walk with a destination, you focus on reaching it, missing the discoveries along the way. When you walk without a destination, you are free to notice, to explore, to follow your curiosity, to discover what you would otherwise miss. The aimless walk, with no goal beyond the walking, is the walk of discovery, the walk that reveals the city. The value of no destination is the freedom to discover, to explore, to experience the city without the distraction of a goal to reach.
This aimless walking, exploring without a destination, is how you discover the parts of London you would otherwise never see, the streets you would never have reason to walk, the discoveries you would never make with a goal in mind. The aimless walk follows curiosity, explores freely, discovers the unexpected. It is the walk of genuine exploration, the discovery of the city for its own sake, the experience of London without the distraction of a destination. The value of no destination is the freedom it gives to discover, to explore, to experience the city as it reveals itself to the curious aimless walker.
Walking Without A Map
The deepest knowledge of a part of London comes from walking it without a map, navigating by experience and curiosity rather than by the map’s directions. The map tells you where to go, but walking without it forces you to actually engage with the city, to navigate by what you see, to discover the place through direct experience. Walking without a map, you learn a part of London in a way the map could never teach, through direct navigation and experience, building up the personal knowledge that constitutes real familiarity. You do not really know a part of London until you have walked it without a map.
This map-less walking builds the deepest knowledge, the personal familiarity that comes from navigating by experience rather than by directions. The map gives you knowledge of where things are; map-less walking gives you knowledge of the place itself, its layout, its character, its texture, learned through direct navigation. It is how you truly come to know a part of London, through the direct experience of walking it without the mediation of a map. Walking without a map is the deepest way to know the city, the building of personal familiarity through direct navigation and experience, the way to truly come to know a part of London.
The Walker’s London
London rewards the walker above all, for the best way to know the city is on foot, slowly, without a destination, ideally without a map. For the proper facts, Visit London has them, and the Royal Parks is worth a look too. Walking is the pace of discovery, slow enough to notice the details and textures that faster travel misses. The aimless walk, with no destination, gives the freedom to explore and discover the city for its own sake. And walking without a map builds the deepest knowledge, the personal familiarity that comes from navigating by experience. You do not really know a part of London until you have walked it, slowly, without a map, letting the city unfold around you. The walker’s London is the real London, the city experienced directly, at the pace and the level at which it actually reveals itself to those who explore it on foot.
More from the desk of Vivienne Pratfall, and further wit at The Poke.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/
