It began, as many good things do, with someone saying “we should”. Amelia had mentioned to a few people from her TruFriend circle that she had lived in London for thirty-one years and had never once walked the whole of Hampstead Heath, only the bit near Parliament Hill. Oliver, who had lived in London for eighteen months, admitted he had never been at all. Grace, a quiet architect from Hackney, said she knew a route. So on a cold, bright Saturday in November, six of them met at the foot of Parliament Hill at nine o’clock with flasks of tea and no particular plan beyond walking until someone got hungry.
They walked for three hours. They climbed to the top of the hill and looked at the city laid out below them, from St Paul’s to the towers of Canary Wharf, and argued happily about which building was which. They got slightly lost in the woods near Kenwood and found their way out by following a dog walker who seemed to know where she was going. They sat on the steps of Kenwood House with sandwiches and talked about everything and nothing. By the time they parted, someone had already suggested the next walk, and someone else had created a group chat called simply “Walks”. That was a year ago. The chat has not gone quiet since.
Why walking works
There is a reason so many friendships in London begin on foot. Walking side by side is easier than sitting face to face. Nobody has to fill every silence, and the silences that do come feel natural rather than awkward. The scenery changes, which gives everyone something to talk about. A conversation can drift from a passing heron to a difficult week at work and back again without anyone feeling it has been forced.
Walking is also free, open to almost everyone and easy to repeat. It does not require booking, skill or special equipment beyond decent shoes and a coat. And in London, walking comes with an extraordinary advantage: this is one of the greenest major cities in the world, with thousands of parks, gardens and commons, and long riverside and canal paths that link them together. Wherever you live, there is somewhere good to walk within a short journey.
Hampstead Heath: a wild corner in the north
Hampstead Heath is the place many Londoners think of first, and with good reason. It feels much less like a park than a piece of countryside that the city forgot to build on: long grass, ancient woods, hidden ponds and rolling hills. Parliament Hill gives one of the most famous views of the London skyline, and on a clear morning it is worth the climb just for that.
For a group, the Heath is ideal because it rewards wandering. You can walk for an hour or for half a day, and there is always a new path to try next time. Kenwood House, at the northern edge, is free to visit and makes a natural midpoint. Groups that meet here often settle into a rhythm: the same starting point, a different route each time, and tea at the end.
Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill: the easy classic
If the Heath is wild, Regent’s Park is graceful. Its wide avenues, formal gardens and the Queen Mary’s Rose Garden make it one of the most beautiful parks in the city, and its central position means people from every direction can reach it without too much trouble. That matters a great deal for a group whose members live in different parts of London.
A favourite loop for walking groups is a circuit of the park followed by the short climb up Primrose Hill, just to the north, where the view south over the city is one of the best in London. On a weekday evening in summer, or a crisp weekend morning in winter, it is hard to think of a better hour and a half to spend with a few people you are getting to know. The walk is gentle enough that conversation never runs out of breath.
Richmond Park: room to breathe
Richmond Park, in the far south-west, is the largest of London’s Royal Parks and feels different from all the others. Hundreds of red and fallow deer roam freely across its grassland, ancient oaks stand alone in open fields, and the sky seems bigger than anywhere else in the city. Walking here for an afternoon can feel like a short holiday.
Because it is large and a little further out, Richmond Park suits a longer, more planned outing: a group that meets at the gate, walks a loop of the Tamsin Trail or heads up to King Henry’s Mound for the protected view of St Paul’s, ten miles away. Autumn is a special time, when the deer are at their most dramatic and the trees turn gold. Keep a respectful distance from the animals, especially in the rutting season, and the park gives back a sense of calm that few places in London can match.
The Thames Path: the city as a story
The Thames Path follows the river right through London, and walking it is one of the best ways to understand the city. Each stretch has its own character. Between Westminster and Tower Bridge, along the South Bank, you pass the London Eye, the Southbank Centre, Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe and Borough Market. Further west, between Putney and Hammersmith, the river becomes quieter and greener, with rowing clubs and old riverside villages. To the east, Greenwich offers maritime history, a royal park and a hilltop view across the river to Docklands.
For a walking group, the Thames Path is perfect because it can be done in stages. Some groups set themselves the challenge of walking the whole London stretch, one section each month, starting where they finished last time. It gives every meeting a sense of progress, and by the end, the group has not only walked across London together but built up a year’s worth of shared memories along the way.
Closer to home
The famous parks are wonderful, but the walks that last are often the local ones. Victoria Park in East London, Clapham Common and Tooting Common in the south, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens in the centre, Battersea Park on the river and the Regent’s Canal towpath that winds from Little Venice to Limehouse all make excellent regular routes. A weekly walk ten minutes from home is far easier to keep up than a monthly expedition across the city, and it is regularity that turns a group of walkers into a group of friends.
Every season changes these walks. In spring, the blossom along the avenues of Greenwich Park and the bluebells in the woods draw people out after the long winter. Summer evenings stay light until after nine, which makes an after-work walk easy. Autumn turns the Heath and Richmond Park gold and red, and even the shortest, greyest days of winter have their own beauty, with frost on the grass and a low sun over the river. A group that keeps walking through every season sees the city change around it, and those changes become part of the group’s shared story.
Making a walking group work
A few simple habits help. Choose a clear meeting point that everyone can find, such as a named gate, a well-known landmark or a park café. Agree a pace that suits the slowest walker, so nobody feels left behind. Keep the group small, between three and ten people, so that conversations can move naturally from one pair to another. And end with something, whether tea from a park kiosk or a short sit on a bench with a view, because the conversation after a walk is often the best part.
Practical comfort matters too. London weather changes quickly, so a waterproof layer is never a bad idea. Walk in daylight, stay on main paths in the larger parks, and let someone know your route. Plan your own journey home so that you can leave whenever you wish. If anyone ever needs urgent help, call 999.
Where TruFriend fits
TruFriend is an invite-only platform for friendship only, for grown-ups aged 18 and over, and it is now open in London. Its Walkers and runners circle brings together people who enjoy a regular walk or run, the Hiking and outdoors circle suits those who want longer days in Richmond Park or along the river, and the Photo walks circle is made for people who like to explore the city with a camera. Tru, our assistant, introduces you to a few compatible people nearby, a conversation only opens when both of you say yes, and every plan happens in a public place, in groups of three to ten.
Amelia’s walking group has now covered most of the Thames Path and is planning to start on the canals in the spring. If you would like to find a few people to share London’s parks and paths with, request an invite and we will send you a personal invitation.
Don’t just read about it
Join a circle of people in London who enjoy the same things. Members already on TruFriend can join from the app or suggest a plan in any chat.
Walkers & runnersA friendship circle for people who like long walks, early runs and park and riverside paths in London. Find regular company at your own pace.
Hiking & outdoorsA friendship circle for countryside walks, hikes and day trips around London, especially in spring and summer.
Photo walksA friendship circle for photographers of every level: explore London’s historic streets, the Thames and the city skyline together.
