Bonjour and welcome to my blog! My name is Lily and I am a 30+-year-old Frenchy (I am not putting my exact age, not because I am shy or ashamed but because I don’t want to have to update this page every year). I started hiking in 2019 and since then I have been continuously discovering the UK, one hike at a time.
My Story
I arrived in the UK in 2012 and for seven years all the places I knew and had been to were located in London (except for Brighton on a sunny day of course!).
Back in 2018, I changed career and moved from a busy shift based job to the comfort of a 9-5. At first, it felt like a dream come true. But I quickly realised that even though I now had my weekends free, I did not know what to do.
It was only a year later that a friend of mine took me on a hike for the first time. To be honest with you, I have never been a athletic person. Despite trying so many sports, I often found myself being bad at them or disliking them.
❌ Team sports
❌ Gym classes
❌ Golf
❌ Even yoga …
Nothing worked out for me until that day!
I could not believe that I not only enjoyed being outside (and we had all kinds of weather that day) but I was also doing pretty well considering it was 26km with quite a few hills! I definitely did not pick an easy one for a first hike, but it was enough to fall in love with it.
Fast forward 2 years …
✅ I joined different hiking groups
✅ I made new friends who share the same interest and gosh, I don’t know how I would have survived lockdown without our online game nights!
✅ I have been discovering new places near London every week
✅ I have been doing hiking trips in the UK
Why I Want To Help People
When I started looking online for ideas and inspiration for hikes accessible from London, I thought I will find endless options but instead, I found …. NOTHING! Just a couple of travel bloggers who more likely never came to London, and a posted about “walk in a park” style of hikes.
The Goal Of My Site
I have started this blog to share my hikes in and near London. I hope this will inspire you to lace on your hiking boots and hit the trails.
I walked the walk so you can do the same. Whether you prefer to join a hiking group to do the same walks that I published or you want to do it by yourself, you will find all the resources you need on this blog.
If you ever need a hand or have any questions, feel free to leave them below and I will be more than happy to help you out.
A l’aventure!
Lily,
The Flamingo Hiker
PS 1: Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more trips & tips ✉️
PS 2: Flamingo? Because I am always dressed in pink💕
