20,000 steps

We woke with a plan yesterday morning. With lunch booked at a rather lovely restaurant on the Kings Road (hoorah for birthday presents that need using up before the next one!) and the sun shining, we decided to get the train to Clapham Junction and walk to Chelsea. We ambled through Battersea Park, past beautiful homes and Chelsea Pensioners taking a rest, stumbled across a very sweet farmers market and battled our way through Sloane Square and along Kings Road itself. We finally made it to our destination with time to spare. Delicious food (steamed trout, rhubarb creme brulee, a glass of white wine...) and a wonderful spot overlooking the garden cafe and road so that we could people watch.

With our feet rested and tums full, we walked to Lambeth and the Museum of Garden History. We've been wanting to visit for ages. We got there rather late and as we were about to buy our tickets, a lovely member of staff pointed out that Lambeth Palace next door had opened its gardens for the afternoon as part of the NGS scheme. So off we went, promising to return to the Museum at a later date. I've often wandered past the walls of Lambeth Palace wanting to peek at the gardens behind and what a lovely surprise. An avenue of lavender, trestle tables of homemade cakes, blooming rose bushes and a bucketful of history. Oh, and the peonies. Beautiful.

We made our way back to Waterloo with throbbing feet, and were treated to a train waiting for us on the platform. Heaven. And why 20,000 steps? Well, our wandering today saw us cover 10 miles, which according to google is roughly 2,000 steps per mile. If only I'd had my fitbug on!