Who thought this was a good idea?

Backstory first

I’ve spent the last 25 years working as a professional photographer and until 2025 ran a studio in Croydon. 

In that time I’ve taken portraits of over half a million people, photographed weddings on glaciers in Alaska, smashed thousands of cakes and more recently  photographed the Do London Differently billboard campaign.

During Covid when I couldn’t photograph people I got restless. I wanted to explore the city that despite living in the majority of my life I released I didn’t know that well. 

So I explored with my trusty 360 camera in hand. I discovered a side of London I was previously oblivious too. I met artists, campaigners, walkers, filmmakers and at some point became a London National Park City Ranger.

That step into volunteering whetted my appetite further and eventually became freelance work to fill the gaps that Covid had eaten into my business. You might’ve called it a pivot but instead it led to a complete career change – something I hadn’t planned to be doing in my 40s. 

So here I am in 2026. Marketing and Communications Manager at London National Park City and environmental charity ecoACTIVE and freelancing almost exclusively in the environmental sector for organisations like Leaside, and Footways (among others). It’s fair to say that my calendar is fairly full but it feels like work that has purpose. 

Back to the stupid idea.

Some point during the bleak midwinter 

I walked into a meeting at TfL to pitch the idea of a London Walking Festival to a group of fellow walkers and campaigners. The idea was a month-long festival with over 200 free walks that championed the amazing work groups and organisations are doing to make London greener, healthier and wilder. And some groups that just put on great walking events. On walk from Waterloo station the Million Miles thing popped in my head and somehow stuck. I’m pretty sure at some point I used the words “go big or go home.” 

This isn’t the first Walking Festival so my endeavour wasn’t coming from a place of complete naïveté. In 2024 we had a pop up space in Fleet Street and hosted several “festival weeks”. We hosted a Repair Week, Good to Grow week and a few others. My contribution was Walking Week. 

As these things do when organisations like London National Park City facilitate enthusiasm – things grow. In 2025 The London Walking Festival emerged.  

So here we are. 

The London Walking Festival isn’t really my creation. Hundreds of walks have been happening every May. For a decade the Urban Tree Festival has led people through green spaces and London River’s week down the blue ones. Almost every day of the week there’s Rambler stroll, a Proper Blokes Club walk and talk and countless wellness walks. 

And I’m not alone, Hana from Go Jauntly has been amazing creating the 100 mile challenge, Footways’ Emma and David along with Tom from University of Westminster have put together an amazing Conference.  And the staff team and volunteer Rangers at London National Park City have supported, created and shared some wonderful walks. 

So take your pick of over 200 walks. Join the free Go Jauntly Challenge and together we might actually Walk A Million Miles in May