Moved Journal │ Autumn 2024

It’s late autumn now. The leaves have almost fallen and are returning, full circle, to humus on the earth. Usually, autumn signals a quietening — the vibrancy of summer dying in a dazzle of gold, bronze and brown. But this autumn, for me, carries a different feeling on its cold wind. Newness; the seeds planted throughout the spring and summer starting to show their shoots.

Since I was little, spring has been — without question — my favourite season. The colour, the scent of apple blossom on the air, the energy. But this autumn has been one of my most loved seasons for a long time. I’ve spent a lot of it in the forest, crunching the coppery carpet under my feet. Getting down in the dirt with the fungi and imagining the mycelium network spanning out for miles beneath me. Connection has been the most present force these past few months.

I’ve found myself thinking about life in seasons and wondering whether autumn has charmed me more than usual this year because I’m becoming autumnal. And yet, it doesn’t feel like a quietening. It feels like a new phase defined by blooming energy.

In London, I always felt disconnected from the seasons. I had to go and seek them out beyond the M25. Here in Kent, I can walk the same trails — through the forest, to the coast, over the hills — and watch them transform before my eyes. For the first time since I can remember, I’m looking forward to winter and how the landscape, and I, will change as it arrives.

Sophie x

The Crab & Winkle Way

Song for Autumn

Don’t you imagine the leaves dream now
    how comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
    nothingness of the air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
    the trees, especially those with
mossy hollows, are beginning to look for

the birds that will come—six, a dozen—to sleep
    inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
    the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
    stiffens and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
    its long blue shadows. The wind wags
its many tails. And in the evening
    the piled firewood shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.

— Mary Oliver

Mushrooms in Blean Woods

Where to Hike in the Months Ahead

Blean Woods - Kent

Blean is a beautiful place to hike at any time of year. But right now, it’s pure magic. There’s a thick carpet of leaves on the ground, on a sunny day the light is otherwordly, and there are so many trails to walk that you can spend as little or as much time there are you like.

On December 15th, Moved is teaming up with Rose & Sage to offer a sacred winter solstice celebration that blends a gentle few hours of woodland walking with gathering, stillness and ritual. The Moving Circle is our interpretation of a women’s circle, held in and by nature. And there are still a handful of spaces if you’d like to join us.

If you’d rather ramble through this gorgeous nature reserve at your own leisure, the Blean Woods Black Trail is a stunning 13 km walk tracing the circumference of the woods. It covers well-trodden tracks, denser pockets of absolute peace and solitude, and pathways through moorland-esque landscapes, bordered by bristling thickets of gorse. For those fancying a shorter stroll, there’s the Blean Green Trail and Red Trail at roughly 3 and 4 kilometres, respectively.

London - The River Thames

Say what you will about London — I’ve said it all — but walking by the Thames at Christmas is special. So long as you avoid the crowds of the Southbank. Shimmering lights and festive fragrances capture the magic of the season, and you’re never far from a great coffee shop, lunch stop, pub or convenience.

For those free on Saturday 14th December, Moved is returning to London for its ‘Christmas Party’ — basically a long riverside walk with a few drinks at the end, for those who fancy it. Join us at 11 am and stay as long as you like.

If you’re planning your own river walk, the Thames Path offers routes of all lengths to pique every architectural interest. You can hop on and off public transport whenever you like. Some of my favourite walks are Richmond to Battersea, Greenwich to London Bridge, Greenwich to Wapping — on the south side, then crossing the river — and Hammersmith to Battersea via Chiswick Bridge.

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

The Kent coastline offers some of my favourite stretches of sand, shingle and track in the UK. It’s relatively easy walking with good connections and, often, you get the bonus of a quintessential English town or village to boot. Rye is one such place. Not only can you potter through the town’s ancient, picture-postcard streets, but you can also follow the river to Rye Bay, through the estuary’s wild wetlands.

Join Moved’s January 11th hike, which captures the quaintness of Rye town and the wilderness of the coastal nature reserve. We’ll walk from the old town centre and follow the river through farmland to Rye Harbour. Along the way, we’ll pass by 16th-Century Camber Castle and then onward along the coastal path to the sea. We’ll follow the coast a little way, before circling back around through the nature reserve and on to complete our loop at Rye train station.

For those who can’t join in January, you can find the trail here. Or take one of the many shorter routes that traverse this lovely area.

Autumnal Moved Highlights

October

Moved October was a gorgeously gloomy 15km hike along the coast from Ramsgate to Margate. We were only four, but what we lacked in number we made up for in energy — and it was absolutely awful weather when we set out! So, thank you to the lovely Andrea, Jess and Alice for schlepping out to hike in the drizzle with me.

November

For November’s Moved Monthly, we hiked across the clifftops from the picture-perfect town of Deal to Dover. It was another dank day, but it didn’t spoil the mood. The light on the horizon was absolute magic. Thank you to Bryony, Cath, Mollie, Shay and especially Roz — who drove all the way from near Stansted — for joining me on this atmospheric walk.

Moved X Om Collab

November marked the first Moved Collab — a gorgeous half-day experience, co-created with the lovely Annabelle from Om Studio in Canterbury. We eased our way into the day with an early morning stretch at the studio, before hitting the trail for a stunning hike to the coast through autumnal orchards and woodland. When we arrived, we kicked off our boots and shuffled our toes into the shingle for a mindful moment led by Annabelle, soundtracked by the waves. The energy was beautiful.

Thank you to Annabelle and to our hikers Haylee, Charlotte and Charlotte, Alice, Caitlin and Caitlin’s lovely mum, whose name I can’t remember (I’m so sorry!), Anne, Sophie and Alex.

Moved News

Collaborations

Off the back of a hugely successful Moved X Om Collab, I’m so excited to tell you that there’ll be more to come from Annabelle and I next year. Our next event will be in January, so watch this space for updates. I’m also partnering with Sea Scrub Sauna Whitstable in February to offer an envigorating half-day hiking and sauna experience. I’ll be sharing the details shortly.

I plan to offer a collaboration each month from next year — a chance to connect with others in the health and wellbeing space, combine our expertise and bring you some deeper experiences. Keep an eye out for more information.

The Moving Circle

With The Moving Circle’s first solstice event poised for December, Sarah and I have laid the foundations for nine events through 2025, honouring key moments in the Wheel of the Year. Expect beautifully blended experiences that combine gentle walking in nature with stillness and ritual.

Moved Women

Do you have an inspirational hiking story you’d love to share? Or do you know a woman who’s been on a transformational journey that you think others would feel better for hearing?

I’d love to share how hiking or endurance has helped you honour or overcome something in a new series: Moved Women. Email me at hello@movedwmn.co.uk if you’d like to share your story with the Moved community.

Blean Woods, Kent