Five Bells Pilates Social Walk

About our lovely Pilates Social Walk on the 3rd May, from the Five Bells, Brabourne.

This is a walk I have done many years ago, but I wasn’t sure of the route. I got chatting to Ken and Rosmary at our Christmas lunch and they said they do the walk regularly and volunteered to guide us.

The two hour walk took us up the hill from the Five Bells through a vineyard, buttercup fields and tree covered country byways. The view from the top was spectacular, and I would recommend going up there if you can.

The stiles are very rickety and in need of some repair, but with some teamwork we all got over them. I think doing Pilates must help! One of our group did say to me how pleased she was, as she wouldn’t have been able to do this walk in the past, but Pilates has really helped her get stronger, and improve her balance. I love it that my classes enable people to be able to enjoy their activities outside of classes for longer in their lives.

We had a little stop at the St Mary the Virgin Church on the way back, which Judy kindly offered to research into, and gave us such an interesting talk on its history. We would never have known that one of the stained-glass windows is the oldest in the country, or about the history of the church’s Love Heart Arch.

Then we had a delicious meal at the Five Bells at Brabourne. I would recommend visiting there, too. The staff were all so attentive and accommodated us outside rather than inside, as the weather was so warm for the time of year. Their seating outside is beautiful with plenty of shade if you need it. They even have an outside bar.

Our walks certainly have picked up momentum and numbers this year. The last walk in Sandgate had 16, and this time there was 20 of us. We started with just a handful originally. Each walk we do takes us to a different location locally that often many of my group haven’t been to before. It’s amazing the beauty and history right on our doorstep just waiting to be discovered and shared. In recent times we have finished with a meal too, which seems very popular.

I invite anyone who comes along to my classes and their friends and family are welcome too. It’s about getting out in the fresh air together, bringing likeminded people together, chatting and socializing, whilst exercising, which has always been by ethos in my Pilates classes. Many now have made friends through coming to Pilates with me.