Croydon to the Coccolith – Connecting with nature through photography.

The Putting Down Routes team and project partner Black Girls Hike are delighted to offer a scenic walk in Kent.

Join Croydon local photographer and writer Ameena Rojee for a playful long ramble from Croydon to the Surrey Hills. We’ll walk to the Coccolith, a beautiful sculpture on the North Downs Way Art Trail. On the walk, we’ll learn about how photography can help you connect to nature through gentle and non-technical photography exercises to help us engage with our surroundings in different ways, inspired by Ameena’s decade-long experience in photography and love for the natural world.

This walk is suitable for anyone with a light interest in photography through to hobbyists and full-time photographers. If you like the sound of it, you’re welcome to join and any kind of camera or camera phone is suitable for this guided walk.

This walk connects Croydon to the Surrey Hills through two established routes – the Vanguard Way and the North Downs Way.

We’ll start the day walking through the Hutchinson’s Bank nature reserve, famous for its butterflies. We’ll continue to meet the Vanguard Way (this long-distance trail starts at East Croydon station and runs all the way to the coast!) at Chelsham. We’ll then follow the Vanguard Way through woods, farms, and small villages until we meet the North Downs Way near Titsey.

We’ll follow this route to Titsey until we reach the Coccolith, where will we do some more in-depth creative and nature connection exercises, and a moment to chat, relax, and reflect.

The walk will finish at the Coccolith.

Onward travel options are:

464 bus back to New Addington where you can get the tram back to East Croydon station

595 bus to Oxted train station

You may also consider visiting the Titsey Taproom for a post-walk drink/early dinner.