(Forgot to post, oops! This was written so long ago, and I meant to put photos in it. It's from the summer!)
This holidays, one of the things I decided I wanted to do was to visit the Magnificent 7 - London's 7 major cemeteries, which were established in the 1800s and most are still used. They are around greater London, and upon research, I discovered that in 3 different cycling loops, I could cycle to them all! I also took el Husbando's camera along with me to snap some pics.
Loop #1 was about 14 miles all up, which in terms of just cycling time was about an hour and a half (30 minutes each leg). I headed south on this loop, to West Norwood Cemetery and Crematorium first. It was in a lovely area, and was reasonably well-kept. I wandered around there for about 45 minutes, I guess, before heading to Nunhead Cemetery (which is now a local nature reserve). Nunhead was much more interesting, with 2 gate houses guarding the entrance and an Anglican chapel on the site too.
When it was full in the mid-1900s, it was abandoned, and was only reopened in 2001. This makes it very atmospheric, with lots of overgrown woodland areas and tombstones which are falling, tilting, and overgrown. It was a much better place for photos than West Norwood, and very beautiful! I wasn't able to find the spot, but apparently from a certain place you can even get views over to St Paul's Cathedral! So lovely.
Then, I rode home. I'm planning at this stage to do Loop #2 next week (the eastern loop, with 2 more cemeteries), and Loop #3 the week after (the remaining 3 - north and west). It was a long, hard day, especially given I cycled to the Proms that evening too, but totally worth it!
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