The run, or, hidden beauty in New Cross

My partner and I moved to this area at the end of August. We didn't have a huge amount of CHOICE about the area we moved to, since we wanted to stay in London and buy through shared ownership, and the options were limited. We consider it huge good fortune that out of the few shared ownership developments that were available and that we were eligible for, we got a place in south east london a 5-10 minute cycle away from both of our places of work. London with no commuting? awesome!

I try to remind myself about that good fortune every time I leave the house sweaty, flustered, with a screaming baby and unbrushed hair and hear a "Hi Ms King!" pipe up from an ex or current student. If I'm feeling good, then walking around the area at 3.30pm on a schoolday makes me feel like a celebrity. On a bad day, it has me cowering round corners and crossing the street to avoid eye contact. (Sometimes I'm just not up to the "Yes, this is my baby...how's English going?" conversations).

Anyway, we started the process of buying our flat before it was finished and we occasionally used to rock up on our bikes at the weekend to check how the building work was going and explore. It was on one of those excursions that we discovered the cycle path that today is my favourite training route when I go out for buggy runs.

Leaving our flat, you turn away from the Old Kent Road and head towards the chimney of the waste recycling centre which looms over the New Cross skyline. First of all, you come to a little undeveloped park, bounded on the west by the Overground railway tracks.

It may not look like much, but it's a welcome little patch of green in a very urban area and is a lifesaver to the dogowners of New Cross. It has a sparkly view of Canary Wharf to the north and the Shard to the west...and on a recent sunny afternoon I spotted not one but two families having makeshift barbecues there. (Maybe disposable barbecues aren't the best thing for the grass or the environment...but they are fun and it's nice that people with no gardens have a space to enjoy).

Continuing up the cycle path you come to the super urban/post industrial landscape of the waste recycling centre on your right, while Millwall football stadium looms on the left. They've just opened a new stretch of cycle path which leads from here to South Bermondsey station, with spectacular views of the Gherkin.

Following the cycle path another 800 metres or so along the Overground tracks, you just have to cross Rotherhithe New Road and navigate a short section or busy road near Surrey Quays station and you arrive at the leafy oasis of Southwark Park. It's about 2 km from our house to the park, which means once there I can choose to prolong the run (over 5k) by going all the way to the river at King's Stairs (The Angel pub is a favourite when Mario and I walk/cycle this route and want some refreshment) or keep to a shorter 5 km route by going once round the lake at Southwark Park, then home.

I know a lot of people choose to leave the city before they have children because they think children will have a better quality of life somewhere greener. I grew up in London too, so I have no problem with my daughter having a city childhood, but I know it's important that we make the effort to find quieter, greener, less polluted spaces in the city for Angel to explore.