Background
One dictionary defines the word 'background', when used figuratively, as that against which anything is, or ought to be, seen. This section of Walking South is intended to introduce various topics that form a background to walking as an activity and which are, or ought to be, of interest to the walker.
I've started by collecting together the various miscellaneous pages on this site that are not directly about walking. I'll add other topics as I get the time and inspiration.
South of London as a region
This site covers that part of England that lies to the south of London - Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex and the eastern part of Hampshire, but also including London itself south of the Thames. Roughly speaking, it includes everything east of the M3 and south of the Thames, excluding the Isle of Wight.
The boundaries of this region are slightly arbitrary, but have a certain geographical coherence. I've made some notes in support of the choice of boundaries for this region.
Thoughts on ...
Thoughts on various subjects connected with walking. Just don't expect Blaise Pascal or Michel de Montaigne.
Trig Points
I intended to add lists of the extant trig points in my walking territory, county by county, starting with East Sussex, with the rest following as I found the time. I never did find the time, and perhaps never will. I have now limited the scope of this project to Sussex.
The lists include a link to a page with a photograph of those trig points I've visited and, where I could remember the details, some notes about access.
Plant portraits
I often put a vignette of a plant between the sections of a page. Many (though not all) of these vignettes are links to a larger photograph of the plant shown in the vignette. I've called these photographs 'plant portraits', as I've attempted (not always successfully) to capture something characteristic about the plant.
I've now created an index of plant portraits, giving direct access to the photographs.
Building and maintaining web pages
I've learnt quite a lot about building and maintaining web pages by building this site. Most of what I've learnt can be found in any good book about XHTML and CSS, or from the internet, using Google. However, I've made some notes, recording some basic bits of advice, and setting out how I've solved some problems.