Sometimes one needs to walk off an indulgent lunch, or sometimes just get that old metabolic rate going faster to cut cals. So, there's nothing like a walk and a romantic walk, along a river in the UK, which could not get better. Putting Natalie into her pram we decided to walk along the Hoe stream that snakes through the south of Woking Borough, passing through the wards of Mayford and Sutton Green, Kingfield and Westfield and Old Woking. On its journey, it cuts through the middle of Woking Park. The Hoe Valley is the term used to describe this part of the Hoe Stream and the land either side of it. We were walking along the banks of this stream.

Wild flowers grew in abundance along the stream and what was amazing was the sight of beautiful yellow Iris's which flowered in profusion along the edge of the stream. White daisies, pink Dog Roses and Vetch, and yellow Buttercups greeted us during our walk while my camera snapped pictures for my environment stories.

Improving this area where the stream runs was apparently an aspiration of the Council for over 20 years and the project was strengthened by cross-party support. In 2000, and again in 2013, there was widespread flooding in the Westfield area. This flooding focused the attention of the Environment Agency (EA) on the problems faced by local residents and led to them drawing up a report on the prospects for undertaking a flood prevention scheme in the Hoe Valley, between Hoe Brook Close in the south and Kingfield Road in the north.

This spurred the Council to find a way to defend local homes from flooding, whilst also dealing with the contaminated land on the former tip site along Westfield Road, the relocation of community groups from their current sites on the northern part of Westfield Avenue, and a number of local highways issues.

In July 2003, the Council's Executive authorised officers to progress the development of the former tip site for housing via a pre-existing conditional sale agreement with a developer. This developer then withdrew in late 2004. As a result, the Council drew up its own detailed proposals and considered improvements over a wider area, including Woking Park.

We loved our walk along the path which has been laid snaking along the twists and turns of the river. Wrens warbed and black birds sang as we walked and then suddenly in typical British fashion a pair of swans appeared looking to be fed among the bull rushes.