INSIDE THE WORLD OF MEETUP

I was in London for the weekend to watch the marathon on the Sunday. The plan for Saturday was to visit a friend who lives in Dorking and go walking around the area where she lived. Unfortunately a couple of days before I got a message saying she had to go back to Tenerife for a family emergency. So I looked on meetup and there was a walk going that day in the same area so I joined the group as a one off and met them at Victoria station. We got the train down to Leatherhead where I discovered that this was a very popular area for Londoners looking for an escape from the world of concrete. Now I'm very fit but it was obvious the organizer was a very strong walker who does this kind of thing all the time. As there was 50 of us we strung out a bit but there were plenty of people to enjoy random conversations with as you went along. The highlight was Box hill after the stepping stones which wasn't too difficult to climb despite being close to the end of the walk. N

The second meetup had more or less the same format as the first. Met at 45 west again this time with around 20 people instead of 12. This time was a lot more comfortable as there was the familiarity of knowing several people I met the first time round. We only went one other place Après Lounge which was pub like in the front but had a room with a dance floor out at the back. Again it was a great night, this picture was taken just before we left. By this point it was clear that meetup was going to be a regular thing, this time some were moving on to a club. I headed back on the last bus. I now had to plan the logistics of getting home from city centers such Leicester after midnight.