Take a walk-through medical history and modern wellbeing along the banks of the Thames as we explore the medicinal connections from the Florence Nightingale Museum to the Old Operating Theatre. Discover a monastic herb garden, 1950s exercise regimes, Victorian workplace risks, the founding of a children’s hospital, and the health benefits of boxing, chocolate and beer!

This walk has been devised to incorporate medical connections (both historical and modern), nature and exercise and wellbeing. It will also focus on the 5 ways to wellbeing, designed to keep both the mind and body healthy.

The walk will start at the Florence Nightingale Museum and end at the Old Operating Theatre, so attendees can visit local venues after the walk. The walk will last approximately 2 hours. It will, however, need to be walked at a reasonable pace to be able to cover all the ground within the timeframe.

There will be no toilet stops along the way, as there are not many convenient options along the route. As the Florence Nightingale Museum will be closed when the walks take place, there are no toilets available, nor are there any public toilets at the Old Operating Theatre (although there is a toilet for use of visitors). However, there are free public toilets in Waterloo and London Bridge Stations, and there are also toilets in St Thomas’ Hospital, and attendees should be advised to make use of these before / after the walk.

Meeting point: The Mary Seacole Memorial Statue, https://goo.gl/maps/mdA2igJs6s5FLz498 part of St Thomas' Hospital campus