I wasn’t going to bother with my usual year in review post this year until I realised I had something rather interesting to share.

I have done minimal hiking due to bushfires and covid restrictions but my site stats have increased 44% on the year! Why? There were three things that folks were googling:

1. The Great North Walk. It seems Sydney folk have looked to local trails to keep them busy and this trail is still largely a hidden gem. The sections from Sydney to Somersby generated the most interest due to the accessibility via public transport.

2. Walks with kids. My Little bushwalks with little people: Berowra & Surrounds post still generates a lot of interest and in this Covid restricted year it has gone off. I will look at updating this soon with some of the more recent walks I’ve done with my kids in order to keep it relevant.

3. Aboriginal Engravings. Two posts in particular seemed to have captured interest Lost Lives and Aboriginal History Along The Shark Rock Ridge Trail: A Virtual Geocache and The Wonders of Berowra Engraving Tour. Folks want to experience the history. I will keep exploring and finding the sites but I’d like to do something that shows contemporary aboriginal culture – possibly the 5 lands walk at Terrigal. I’m open to ideas though so please comment below if you have any ideas.

I did manage a few good walks this year.

I started with a lovely waterfall walk https://solohiker.blog/2020/01/18/with-the-rain-comes-waterfalls/

I found the aboriginal engraving sites at Cowan using the geocaching app https://solohiker.blog/2020/02/03/old-aboriginal-engraving-site/

I hit up one of the banner walks in the Berowra Valley National Park, the Blue Gum Walk https://solohiker.blog/2020/03/17/blue-gum-walk/

I revisited a number of local walks whilst we were all in covid lockdown for my exercise https://solohiker.blog/2020/04/15/covid19-exercise-walks-the-beauty-of-berowra/

I managed to tick off one of the walks on my 2020 plan, a very satisfying part of the Harbour to Hawkesbury track https://solohiker.blog/2020/06/04/harbour-to-hawkesbury-track-sphinx-memorial-to-davidson-park-reserve/

A second banner walk in Berowra Valley National Park – Refuge Rock and the Natural Arch https://solohiker.blog/2020/06/09/berowra-valley-national-park-refuge-rock-and-natural-arch/

I picked a spot on a map and went for it! https://solohiker.blog/2020/06/15/pick-a-spot-on-a-map-and-go-bushbashing-berowras-washtub-gully/

A second walk from my 2020 plan! This one was to Flint and Steel Beach – awesome awesome walk! https://solohiker.blog/2020/08/17/flint-and-steel-beach-track/

I started to put on weight so I tried to put in a plan to lose it. I have lost a few kilograms but I need to work harder on this. https://solohiker.blog/2020/09/26/hiking-for-health/

The Gosford to Lisarow walk was a nice one. Good for trail runner I thought. https://solohiker.blog/2020/09/30/gosford-to-lisarow-ridge-walk-the-statues-of-rumbalara-reserve/

I’ve done a number of smaller walks that revisited areas already on my blog so I didn’t do any posts though I put picture up on Instagram. I did see an echidna at a local lookout! https://solohiker.blog/2020/10/31/echidna-sighting/

I did a very satisfying local walk along Gundah Ridge track at Mt Kuringai- some very nice views there. https://solohiker.blog/2020/12/24/gundah-ridge-track/

And finally, I squeezed in one last walk with the kids to Somersby Falls- a spot I will definitely visit again! Somersby Falls

So actually, even though it felt like a lot of sitting around due to bushfires and covid then running out of annual leave due to covid stand-down, I actually managed a fair amount. Do I dare plan for 2021? I have a few ideas. I’ll share in the new year 🙂