When many people think of Sydney, they think of the spectacular harbour with its famous bridge and opera house, of the CBD with its skyscrapers and hustle and bustle, of the nightlife and parties on the beach. And of course all of these things are integral to the city’s character. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

Sydney is full of national parks, little secluded beaches and hidden paths. Wanting a break from the hectic atmosphere, I decided to take the Manly Scenic Walkway. This is a 10k walk along the coastline between Manly and Spit on the north shore, crossing small and large beaches, through native bush, national parks and prime real estate.

I chose to defy convention and do the walkway backwards. Well, I don’t mean that I walked backwards – more that I decided to walk the opposite way to everyone else, starting from Spit instead of Manly.

Before long I was walking through the trees, jumping when I found an exotic looking iguana blocking my path. He was huge, and far more confident than me – but as I saw more of his friends along the path I soon got used to them. The walkway was full of interesting wildlife – as well as lizards there were all kinds of birds, butterflies and insects to see.

It quickly struck me was how quiet it was. I was in a big city, yet it felt like I was in the countryside. I could have been anywhere as I walked in the sunshine, along beautiful beaches with inviting turquoise water. Along the path are many detours you can take, and I chose to eat my lunch by the lighthouse, a short walk off the main walkway. I didn’t see a single person as I sat there for ages looking out across the water and enjoying the peace and quiet.

In the afternoon I passed aboriginal carvings in the rock and a host of unfamiliar trees. This included strange ones with red sap that looked like they were bleeding. I later asked my friend why this is, and she said it’s because they are ‘hearthbroken’. I hope this isn’t true, but haven’t yet found out the real reason – answers on a postcard please!

After several hours of peace and quiet, I arrived into Manly and walked along the coast. It was very nice, but a little bit of a shock as I came across more civilisation again and found myself back among the icecream sellers, surfers, shopper and beach lovers. If you're in Sydney for a while, I'd really recommend the Manly Scenic Highway, particularly on a weekday. There's so much variety and things to look at, and I found it a welcome break from hectic atmosphere of the city.