Capital Ring: Section 3 - Grove Park to Crystal Palace

Weather: Warm, Windy and Wet.

Playlist: LastFM Playlist

Time: 2 1/2 Hours

It was good to get back into the open air after a month of no serious walking, my feet had started to itch! This leg is at the heart of why I wanted to do the Capital Ring in the first place; to show me the London I didn't know. I had a fairly good idea of what the west, north and east of London was like but I had rarely visited that part of our great metropolis that lies to the south of the river.

The start of the walk, in heavy and penetrating drizzle, appears on the map to run through residential streets but in fact it takes you along the the remains of the Great North Wood. Now to my eyes this is not in the north, is not much of a wood and is not that great! A narrow strip often no more than a few metres wide with very few mature trees. However there are some very nice carved posts and benches shaped like leaves dotted about and it is a green lane through which wildlife can move and nest. One of the stranger lifeforms I spotted in the area was a large flock of Santas. On one short row of houses there must have been 20 or 30; some climbing trees, others on walls and some keeping watch from the lawn. Along with them were several large snowmen and numerous large bells hanging from lines strung across the back gardens. There was another slightly smaller congregation on another house further round on the walk. So gob-smacked was I by this display (it is the middle of January when these creatures have normally flown back to the north by the beginning of the month) that I forgot I had my camera with me.

The next section of the walk ran through the large golf course attached to Beckenham Place Park. Nice rolling hills and great views but very muddy. The 18th house itself is quite a feature with a massive portico the builder took from their previous property - the whole thing looks a little odd to say the least.

Finally the walk meanders its way to Crystal Palace. To my delight the dinosaurs were on view along with what appears to be a new geological time trail.

Raarrghhh!

 

 

I'm now two thirds or thereabouts around the Capital Ring and only three more sections (five legs) to do. I've already started thinking about attempting the London Loop!

Random Weekday Walks

I didn't manage to get any walks in during December what with the weather, lots of work and a foul cold. So as part of my new year resolution to walk more I decided to see what delights the area around my office in Vauxhall could offer. First impressions are not good. I've been based there for several years all I've been tempted to do is walk to the local Sainsburys or to the client offices in Victoria (can be a pleasant walk if you say off of the horrendously busy Vauxhall Bridge Road). As, once I have scoffed my lunch, I only have about 30-40 minutes the strolls have to be by necessity quite short.

So far I have fitted in two walks just picking a direction and seeing where it took me.

Pink Floyd - Animals

 The first walk took me past one of the many building sites in the area and then along the Thames. It is not as historic as the stretch by St Paul's where I used to work but watching the water flow by was still very relaxing. I managed to get close to the magnificent Battersea power station (made famous by Pink Floyd who put it on the cover of their brilliant album Animals - the second album I ever bought). Just before the power station the Thames Path diverts around the quirky Tideway Village - an eclectic collection of houseboats which is sadly under threat from developers.


The second walk I took a different direction this time heading through the small Vauxhall Park and then through the Victorian streets nearby. This walk took me to another unusual location Bonnington Square, a community owned square that grew out of a WWII bomb site. It is a restful oasis of plants, seats and sculpture amidst the grey of Vauxhall. For me the highlight is a huge waterwheel salvaged from an old marble workshop and the tale that once a year it turns bringing champagne up from the underworld. The streets around the square are well maintained and appear to have a strong community spirit.

I'll try to fit some more walks in over the next few weeks I certainly felt a lot better for the walks rather than spending more time hunched over my keyboard.