Realise I have been a little slack and have not written about these two walks yet even though I did them one and two months ago. Leg 4 from West Wickham Common to Hamsey Green starts with a long link section that goes up and down along a fenced path. I remember this from the previous walk where I was pretty tired and this long and rather dull link at the and was the last thing I needed. More suburban street walking follows until you reach an old church with fine views over wooded countryside. The next section through sports fields leads to a steep climb up to and through woodland. All still in leaf at this point and including sweet and horse chestnuts, oaks, hazels and even an almond. Nut-tastic! As you emerge from the Theehalfpenny Wood you get a good view back to London including a glimpse of the Shard which is now almost complete. This building near London Bridge station has been one of the landmarks of the LOOP so far as for several legs London Bridge station has been my starting point.
The path then meanders through more meadows before climbing up to the viewpoint on Addington Hill. From here on a clear day you can get a fantastic panorama of the London skyline. Today was a bit overcast but the view was still pretty good. It would have been better if someone hadn't stolen all the brass identification plates so I could have known what I was looking at!
 |
| View from Addington Hill |
I could identify the Shard, Docklands, Gherkin and a windmill in Shirley. Descending through a nice park you then emerge back into the suburbs and my first encounter with Croydon's tram system. Quite an extensive network and quite quiet so you may not notice them coming! More pleasant open space and woodland follows until you arrive at the small hamlet of Hamsey Green where I picked up a bus back to Croydon. Took a tram back to Wimbledon for a change of pace rather than a mainline train back to the city.
No comments:
Post a Comment