London Loop: Section 7: Kingston Bridge to Donkey Wood

Early December and still the weather does not feel like winter. Clear blue skies to start with but there had been some rain over the past few days but compared to 2010 when the walk would have been several inches deep in snow things were a lot better!

The walk started off well with a stroll through Kingston and I managed to avoid stumbling into the large John Lewis store instead crossing the Thames by the old bridge and then by an easily missed sign into Bushy Park. This part of the walk was probably one of the most interesting and attractive of the LOOP so far. Attractive parkland, nice trees which had lost their leaves but kept their striking skeletal forms and some lakes with rafts of birds.

Swans in Bushy Park

Of course while doing this I failed to 'live in the now' and tripped over a hummock and did a rather impressive forward roll/somersault which if it had been caught on camera would have earned me a place as a stuntman!

Spent a bit of time in the parkland watching some Long Tailed tits in the trees around the small stream and artificial lakes and chatted with a photographer who was taking photos of the birds. The usual comments of birdwatchers; the decline of greenfinches the rise of the Ring Necked Parakeets and the best food to put in the garden to attract birds to the table.

The next section of the walk was the best and most exciting. Having read in the guide that deer can be seen in the open parkland I was expecting to see a few in the distance like I saw in Richmond but I was wrong. Instead there was a group of at least a dozen straddling the path, some with full on antlers grazing and in some cases butting antlers with each other. I was able to spend some time watching and photographing them without them taking any notice of me, a real joy.

Deer in Bushy Park

After a section of road walking the path joins the River Crane. Here you pass some interesting industrial archaeology - the remains of gunpowder mills. I hadn't realised that this part of greater London had been famous for the production of gunpowder. The remains of several mills can be seen on this leg and the previous one surrounded by high earth banks to protect the surrounding mills and buildings from the force of any explosions. One of the mills now houses a interpretive centre for a bird reserve that occupies an island in the middle of the river, it was closed at the time of my visit but might be worth a return visit later. The path here was muddy, very muddy, with thick black mud rich with rotting leaves. A great smell but quite awkward to walk through and this got worse as you progress along the rest of this section.

With clouds building and time pressing, I should have spent so long with the birds and the beasts earlier in the walk, there follows a drab road section and then a wild, blowy walk across Hounslow Heath, a surprisingly wild place in the heart of this part of London. The next section returns to the Crane and includes several difficult sections. Difficult navigation and difficult walking along narrow paths, some no more than a foot or three wide between a chain link fence and the steep side of the fast running river. With the sloppy black mud of the path added to these this section was quite awkward and not particularly interesting. A section of slimy a and springy boardwalk was a slight improvement before possibly the worst section of the LOOP so far. A half hour slog beside the very bust A30 all the way to Hatton Cross tube station. This was made worse by the long waits at the numerous crossings you have to use to get across the road to the station itself.

A shame that he walk has to end on this grimy, grim, rubbishy, noisy, smelly, boring note after it had started on such a high. Add to this that the next leg will start with another joyless yomp beside the A30 to get back to the LOOP doesn't make me look forward to January's walk with any great joy.

London Loop: Section 6: Banstead Downs to Kingston Bridge

Getting to and from Banstead Downs is a bit of a pain as trains only go to this remote stop once every hour so I had a 45 minute wait on a cold Clapham Junction platform in November waiting for the train. The weather was grey and overcast with a hint of rain in the air. This didn't put me in the best frame of mind for the walk and this mood wasn't improved by the attitude of the golfers on the golf course just after the start. Their arrogance and rudeness to me and to a pair of other walkers was not a good advertisement for their pastime. It was nice however to meet and chat with a pair of fellow walkers who were also doing the Loop. It was helpful as well as navigating across the golf course was difficult and six pairs of eyes were better than two!

After the golf course the route goes through a long urban section with little to recommend it before going under a railway bridge onto open scrub-land. An interesting section this as it was going to be built upon and the concrete bases of access roads were built but the housing estate never was. These run through a stand of trees giving an eerie impression of a ghost town. Looking west along the tracks the sun came out for a moment and standing in the dappled shade looking back at me was a fox and its cubs. It stared at me for a few moments before walking across the concrete tracks and into the woods.

The path then runs along side the parkland of Nonsuch Park and the ruins of the Tudor Nonsuch Palace. Time for another moan here - sorry if I'm coming across as a grumpy old man. Dog owners, thank you for bagging up your dog poo but nobody thinks that they make attractive tree decorations. Take it home or bin it, don't hang it from the bushes of chuck it up into the branches of the trees. Thank you.

After the minimal ruins of the palace you pass through Ewell which looked very attractive but with the shorter hours of daylight I was in a hurry to get on. This meant that I didn't stop to explore the museum in Bourne Hall Park. The path then goes under a very low railway bridge on a platform on top of the river. This pushes a lot of irrational fear buttons for me - dark water, constricted spaces and heights. Needless to say I got through as fast as possible!

Most of the rest of the walk is alongside the River Hogsmill which meanders its way through scrubby woodland and open (and muddy) grass for several miles. This is a peaceful section but with the grey overcast skies it was a little sameish with no bit views to excite or enliven the walk. Things didn't get any better later on as the next section runs past light industrial units and a sewage works before emerging at last on the Thames at Kingston. This last five minutes was possibly the best bit of the walk with the views along the Thames including Kingston Bridge being very attractive. Then up through the shops to a proper station with trains running every few minutes into central London and somewhere to buy a snack before heading home!

All in all probably the least inspiring leg of the walk so far to be honest.