London LOOP: Leg 1 - Erith to Bexley

Weather: Very warm, clear blue skies, gentle breezes

Playlist: LastFm Playlist

Time: 3 Hours

Started the London LOOP this week even though I haven't finished the Capital Ring yet - that will come later this month. Spring has definitely sprung here in East London with bluebells and white wood anemones in the shady woodlands on the field paths to Bexley and blossom of all colours on the cherries and hawthorn trees in the woods and on the streets.

The walk starts at Erith which with the wide river front and the bunting has a fee of a seaside resort - very odd but quite attractive.

Erith Riverside

Further on the walk makes its way alongside some of the many creeks and channels that run into the Thames. In the bright sunshine the mudflats had the colour and texture of hammered silver and the fields on either side were full of skylarks dancing and singing until they were fit to burst. Swans and dugs floated down the shallow streams while ponies grazed beside the numerous scrap yards  recycling facilities. One of these facilities had a rather odd sign.

Odd - What would Lucy say?

The next section ran beside the River Cray which had a very peaceful feel despite running behind a long row of houses. It then runs past an old country manor before taking a short but scary trip alongside the very busy A2!

Not the most scenic part of the route

After this the path runs alongside woodland filled with bluebells and anemones with thrushes and tits singing in the trees.
It finally emerges into the village of Bexley with its interestingly spired church.

Bexley Church

Capital Ring: Section 6 - Wimbledon Park to Richmond Bridge

Windmill on Wimbledon Common

Weather: Sunny but cool and windy


Playlist: Last FM Playlst

Time: 2 1/4 hours


Wide open spaces with in some places no sign of human habitation this walk was one of the most glorious of all the Capital Ring walks I've completed. Near the start is a interesting windmill that if I had time I would have stopped to investigate further (along with the cafe!). The walk then runs past lakes and ponds before heading across heathland. The woods were full of birds including woodpeckers and thrushes.

Striking woods and gentle rises after crossing a very busy road usher you into Richmond Park. There are stables near the entrance and not surprisingly horses are common, including some cute ponies that looked as though they had cantered straight out of a Thewell cartoon!

Once out into the park the walk opens up, gentle rises, wood capped hills and wind swept ponds. Amongst the trees deer are common, not sure what type as I didn't get close enough as I didn't want to spook them.

Richmond Bridge

The walk then runs out onto a ridge that overlooks London and the views are spectacular and worth the walk.

You then descend, steeply, and join the Thames again. Richmond is very pretty with lots of nice shops and places to eat and a great place for the walk to end.

Only two more legs before I complete the Capital Ring. These I hope to do together with some of my close friends at the end of April. Before then I will start on my next project - The London Loop!

Capital Ring: Section 4 & 5 - Crystal Palace to Wimbledon Park

Weather: Mild and Drizzly

Playlist: LastFM Playlist

Time: 4 hours (including 45 minute lunch break)

This was a surprisingly pleasant walk despite the grey drizzly weather. The rain was never so heavy that I needed my coat on but was just heavy enough that I kept it on in any case otherwise after an hour I would have been soaked.

The walk started with some very steep climbs as you zig-zag through suburban Crystal Palace with views across to the mist shrouded radio and television masts. Again like most of these walks I encountered far more parks and green spaces than you would suspect. Streatham and Balham were also much nicer than I imagined with large Edwardian and Victorian terraces with interesting original features including stained glass, balconies and fine brickwork. Some larger more modern pieces of stained glass including a fine representation of what appeared to be the departure of the Mayflower.

Building of the day however was this Victorian pumping station.

Victorian Pumping Station - nice

A close second was the Art Deco splendour of Du Cane Court, a massive apartment block that Poirot would have felt at home in.

The parks were starting to show their spring colours with daffodils blooming in patches beneath the trees. Lots of dogs in the park chasing balls and sticks while their owners huddled together under shelter to keep out of the drizzle.

Took lunch today 2/3 of the way round at the Common Ground Cafe in Wandsworth Common, well worth checking out as the food and coffee is very good.

The sun came out eventually as I walked down the hill past Wandsworth Prison, Earlsfield Cemetery to Wimbledon Park station and the end of another interesting section of the Capital Ring.  

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.

Capital Ring: Section 1 & 2 - Woolwich Arsenal to Grove Park

Weather: Cold, wet and windy!

Playlist: Last FM Playlist

Time: 3 1/2 Hours (rain does not encourage me to dawdle!)

The Capital Ring was back on song with this walk after the slightly depressing nature of the previous two legs. This one starts on the south bank of the Thames and almost at the start you get a fabulous view along the river. For me one of the highlights actually came on the link from the station to the river. You pass through the old Woolwich Arsenal site and where this meets the Thames there is an installation by Anthony Gormley. As you walk beside the Thames you get a good view of the city ahead with the Thames Barrier (a lot smaller than I imagined it), the 02 Centre and the towers of Docklands. The river is still quite active industrially here and the Tate and Lyle sugar works dominate the northern bank of the river.

Anthony Gormley Installation

After you leave the river most of the rest of the walk passes through commons and woodlands. After the flat nature of the previous legs the presence of a couple of hills was invigorating and the colours of the late autumn woods was special, even if the heavy drizzle that turned to rain for the last six miles wasn't!

One surprise was the presence of a children's zoo early on in the walk with deer, rare breed sheep and chickens in abundance!

The woods, in particular Oxleas Wood were in top form, showing off the amber and gold foliage and filled with the sound of birds and the smell of autumn. Another hit was Severndroog Castle and the views over the city from this folly's gardens.

Severndroog Castle

Towards the end of the walk the route passes Eltham Palace, closed on the day I walked, which is an odd mix of Tudor and 1930's! Inside you have a large hammerbeamed banqueting hall and exquisite 1930's rooms next to each other. The exterior is the same mix and there are some fine gardens and a moat. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. Leading from this is St John's Walk an ancient path that takes you up a rise to a view over fields to the city of London. Stretched out before you are some of the iconic buildings of London; the Gherkin, the Post Office Tower, Docklands and in the distance the London Eye. On a brighter day it would have been even better!

Capital Ring: Section 14 & 15 - Hackney Wick to Woolwich Arsenal

Weather: Warm, sunny and slightly sticky with a stiff breeze

Playlist: Last FM Playlist

Time: 3 and 3/4 hours

A bit of a delay (ok almost 4 weeks) in bloging this section of the Thames Path, partly I think because I didn't find it that enjoyable, in parts the route become a bit of a slog, a chore rather than the pleasure I have got used to. At least the weather was nice.

This pair of legs could have been entitled 'Diversions and Disappointments'  as the early part of the route is heavily disrupted by works connected with the upcoming Olympics and the new Crossrail railway link. This meant a lot of route changes early on along some rather grotty and noisy main roads.

Most of the route takes you along the top of the NOSE or Northern Outfall Sewer Extension. A useful linear path with easy navigation with a subtle bouquet! However unlike some of the other similar linear paths the scenery was rather boring and uninspiring. Apart from the glimpse of the Abbey Mills sewage work there was little of architectural value and nothing of natural beauty to see on the walk.

The latter half of the walk takes you through the campus of the University of East London which is attractive and its dramatic setting on the side of the docks with London City Airport beyond is splendid. The next section of the walk took me to the Thames for the first time, tide was in and it looked very wide and wild with the wind whipping up the water. The next part of the walk was a little confusing and for me scary as you walk across the dock gates at the end of the docks. I hate heights almost as much as I hate spiders and this made me rather nervous.

The final part of the walk was to be though the foot tunnel at Woolwich but this is closed for repairs so instead I took one of the rather grand ferries and enjoyed the view up and down the Thames as I prepared for my first walk south of the river.