This walk was section 17 of the London Loop. It is a long rural section through Trent Country Park, the farmland of Enfield Chase, Hilly Fields and finishing up at Forty Hall. Fifteen Poly Ramblers joined me at Cockfosters Station. The sixteenth Poly Rambler caught up with us at Trent Country Park which has some lovely wooded sections including a large lake. We passed Camelot Moat thought to have been the Seat of Geoffrey de Mandeville during the reign of William the Conqueror. We continued our walk following Salmon Brook and eventually stopped for a picnic at Hilly fields under a large Oak Tree. Unfortunately, Enfield Council had decided to do bridge repairs over Salmon Brook which was supposed to have been completed last year! We took direct action and got through the barrier and waded through the water or over stepping stones without getting too wet. In the meantime, Danny had moved on to the Rose and Crown Pub just half a mile further on where we joined him for a refreshing drink. I was informed that Dick Turpin had been the Land Lord of the pub. Our final stop was at Forty Hall a grade 1 listed Jacobean mansion. We just had time to explore the walled gardens walk around the lake and admire the ancient Cedar of Lebanon before finishing our walk at Turkey Street Station
On what promised to be a beautiful, hot sunny day 15 Polys set off from Petts Wood station in South London. After winding through the woods, saved from developers by local people and donated to the National Trust in 1927, we came upon the William Willett memorial sundial. This commemorates his support for the introduction of daylight saving in a pamphlet in 1907 which paved the way for the introduction of BST. We crossed St. Paul’s Cray road and soon entered Scadbury Park, now a nature reserve. We passed the remains of the Tudor manor, first recorded in the thirteenth century and owned for over two hundred years by the Walsingham family. We emerged from the woods and took our lunch break on the outskirts of Chislehurst. While the majority of the party ate their picnic lunch in the grounds of St. Nicholas Church, others visited the café or pub. In the afternoon we passed through St. Paul’s Cray common into the Hawkwood estate, another area saved from developers with private funds and donated to the National Trust in 1957. Here the rolling fields of Tong Farm created a contrast with the pretty woodland as we followed a stream towards three railway bridge crossings and back to Petts Wood station. Four of us stayed for tea and cake at the end of a very pleasant day out, all within the boundary of Greater London.
A very pleasant walk, starting with time to explore the ruins of Berkhamsted Castle, a Norman motte and bailey castle. We headed up on to Berkhamsted Common and then into woods, passing a WW1 trench. A picnic lunch on logs on the edge of the impressive Ashridge College. We got rather chilly but were rewarded with hot drinks and cake at the delightful Courtyard Cafe in the college grounds. Any sort of eating out is a treat after so many months of lockdown. The last part of the walk took us through Frithsden Beeches, a lovely woodland conservation area. Eventually we arrived back in Berkhamsted where Hilary persuaded most of the group to divert from the station to view the newly hand painted plaques on the canal bridge. Half the group then repaired to a canal side pub for a convivial hour or so (although I am embarrassed to say it took us the best part of half this time to master the online ordering system sufficiently to get our drinks)!
Thanks to Hilary for leading and to Ida for the photos.
Eleven Polyramblers set off from Acton Town Station on a dry, sunny day and quickly reached Gunnersbury Park recognised by English Heritage as one of the most important in the country. Both the grounds and buildings are Grade 11 listed and frequently used for filming including on the day we visited. We were told it was for series 2 of The Serpent. We strolled through the Italian Garden, past the Classical Arch, Gunnersbury House, Gothic Tower and Ruins, Orangery and through the nature reserve.
Walking through Carville Hill Park and the Brentford Towers Estate took us to the Thames Path which we followed past house boats, rusting ship hulls and new apartments to reach the junction with the Grand Union Canal at Brentford where vestiges of its industrial past were apparent. Lunch was taken at Johnson’s Island where there was the opportunity to view classic cars at the Duke of London Showrooms.
We then made our way to The Butts, a magnificent square flanked by detached Victorian villa and residences dating from the late 17th century, to reach the Weir pub’ at which the painter J. M. W. Turner stayed. Losing three walkers to a nearby hostelry we crossed the River Brent to rejoin the Grand Union Canal which we followed alongside new commercial buildings to enter Boston Manor Park with its fine Jacobean mansion. We followed a circular nature trail before making our way to Boston Manor Station.
Nine of us started with a short walk along the Stort navigation. Turning right we went off down a lane and across large fields of young wheat and rape seed, seas of yellow! Our boots got caked in mud but got lighter again as we went through woods with bluebells and lots of birdsong. We arrived for lunch at the pretty village of Hunsdon with typical Essex white weather boarded houses, old style water pump and lamp post. Here we stopped for lunch at The Crown, eating our sandwiches in the pub garden. The heavens opened soon after we left the pub, waterproof trousers were quickly put on and brollies up. We sheltered for a few minutes and moved on as it lightened. Soon the rained stopped and we made our way back to catch our train where we viewed a family of goslings making their way downstream, our second goslings of the day.
