Self isolating circular walk from Forest Gate via Bush Wood & Wanstead

On Sunday Gill and I took advantage of the lovely weather to walk from home for our hour of exercise. We went via Wanstead flats (Epping Forest) past Jubilee Pond into Bush Wood then Wanstead then home. There is loads of beautiful openspaces and parkland within London.

As you can see, pretty much everyone we saw was acting appropriately and keeping to government guidelines. If we keep this up then our parks and open spaces will not have to be closed.

I note today that the French government have banned taking physical exercise between 10am to 7pm. Hopefully, if we keep to our government guidelines such drastic measure will not need to be introduced in the UK. 

Sunday Stroll to Wanstead

Off message but picture collage from a local winters walk yesterday from Forest Gate to Wanstead and back. It was cold but lots of sunshine and blue skies. We stopped off to feed the birds at Jubilee Pond with defrosted green peas (bread makes their stomachs swell apparently but no-one has told the birds this since they were far more interested in bread than our peas).

We then walked through Bush Wood and along Overton Drive, then cut through to George Green. We checked out the Farmers Market in Wanstead and bought some Cromer Crab and a Joint for Sunday dinner. After a bite to eat at Filika Restaurant (great set lunch for £8.95) we walked back home via Wanstead Park.

Lovely little walk just under 5 miles. For the whole day I had 127 Google Fit movement minutes and 90 heart points. 

Dappled Sunshine Walk in Bush Wood

Off message but on Sunday we were supposed to go on a run around Wanstead Flats and Park but it was so hot that we walked instead for a hour or so.

Picture is from Bush Wood (with a little help from Google photo assistant).

I just love the greenery and the dappled sunshine. You cannot beat natural beauty. 

London Marathon Training 2012 Wk 9: Leyton Flats and Eagle Pond.

Training went “okay” (except there were two  sprint interval training sessions!) and there was the extra benefit of being able to run off all the Xmas Party hangovers.

Except I’m a little worried about my Achilles tendon in my left foot which is giving me a bit of gip. I’ve had a problem with this for the last couple of years which I had hoped was sorted.
I’ve got a stretching programme from a Physio and have just ordered a “wobble board”. Fingers crossed.

Long run of the week was for 75 minutes on Christmas Eve. After surviving the madness of the last minute food shop at Waitrose. I started off across Wanstead flats, then thru Bush Wood and into Leyton Flats. Past the Sir Alfred Hitchcock Hotel (he was born in Leytonstone - good bar but hit and miss food) and around Hollow Pond. Back past Eagle Pond and Snaresbrook Crown Court (Picture of Court and pond via BB ).

Back past Eagle Inn (18th Coaching Inn and apparently a watering hole of Winston Churchill when he was MP for Wanstead. Now a pretty naff Toby Carvery). Then thru Wanstead and then St Marys Church and the shelter that was used by a guard in the 1830’s to protect fresh graves in the churchyard from body snatchers. Then via the cricket ground and thru the empty golf course into Wanstead Park then Wanstead Flats then home (to collapse).

I am running the London marathon next year using the official advanced training programme and will be raising funds for Homeless Youth charity "Alone in London". Click here to sponsor me.

Update: I've posted some more pics from run on Facebook here

London Marathon 2012 training: Week 2 - A Children's workhouse and London Welsh Chapel

Week 2 of my London Marathon training went pretty well.  The timed sprints are very tough, I'm not use to running at "maximum effort" but understand that it is necessary.  Touch wood - no broken bones! 

My Sunday morning programme today was a 45 minute "run" (not jog).  I went past last night's Newham Guy Fawkes Fireworks display on Wanstead Flats.  Across the road into Bush Wood.  Past the rear of the  Quaker Meeting House, which has the incongruous but understandable in the circumstances sign on its wall "No trespassers - keep out".  Next I ran past the Welsh Chapel near the Green Man roundabout in Leytonstone.  Incredibly there is a Welsh language service in the Baptist Chapel on the first Sunday of every month at 11am which I have been meaning for the past 20 years or so to attend.  One day...

Right next door to the Chapel is a large Tesco superstore.  What many people do not realise that this use to be a workhouse for children built by the Bethnal Green Poor Law Guardians.  It was a very big site and you must wonder how many thousands of children lived here and what their lives must have been like?  This report is pretty disturbing.

Under the Green Man  roundabout into Leyton flats then cross country behind Snaresbrook Crown Court before coming out at Eagle Lake.  Along Wanstead High Street, running the gauntlet of the Farmers Market and all those stalls cooking delicious smelling sizzling sausages and bacon butties.  Across George Green and then eventually back into Bush Wood and then along Wanstead Flats to home.  A good run.