Sundon Hills Walk - Chiltern Society & OS maps

 

On Sunday Gill and I stopped off at Upper Sundon, Bedfordshire on way back from North Wales to London for a 4 mile walk to break up the journey. How many times have we just made long journeys from A-B without stopping off. 

A fabulous, peaceful walk with some great views and rolling landscape. Check out route here (paywall) and more photos on Facebook.

Exercise log since 2018 (and Roman Road Keto Brunch)

After a run yesterday I checked my watch app (currently called Zepp Life) and I found I had been for 1700 miles of walks and ran 1100 miles since 26/5/18 (also 1546 miles of Cycling). Celebrated with Keto brunch in Fiesta Café, Roman Road.
 

Hertford & the Cole Green Way walk

Off message but a nice if damp tramp today with Gill starting in Hertford. A http://www.pathfinderwalks.co.uk/our-books/pathfinder-hertfordshire-bedfordshire/ circular walk, some 45 minutes from East London by car and accessible by train. 

As we started the walk it started to rain very heavily so we sheltered in the entrance to the Gatehouse of Hertford castle, which is now run by the local Council. As we were drinking coffee and eating scotch eggs, some council officers returned from a civic event and I had a chat. One of them was the Council mace bearer who remembered meeting the Newham Council mace bearer at a national meeting of Mace Bearers. Small world. 

I was pleased that the gatehouse was proudly flying the flag of Ukraine in solidary with its people and that the chain surrounding the central cenotaph was wrapped in blue and yellow.

The walk was only 5.5 miles and there was a little bit of up and down but it was not that demanding. Some fine, open views of the Lea Valley. It rained on and off for a while but brightened up at the end. The Cole Way is an old railway line which has been converted into a 4 mile none traffic walkway. 

We sat on a log in the "Grotto wood" just off the walk for a damp lunch. The Grotto was a romantic folly created in the 18th century and reminded me a little of Wansted Park but there are little remains. 

We saw some magnificent birds of prey and a young fox, who we followed along a path for quite a while, until he turned round, saw us then quickly ran off. 

Compared to our walk last weekend in the Chilterns, it was very quiet and we saw very few other walkers. 

At the end of the walk we had a drink in the "Woolpack" in Hertford town centre overlooking the river. I did my normal trick of asking the bar staff what was their best bitter and they served me a pint of locally brewed McMullen mild which to my surprise (not being a mild drinker) was lovely. 

Will post and link more photos on facebook. 

Knockholt Pound & Chevening House walk

Off message but went on lovely 5 mile circular walk last Sunday with Gill in North Downs, Kent. Great views marred a bit by road noise from M25 for part of the route. Not a tough walk at all for such marvellous prospectives.  

Check out the free website (donations welcome) https://kentwalksnearlondon.com/walk-24-knockholt-pound-chevening-circular-5-miles/

It is around 50 minutes by car from Newham. There is railway station about 2 miles away so you could extend walk if using public transport. 

I think I saw a Battle of Britain Flight Spitfire flying overhead but not sure and I was too slow to take a proper photo.  

Chevening House, dominates the skyline for much of this walk and is the marvellous "grace and favour" home for the current Foreign Secretary. I can think of better uses. Just saying...

The village pub, Three Horseshoes, was shut but stopped off at nearby village pub, The Bulls Head, for a beer, which was very nice and the food looked excellent. 

Hatfield Broad Oak from Takeley walk - Remembering a European Genocide in Hellman's Cross

This picture college is from a lovely sunny and warm walk last month in Essex near Bishop Stortford.

Only 8.75 miles in length and 36 minutes from Newham by car.

Check "Go4Walk" website here https://www.go4awalk.com/walks/walk-search/walk.php?walk=e152 (error on website site that suggests Essex is in Lincolnshire wolds - it is not!)

Quiet, pretty, gentile rolling countryside amongst chocolate box ancient villages. We hardly saw a soul during the walk.

We stopped for lunch at Hellman's Cross, which is now a peaceful rural hamlet but at this spot in  1683, local villager Elizabeth Abbot, was burnt to death as a witch.

We stopped off here on another walk in 2011. I can't find on the internet more information about Elizabeth Abbot but I note this report that :-

"From 1484 until around 1750 some 200,000 witches were tortured, burnt or hanged in Western Europe. Most supposed witches were usually old women, and invariably poor. Any who were unfortunate enough to be ‘crone-like’, snaggle-toothed, sunken cheeked and having a hairy lip were assumed to possess the ‘Evil Eye’ ! 

If they also had a cat this was taken a proof, as witches always had a ‘familiar’, the cat being the most common.

Many unfortunate women were condemned on this sort of evidence and hanged after undergoing appalling torture. The ‘pilnie-winks’ (thumb screws) and iron ‘caspie-claws’ (a form of leg irons heated over a brazier) usually got a confession from the supposed witch.". 

A shameful statistic in our near history which we should remember.

Essex Walks: Matching - Sunday 6 August 2017

Off message but Gill and I did a lovely circular 5.3 mile walk today around Matching in Essex (near Harlow). You start at the ancient village church and walk down the road to the most glorious english duck pond ever. You then cross lush meadows surrounded by woods spoilt only slightly by the occasional jet taking off in the distance from Stansted airport and the faint hum of the M11.

You walk away from this into quiet country lanes and across overgrown bridleways. If you don't like getting your legs a little scratched from thorns and nettles then don't wear shorts.

We passed huge fields planted with a crop of peas or beans that appear to have been left to go black and rot for unknown reasons. Then massive field after field of golden wheat just waiting to be harvested.

There were also countless massive dragonflies and fluttering butterflies with the occasional bird of prey up high on patrol for its next meal. Apart from that we saw hardly anyone for the entire walk.

Halfway through the walk, you could leave the route for the Fox pub in Matching Tye for a meal or drink but instead we enjoyed a picnic on the edge of a wood overlooking yet another expansion of wheat.

You finish off along farm tracks and end up again at the start point, the Church of St.Mary the Virgin which is well worth a visit. The guide book that you can buy inside for £2 suggests it was built on the site of a old Saxon Church and has been altered and rebuilt a number of times during the past 1000 years.

I note that the distinguished Welsh scholar and poet, John Morgan, was a vicar here 1728-1732.

30m to the west of the church is the "unique" two story "Wedding Feast Room" built in the late 15th century "for the entertainment of poor people on their wedding day". Amazing.

In the church there is also a memorial to the 197 American airman from 391st Bomb Group who were killed, wounded or missing while based at the Matching airfield from January to October 1944 in support of the D Day Landing.

This was a great walk only 40 minutes drive from East London in a particularly lovely part of Essex.

Hat tip Essex Walks

Tolpuddle Martyrs Walk: Greensted, Essex 2017

On Sunday 16 July Sunday 2017 during the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs weekend, I went for a walk with Gill in Chipping Ongar and Greensted to visit the wooden Saxon Church and pay homage to the Tolpuddle Martyrs who were resettled in farms around here, after they were released from transportation to Australia.

It is a lovely part of the world and the Church is just amazing. It is also thought to be the oldest wooden Church in the world and the oldest wooden building standing in Europe.

One of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, James Brine (I used to manage James Brine House in Bethnal Green as a Council housing officer) married the daughter of another of the victims, Elizabeth Standfield, here on 20 June 1839.

The Martyrs were driven out of the area due to opposition due to the local Rector and they emigrated to Canada.

The walk was about 9 miles (we got a little lost) but it was a good planning event for next year, so any supporters of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, who cannot get to Dorset that weekend may want to join us on a walk to Greensted.

The starting point of the walk in the village of Chipping Ongar is also well worth a visit.

Brightlingsea, St Osyth & Walton-on-the-Naze walks

Off message but spent the weekend in Brightlingsea, which is on the Essex coast. Weather was warm and lovely.

Great walks around this historic and beautiful coastline.

Brightlingsea is a "limb of Sandwich, one of the ancient Cinque Ports". The St Osyth witch persecutions in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw a total of ten local women being hanged in this tiny and desolate village.  While Walton with its Naze, beaches and pier is important to so many East Enders for childhood seaside holidays and still has the best freshly cooked (in home made batter) Cod, Chips and peas in the land.

Why is being close to water so attractive even to landlubbers like myself?

Trotski finishes 16th (but still beats TUSC)

Ivan Antonovich Trotski from Belarus finished 16th in the London 2012 Olympics 20k walking road race. Mind you he still did better than the TUSC in the British local elections in May.

:)

Hat tip Ali G.