Ashdown Forest Circular – (Sussex) – 29/06/08 – 13.1 miles exact – IVC

The day started with the slight inconvenience of Osterley station being closed for refurbishment. So rather than bookmarking todays walk with an additional 2 miles walking each way to Boston Manor underground, I decided the best course of action was to cycle there. It was proving however not to be a good day for stations as I was forced to queue up twice for my train ticket at Victoria, with the clerk claiming there was no such place as Ashurst. A quick check with enquiries proved there was, only for the second booking office clerk to come up with the same line again. A slight loss of temper later and she somehow managed to find the station after all (apparently I wasn’t the only one in our group to have this problem).

However having all got there in the end the walk started along the Wealdway on what was an overcast but muggy day. Needless to say there was plenty of nettles (see picture), and just like last time out I was fully kitted out in my shorts. One moment of interest before lunch was passing two reasonably adjacent pillar boxes overlooking the weald. However with the threat of a German invasion having passed, they no longer appear to be manned.

Lunch was at the Anchor pub in Hartfield, where they had a nice collection of cigarette cards in a frame next to where I was seating, featuring characters from Dickens. Anyway I had the (so so) Cod and Chips and a pint of Cider (no change there then). Unfortunately the desert menu didn’t seem all that coherent (chocolate and peppermint mouse anyone ?), so three of us ended up buying Mars bars instead.

The afternoon found us deep in the Five Hundred Acre Wood (where Christopher Robin Played), heading for Pooh Bridge. Having finally got there, we found the approach was actually covered in Pooh (of the horse variety), which I can’t remember Diane Louise Jordan having to cope with, when she was there with Countryfile. Anyway there was a few half hearted attempts at Pooh Sticks by some of our number, before it was given up as a bad job and everyone moved on.

A few small climbs later and we were then retracing our steps back to Ashurst station, which gave us short’s wearers a chance to get reacquainted with the nettles we had come through earlier. Thus by the time we reached the station, our proud owner of a satellite GPS was able to tell everyone that we had come exactly 13.1 miles (that being 1.1 miles further than advertised). Certainly that extra 1.1 mile didn’t spoil the day for me. Oh no I had to wait till later in the day when I got back to Boston Manor underground station, and found my £700 bike stolen, in order to do that.

Stonegate to Robertsbridge – (East Sussex) – 08/06/08 – 10 miles approx – IVC.

With the temperature forecast to be 24 degrees, I decided that this was a good day to break out the shorts again. In the event not a good idea as around a third of this walk was spent ploughing through nettles of one sort or another.

The weather as promised was perfect, and the shortish first half of the walk was spent going through sunny open fields. Hadrians Wall of course came up in the conversation, with our regular couple intending to do an 8 day holiday along it, and another guy on the walk having done it as well (there goes my exclusive bragging rights then).

After three miles we had already reached our lunch stop at the small village of Burwash. The woman in the pub at first appeared overwhelmed by our numbers (17), but then conceded that as long as we didn’t want the roast (already booked) they would do us lunch. So for a nice change I decided to have the cod and chips. Deciding not to wait for desert giving their one o clock rush (?), me and another guy wandered off to a (quaint Forties throwback) tea room in order to get some cake. However mindful of my weight I decided to forego the chocolate sponge and stick with the coffee and walnut cake instead. Once back at our pre arranged meeting spot, we were caught up by two of our regulars, who had missed the train at Orpington by a couple of minutes.

The second half was fairly non-descript and unexciting, involving trawling along and through miles of overgrown woodland path. Thus there was no ravishing scenary or sexy landmarks, just endless nettles and bushes irritating your legs and whacking you in the face. One of our party had thoughtfully brought along a small pair of hand clippers, however several machetes would probably have been more appropriate. This is apparently known as the remote Weald. I had brought my new camera along, intending to come back with a host of stunning pictures. However the harsh high contrast sunlight and shade, and the lack of things to take anyway, meant that this was not a good day for photography. We did pass (what turned out to be) Kipling’s house Bateman’s in the afternoon, however as is my wont, that was the moment I forgot I had a camera on me.

What the second half of the the walk did have was a series of fairly steep climbs. This however was becoming far too much for one (non regular and) slightly overweight member of our party. Thus he started to become in more and more trouble with each successive gradient. Depite various others giving him water and carrying his rucksack, he was literally collapsing on the grass every time we stopped for a break. In the end the two leaders decided a combination of the final climb being likely to prove too much for him, and the need to get the 1751 hourly train (as he was slowing us all down), meant they lopped a couple of miles off the route (intention was 12 miles). Therefore we finished the last section along some country lane until we reached Robertsbridge station.

Kingston to Hatton X – (Surrey) – 01/06/08 – 8.5 miles – Walk London.

This being the second day of Walk London’s – Spring into Summer series of walks. Whereas yesterday’s walk was part of the Capital Ring, this one was a section of the 150 mile London Loop.

A small group of 9 walkers (including the two leaders) met at Kingston Station, at 10.00am on a muggy and overcast morning. Our first objective was Bushey Park (which turned out to be a lot bigger than I thought), and which like yesterday featured some very young deer (in my picture taking a swim). There was also the very attractive and manicured Waterhouse Woodland Gardens to please the eye.

The next highlight of sorts was crossing Fulwell Golf Course, and shortly after we found ourselves in Whitton’s Crane Park. The discovery here was a very tall listed building known as the Shot Tower (pictured). At one time this was a centre of the gunpowder industry employing some 320 people, with its products being shipped down river along the River Crane. It finally closed in 1926, but not before having some 50 + accidents (some being heard in East London, and another apparently blowing out every window in Twickenham). The sole member of staff opened it up early so that we could climb the 87 steps to the top (only to have the view blocked by the leafy canopy), and also let us browse around the museum section at the base.

Then it was onto Hounslow Heath which turned out to be a lot bigger than I assumed it was (seeing as I am fairly local). However it is also fairly non-descript, and somewhere you could easily find yourself getting lost. We then picked up the River Crane again, coming off briefly for a drink in a not too friendly local pub, before picking up the same river on the way to the Hatton X finish. On this last bit we came across some large mounds of earth designed to shield from gunpowder blasts at a site where the (Shot Tower’s) gunpowder was stored and dried.

All of the above described made for an interesting and physically undemanding walk. What does spoil this particular section of the London Loop however is the sheer amount of time one has to spend walking on main roads connecting the better and greener parts. Thus for those parts one could not help feeling a bit of a wally in rucksack and boots, effectively walking along the pavement. Also unlike yesterdays Capital Ring, the signage here was virtually non-existent, and to be frank there are parts of this walk I would not feel safe walking alone (and we did pass one or two unsavoury characters). That said Walk London (and those who fund them) have to be applauded for the amount of work, literature and walk leaders they are putting into opening up hidden parts of London, and for the weekend in general. For more information about this and all their walks click http://www.walklondon.org.uk/

Wimbledon Park to Osterley – (Surrey) – 31/05/08 – 11 miles approx – Walk London.

This walk being one of 39 organised over two days by Walk London http://www.walklondon.org.uk/ as part of their Spring Into Summer weekend. The actual walk itself being a 7.5 mile section of the 78 mile Capital Ring, and travels from Wimbledon Park (tube) to Richmond Station. At the end of which I carried on with the Capital Ring for another 3.5 miles, until I had reached Osterley.

A group of about 20+ walkers gathered at Wimbledon Park Tube for the 10.30am start, 4 of which were leaders of some sort. So having made our way into the park, we found ourselves being photographed by a local press man in order to publicise the (London wide) event. Everyone seemed chatty and happy to be there, none more so than our ultimate leader Jill, who as well as being an ultra 24 hour walker, is also some sort of Bat Warden (as if walking round the Isle of Wight coast for 24 hours didn’t make you enough of a super hero).

Having left the tennis courts and the hidden athletics stadium behind, we were soon out on the road which I recognised as part of the approach to the (not close enough to be visible) All England Lawn Tennis Club. However a diversion off of that and we were on Wimbledon Common, with its famous windmill. By the time we reached Putney Heath, it did start to look as if the heavens were about to open at any moment. Thankfully in the event not, with the only nuisance value being the Mountain bike fraternity and a few horses.



Having crossed the footbridge over the A3 we were into Richmond Park via the Robin Hood gate, where we cut straight across the park. This being a whole new and unrecognisable section of Richmond Park for me, as I have tended in the past to stick to the perimeters. The beauty of it being you are not being hassled by either motorists or cyclists (as is the case in some sections). We then stopped for some snacks upon a pile of logs, where leader Jill thoughtfully provided some Swiss Roll, for the likes of me who hadn’t brought anything along. While her husband and other leader Dave gave me a handy map of the whole 78 mile Capital Ring.



Then it was onwards onto Pembroke Lodge and what is the highest point of Richmond Hill, called Henry VIII’s Mound. There a telescope is thoughtfully provided free, and if you look through it at a gap through the bushes, you can see St. Pauls Cathedral. Apparently this was where Henry kept a look out for smoke from the Tower of London, to signal when Anne Boleyn had just had her breakfast ruined. Unfortunately even with the telescope’s help, none of us could see the Tower or Windsor Castle, which are also supposed to be visible.

We eventually left the park at the gate by the Dysart Arms pub and picked up a small path till we came to Petersham Meadows where other leaflets were handed out. Then it was onto the Thames Towpath in order to come off just after Richmond Bridge and the finish of the scheduled walk, with a few questions (for the TFL types who were sponsoring this) as to what did we like the most/least etc.

At this point I carried on alone along the towpath on what is still part of the scheduled Capital Ring. This involved crossing Twickenham Footbridge, and a few forced diversions in and out from the river, until I came to Syon Park. Having crossed through there, where some sort of posh wedding was taking place, I picked up the Grand Union Canal in Brentford, coming off at the Gt. West Road, and home for tea.

Incidentally I did take some more/better pictures than the two shown here, but like one of the days on Hadrians Wall, I inadvertently left the camera on macro, leaving the results in blurryvision.

Hadrians Wall Path – Day 5 + Postscript – Walton to Carlisle – (Northumbria) – 14/05/08 – 12 miles approx – Helen

Day 5 and the Romans had left us. Thus unlike the previous three days there were no wall, turrets, milecastles or museums. As such we rounded the holiday off with a pleasant country walk in the morning, mostly through farmland, passing in the process Carlisle airport (post Roman), before having a light pub lunch at Crosby on-Eden. In the afternoon we crossed the M6 heading through Rickerby Park alongside the River Eden, until we reached Carlisle Football Ground (thankfully at home to Leeds the following night) and the end of our trail along Hadrians Wall Path.

Having reached the end of our line however there followed some minor confusion as to whether we were where we thought we were, followed by a hunt for our final (but full distance walkers penultimate) passport stamping point at the Sandy sports centre. That concluded we located our B&B, the most spacious room all week, before heading off to the local golf club for dinner, and back again for a final game of chess, and to watch Rangers in the UEFA Cup Final. A low key last day on a very enjoyable and interesting week.

POSTSCRIPT

There will always be a nagging feeling with me that we should have gone for the full 84 miles. You know it is just one of those irritating things, that when you explain to someone you have walked Hadrians Wall, you then have to start qualifying it by saying “well no I didn’t do the full distance and the reason is …..”

Certainly given the pace that we proved we were able to cross ground on day 5 (when there was nothing to look at), I know we could have done the full distance with ease, over the five days we had allocated to it. That however is the crux of the matter, as in the mid section between Chollerford and Walton there is just so much to look at, and look is exactly what we did. Yet even then we still didn’t have time to see two major highlights en-route, which were Housesteads and Vindolando.

What day 1 and day 5 of our intinerary showed however, was that outside of that mid-section there really isn’t anything there, and you are following a path where you literally have to take the trail makers word for it. So as such those two days justified for me not tacking on the Wallsend or Bowness-on-Solway endings just in order to claim one has walked a mythical wall and distance.

So if any of you are reading this and fancy doing the same thing yourself, you can use the holiday company Contours http://www.contours.co.uk/index.htm which we used, and who proved to be efficient at doing what they said they would. You can also make up your own tour intinerary with them allocating as many days you want to it. For my money however 5 days is probably the right time to spend. Unlike us however I believe you should either do the full walk of 84 miles, looking neither left nor right and just go for the distance. Or alternatively allocate your full 5 days to the section between Chollerford and Walton (which we did in 3), and really soak up that Roman history.

Finally to put Hadrians wall in its full historical context a good starting point is this Wikipedia link Roman Britain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Britain (the week has certainly stimulated my interest).

Hadrians Wall Path – Day 4 – Greenhead to Walton– (Northumbria) – 13/05/08 – 8 miles approx – Helen

First stop of the day, within spitting distance of Holmhead guest house, was the ruins of Thirlwell castle which was built sometime around the 14th century. Its relevance to our tour, is that it was built exclusively from material pinched from Hadrians Wall. Apparently (and somewhat ironically) when the castle itself fell into disrepair, much of its stonework was pinched again by local farmers. Anyway suffice to say there really wasn’t much there to see or spend time on.

So off we trotted diverting into the small village of Gilsland where Meg of Megs café, provided us with coffee, cake, and sandwiches for later. I did think I overheard her mention to someone that there were 300 soldiers heading our way, however sponge cake can do funny things to you that time of the morning so I dismissed that as something she was talking about from last nights telly. Also around this time we passed the home of Jefficus (with shield on display outside), who apparently can be hired out as a Roman soldier to anyone who has a taste for that sort of thing. I must admit I felt a little sad about this, as the guy’s career options have obviously been severely restricted by virtue of his name.

So off we were again travelling past Poltross Milecastle, Willowford Roman Wall, Willowford East and West Turrets and best of all Willowford Bridge. This was in fact one of three bridges built on this location as the Romans tried to adjust to the changing course over time of the River Irthing. What I particularly liked was how much remains and stands comparison with the on site information plaque (which I hope the photos illustrate). Looking at the contemporary bridge that spans the river now, I couldn’t help noticing the amount of stones on the bed in the vicinity and wondered whether these were part of the first two bridges that were swept away ?




Another steep climb and another milecastle followed, as well as a fair amount of wall before we arrived at Birdoswold Roman Fort & Study Centre. I have to admit that of the the three museums/forts we visited this was the least impressive both inside and out, or maybe I was just getting a little museum/ruins fatigue. It was also noticeable outside looking around the fort, that despite the sunshine there was a biting chill wind if you stood around too long in it. Suffice to say we didn’t, and after more coffee and cake, we were back on the march.


Once on our way we came to realise that the 300 soldiers thing wasn’t a joke after all, as wave after wave of young squaddies came route marching towards and past us. They all seemed friendly enough though, and I think I heard later that they were marching the full 84 miles for charity in half a day (or something like that). Naturally we were on a slower schedule, which was just as well as there was still plenty to investigate en-route such as: Piper Sike Turret, Pike Hill Signal Tower, Banks East Turret, and Hare Hill.

Oh yes Hare Hill, where apart from another section of wall they have a slightly overhanging tree on the path that passes the farm of the same name. Needless to say yours truly (distracted by a cow pat) walked straight into it. I tried my best from that point on, to alarm Helen of the possible consequences of brain damage if my head swelled up later on in the day, which of course she was having none of. In fact so blasé was she about everything at that point, that walking through a field about six feet past the nose of a massive bull (minus cows in said field) held not the slightest concern for her. I took a different point of view on that one however, and decided (whatever the sign said) to take a serious diversion round that particular field. Partly because I was wearing a red shirt, and partly because I thought one bump on the head was enough for that day.

Our last point of interest as we were on the approach to our B&B was another piece of remains called Dovecote Bridge. There Helen met a really nice horse and they both agreed to keep in touch after the holiday. I on the other hand was getting a tad impatient for us to get to the B&B to answer a call of nature. Fortunately I was able to hang on the 5 minutes or so it took to get there, only to find the bastard place was closed. Thus no amount of banging on the door, phoning up landlines or mobiles, or eventually contacting the (nothing like this has ever happened before, call us tomorrow) tour company, could get the door open. Anyway remember that chill wind I was talking about earlier, well yes that was starting to kick in with a vengeance. A quick conversation with the sole human life form in the area (cutting his grass) established there were no other options, besides they had our luggage. However some 45 minutes after our first bang on the door, the B&B owner deigned to let us in, at which point she wanted to know did we want our ‘complimentary coffee’s’ outside ……..aaarrrrgggghhhhh.

Hadrians Wall Path – Day 3 – Steel Rigg to Greenhead – (Northumbria) – 12/05/08 – 9 miles approx – Helen

In walking terms the scheduled 8 miles was virtually a rest day, which in the event was extended to 9 by virtue of refusing a lift from the B&B back to Steel Rigg car park (well it was supposed to be a walking holiday). So the plan was to do all of the walking up to and around lunchtime, leaving the afternoon to browse around the en-route Carvoran Roman Army Museum.

There was a distinct chill in the air when we set off, and once we had picked up the trail from the car park, it was back to where we were the previous evening, with the best preserved sections of wall, the most rugged scenery, and an assortment of turrets and milecastles to investigate. Part of the post Roman history of the wall, is that over the centuries it has been systematically plundered as a source of free building materials for everyone in the region. It is therefore logical that the parts of the wall that are furthest away from civilisation (read the cities at either end, the B6318, and local farms), which also tend to be in the most inaccessible places, are where the wall is at its tallest, widest, and longest. So that was where we were currently walking.


Our first real objective was to reach the marked public convieniences at a car park in Cawfields. Thus having reached Cawfields milecastle 42, we found ourselves being greeted by a very friendly cat. We exchanged the customary greetings with it, explaining in the process that we didn’t have any food, and then wandered up the very steep stepped elevation, that was part of the milecastle. To our surprise the cat decided to then come up the stairs and join us. Not quite knowing what to do then, we gave it a few more strokes and came back down, all the while watched by our new feline friend from its lofty vantage point. Perhaps it was trying to tell us something ?





Onwards and often upwards we continued, at one point debating whether the dry stone walling we encountered to our left in a local farm, was really the hidden fort that was marked on the map. Although most of this section was continued as part of the walled elevation. Not for the first time we wondered that given the sheer drop to the North in these parts, was it really necessary to build any defensive wall here at all. Anyway by the time we found somewhere to stop for an outdoor cup of coffee, passing by a surplus of park rangers, it was early afternoon and we were virtually at Carvoran Roman Army Museum.

The museum itself was far superior to the one at Chesters the previous day, not least for the 20 minute CGI driven film about how the wall looked and operated back in AD122. The premise being that this was being seen from an eagle’s eye (or helicopter’s), which Helen admitted had made her feel dizzy. In my case however it managed to send me unintentionally to sleep (I did manage to stay awake for the second viewing though). There was also another film intended to be a recruiting clarion call for the Roman army (although it was not made clear whether this was original footage or not), as well as the usual posters, pictures and lifeless dummies (but enough about the gift shop and its staff). Also making its presence known in the museum was a very loud, know it all American kid, with his entourage of parents and siblings. Although I did try and see if there was a Roman sword within handy grabbing distance, nothing suitable was in reach, and the plastic gift shop ones would probably not have been up to the task I intended.

So not too late in the afternoon we arrived at Holmhead Guest House confusingly by the back entrance. Now this was definately the most unique B&B of the whole holiday. Helen wasn’t impressed by the fussy pink frillyness of the bedroom, and for my part I found the bathroom shower arrangement somewhat unusual. However unlike anywhere else there was a large common room for all the guests (which we had to ourselves) stuffed to the gills with magazines/books/photos/collectibles of all things: Hadrians Wall, country walking, and tourist Northumberland. The real surprise however was the three piece meal that ended up being set before us. Host Pauline and her staff, really cook to Gordon Ramsey standards, and it was without doubt one of the best meals I have had in years. Be warned however whilst the prices are not quite what you would pay at Gordon Ramsey’s, it is as well to check your Visa’s credit limit before you let her indulge you (not a problem for me on this occasion however, as it was Helen’s turn to pay).