14 Polyramblers and a guest set off for our walk, on a sunny Sunday morning. We crossed Hammersmith Bridge to walk along the River Thames via the towpath towards Barnes, we walked through the Leg of Mutton nature reserve and spotted a couple of herons patiently fishing.
Just before our lunch stop we saw a family of Egyptian Geese, mum, dad and at least 10 very young goslings who were feeding and paddling on the foreshore under the watchful eyes of their parents.
Ten of us met at Hadley Wood train station and thought of Geoffrey when I pointed out the memorial plaque to Sir Nigel Gresley, designer of the famous ‘Flying Scotsman’ and ‘Mallard’ locomotives who used to live in Hadley Wood.
Continue reading WEDNESDAY 15 JULY -THE SALMONS BROOK TRAIL PART 1 – HADLEY WOOD TO GRANGE PARK
An elite team of 4 walkers arrived at Bentley station with no problems on the line, which was an unusual & auspicious start to the day. It was hot, 1 degree under the recommended ‘Cancel-the Walk’ temperature, but as we were going to be mostly in woodland, it was actually very pleasant.
Continue reading SATURDAY 11th JULY BENTLEY to FARNHAM (Linear) 11.5 miles.A select group of five Poly Ramblers met at Berwick Station to begin our final stages of the Vanguard Way. We crossed fields following the line of a Roman Rd, passing through the village of Berwick we entered the South Downs national Park. We stopped at Berwick Church to admire the Bloomsbury group paintings by artists Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, and Quentin Bell. The murals were commissioned in the hope that there would be a golden age for painted churches.
Continue reading Berwick to New Haven 13 miles Section 9/10 of the Vanguard Way – 6 June 2026
On another hot day, nine members met at Mill Hill East station for a circular walk of just over five miles in the London Borough of Barnet. After a stop at a nearby Waitrose for use of their facilities, we headed along a suburban road to the thirteen arch Northern Line viaduct, the highest point above ground level on the London Underground network. As it towered above us, we joined the Dollis Brook trail for a pleasant shaded walk through woodland. Soon we branched off left through a golf course for a stretch of road walking. After a small altercation with a driver who appeared to be unaware of pedestrian priority at a turning, we reached an enclosed track with horses greeting us in an adjacent field. This took us in due course to Totteridge Green with its delightful duck pond. After skirting some cottages and large houses, we reached the Orange Tree Inn. Here we stopped for drinks and where some of our number ate a picnic lunch at the lovely pond opposite. Refreshed we headed up to the attractive village church where we joined another track down the long slope of the Totteridge valley. Extensive views opened up as we left woodland with the Mill Hill medical research institute dominating the skyline. Passing a cricket match in progress, we headed uphill to the Adam & Eve pub where the group split. Some headed down Bittacy Hill to complete the walk while the rest delayed their departure down the hill to partake of drinks in the pub. Fortunately there were no transport delays returning home, unlike my recent Alton walk.
Danny
Photos courtesy of Les Filby.
