This walk was from the book ‘Beyond the End of the Line’ by Jeff Lock.

Nineteen people attended this walk including existing members and some potentially new members.  We set off from Aldgate to the Tower of London walking along waterways to St Katherine’s Dock and onwards to Spirit Quay and Shadwell Basin, Wapping Market and Woods.  

After stopping for a group photo at London’s oldest waterway pub (the Prospect of Whitby) we continued through King Edward Memorial Park to Lime House Basin where we stopped for an hour at the Yurt Cafe to warm ourselves with home cooked food in a cosy atmosphere.

After lunch we walked back to the river coming off at Canary Wharf to join the Island Waterways which lead us to Millwall Dock and Basin.  From there we went to Mudchute Park and Farm which is a large open space and working farm for the local community.

Coming out of Mudchute Park, we walked through Millwall Playing fields exiting under the Docklands Light Railway bridge at Island Gardens Station. 

With our eyes firmly on the end of the walk (the Cutty Sark ship) we approached the Greenwich Tunnel (east side).    While still clutching my guide book I was stopped by a passer-by who stated ‘I wrote that book’.  It was Jeff Lock, the author,  who seeing the copy in my hand, stopped us for a chat! After a very pleasant encounter, he signed my copy and we parted ways,  chuffed at the chance encounter.

Cathy

Nineteen Polyramblers arrived at Northolt Station for a prompt start. We walked through old Northolt village of which only the old Manor House, a few cottages, a pub and St Mary’s Church still remain. We then made our way to the four hills at Northala fields. The hills were constructed using rubble from the demolition of the original Wembley Stadium, which was closed in 2000 and demolished in 2003. We climbed the main hill to enjoy the view of London. Behind the hills lie several man-made lakes which have been constructed to encourage wild life.

Then we made our way along the Grand Union Canal heading towards Horsenden Hill farm. Steve kindly lead about half the group to the Ballot Box pub for lunch and the rest of us enjoyed a picnic, tea and cakes near the farm shop.

After lunch both groups met at the top of Horsenden Hill from where we made our way back to the Station. 

Sunita

Photos by Ida.

On a day when two walks were offered to alleviate the excesses of Xmas consumption, twelve members chose the shorter option and gathered at Lower Sydenham station for a waterside walk through south-east London.

Initially, the group followed the Pool River through a green corridor until it joined the River Ravensbourne on its journey to the Thames. Passing under the South Circular Road, we entered the site of the old Catford Greyhound Stadium, now replaced by blocks of flats. Continuing through Ladywell Fields and past University Hospital Lewisham, we looked at St Mary’s Church before stopping for lunch. Some of our number sampled the beer and cuisine at the Ladywell Tavern while others had a picnic or went to a local cafe.

Suitable refreshed, we headed uphill to the 174 foot high peak of Hilly Fields for its wide-ranging views of London. This green area, once a farm, was saved in the late-nineteenth century by the intervention of Octavia Hill, the co-founder of the National Trust. Back down in the back streets of Lewisham, we rejoined the Ravensbourne and wended our way through Brookmill Park and Broadway Fields to Deptford Bridge, the site of a 1497 battle in the Cornish Rebellion against Norman taxes.

Finally, we headed for Deptford Station, via a bustling market and a distinctive post box artwork, where a few of us made a detour to a renowned pub the Dog & Bull pub for some fortifying mulled wine before heading home.

Danny

Photos courtesy of Patricia Burbidge and Kim Chowns