It was ideal weather – sunny but not hot – for this 7-mile walk continuing our circle around London on the Green London Way. Fourteen Poly Ramblers met at Richmond tube station and made their way to the Thames through busy shopping streets. We followed the shaded river path northbound along the Old Deer Park, the Royal Mid-Surrey Gold Club and Kew Gardens. There were quite a few walkers and cyclists, some with bells and some without (the cyclists – not the walkers announcing they were lepers!). We walked at different speeds and met at Kew Bridge where two speedy walkers were already having lunch in a café. We crossed the bridge and some of us had a picnic, others went to a café or a pub. I lost three walkers after lunch; one who could only do a short walk and two who had planned to stay in the pub. Continue reading GREEN LONDON WAY – RICHMOND TO BOSTON MANOR 6 AUGUST
All posts by Gillian
AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND IN WORCESTER
Fully booked. Enquiries to Gillian
Photo: Philip Halling / Kleve Walk, Worcester / CC BY-SA 2.0
Norfolk Coast Path: Happisburgh to Hopton on Sea 26-28 June 2026
For the second year in a row, our trip to the Norfolk coast coincided with a heat wave in the south east, so we were delighted to hear reports from the early arrivals that Great Yarmouth was positively chilly in the evening. The town was clearly struggling economically but has a rich maritime history and those who managed to visit the Time and Tide museum were impressed. On the first evening most of the group gathered in the Alexandra restaurant for an excellent meal.
The next morning was hot as forecast, but we need not have feared as sea breezes came tumbling over us as we stepped onto Happisburgh beach. The cloudless sky had turned the sea a Mediterranean blue. A vast, white swathe of firm sands, damp from the retreating tide, made the going easy as we strode out to the sound of the waves. Continue reading Norfolk Coast Path: Happisburgh to Hopton on Sea 26-28 June 2026
Berwick to New Haven 13 miles Section 9/10 of the Vanguard Way – 6 June 2026
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
MILL HILL CIRCULAR – 20 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.
