The weather forecast was for heavy rain all day but that didn’t stop 14  Poly Ramblers from meeting outside Otford station for a ramble through the Kent countryside. I was reminded that Poly Ramblers are hardy souls and are very committed to their weekly ramble whatever the weather. It also brought back memories of another occasion years ago when I led the same walk when the snow was falling thick and fast and this didn’t stop the walk from going ahead either.

After a briefing from the walk leader, we set out through a churchyard to the centre of the village of Otford where we made a diversion to look at the ruins of a sixteenth century archbishop’s palace frequented by Henry VIII and his court. The walk continued around an old village pond complete with duck house until a footpath led us away from a busy road to run alongside the river Darent. The leaders had chosen this path thinking it would be a less muddy alternative than the usual route, but it also proved to be extremely muddy and slippery as it wound its way across fields eventually meeting a golf course. From here we turned down towards a road which led us to a path up the first of our steep climbs. Unfortunately, the sky was so thick with mist and rain, we were not rewarded with the normally splendid view that there is at the top of this hill. However, what goes up has to come down as the saying goes and the path down into Shoreham village was steep and slippery and had to be managed with care. Shoreham is a pretty characterful village with the river Darent running through the middle. The group divided up with some people going for lunch at the Kings Arms and the remainder who had brought their own lunch to the Honeypot Cafe where the owner kindly allowed them to eat their own lunches undercover from the rain. It hadn’t stopped raining all morning, so we were glad of a respite inside somewhere dry and warm. The heaviest of the rain came down whilst we were at lunch as we could hear it beating down on the marquee rooftop at the Kings Arms.

After a good meal and friendly service, we were ready to face the elements again. The puddles outside had grown even bigger and it was still raining but everyone was still committed to finishing the walk! The afternoon walk continued along the river Darent, passed Samuel Palmer’s beautiful Georgian manor house (a nineteenth century English landscape painter), up another steep hill and eventually into a wood from where we emerged on to another golf course. The golf course had a lovely open aspect to it and from here we walked downhill to reach the gatehouse of the sixteenth century Lullingstone Castle which has been owned by the Hart Dyke family for centuries. Within the grounds which are open to the public in the summer is a World Garden containing plants from all corners of the globe. The owner apparently hatched the plan for the garden whilst he was a hostage of a terror group in Colombia. From the castle, the path continued along a tarmac lane passed an English Heritage site containing the remains and mosaics of Lullingstone Roman Villa. We didn’t have time to stop and go inside, but instead continued with our walk along the lane passing under a high nineteenth century railway viaduct. Eventually we reached the village of Eynsford with its old packhorse bridge and ford. At this point, the group disbanded, with half deciding to go into the Riverside Tea Room for tea and cake and the remainder hot footing it up the main road to Eynsford station for the train back into London.

Despite this being one of the wettest and muddiest rambles I can remember, spirits had been high and all in all it had been a very enjoyable day out.

Mary and Chris

I was surprised and slightly alarmed when 30 people (23 Poly Ramblers and 7 guests) turned up at Westminster for my Charles Dickens walk on a mild but slightly drizzly Sunday morning.  Luckily the combination of Covid and the New Year weekend meant that London was quieter than usual and hopefully the large group was able to hear at least some of what I said.

The start of the walk at Westminster marked Dickens’ burial place in Poets Corner at Westminster Abbey in 1870 and one of his early jobs as a parliamentary reporter. We strolled up the north bank of the Thames, pausing briefly to admire the Battle of Britain monument and then through Victoria Embankment Gardens and Whitehall Gardens. On reaching Hungerford Bridge we paused near the site of Warren’s blacking factory, where Dickens was forced to work at the age of 12, his father having been imprisoned for debt at Marshalsea. We headed up Villiers Street, had a look at Buckingham Street where both Dickens and David Copperfield had lodgings, and continued to the Strand and Wellington Street. Dickens edited his magazine All the Year Round here and had a suite of private apartments. Continue reading CHARLES DICKENS’ LONDON – WESTMINSTER TO FARRINGDON 2 JANUARY →

We made our way from Brixton tube, crossing Electric Avenue, to Brockwell Park. We visited the walled garden, where we had an interesting chat with a volunteer and bought jams which are made from the fruit grown in the orchard. After passing the Triton clock tower and Brockwell Hall we crossed the road to Herne Hill station. Despite having told the participants we did not have time to stop at the Sunday market outside the station, the leader and several others succumbed to a delicious jam doughnut. Our next green space was John Ruskin Park, named after the famous writer, poet, philosopher and polymath who lived nearby. Near the exit we saw the portico of 170 Denmark Hill which still stands as a reminder of the eight houses cleared to make way for the new park at the beginning of the 20^th century. We passed through Green Dale Fields and by Alleyn’s school before descending to Dulwich Village. Here we were able to learn about the famous actor and businessman Edward Alleyn from an info point and admire the almshouses and chapel he built in 1616. It had started to rain so we were pleased to get to our lunch spot at the café in the grade 2 listed Dulwich Park.

Continue reading SUNDAY 5th DECEMBER BRIXTON to CRYSTAL PALACE (Linear) 10.5 miles →

I was surprised to see that 14 people had joined me for my walk on such a windy, chilly and wet day.  We started the walk from St Margarets in Hertfordshire (County of Opportunity) and headed uphill, then following the path through fields and up a pasture before reaching the A10 roundabout.  We then entered the grounds of Haileybury College – opened in 1809 – where Stephen used to go to school.  He told us how he used to climb down the drainpipe to go and have a drink at The Goat Pub.  Stuart also went to Haileybury College but in Melbourne. After this reminiscing, we made our way towards Hertford Heath walking along the scrubby heathlands of the Roundings.  We followed Roman Ermine Street (which ran from London to Lincoln and was extended to York) for a while, no longer straight and not a Roman in sight but we saw an elephant in a field. We arrived at The Goat pub, looking forward to a hot meal but, because of the Christmas Fair on the green which was starting at 13.00 and would be selling food, there was no food in the pub.  While some Polyramblers ate their picnic in the cold, others had a drink and a packet of crisps in the pub.  When we left, the stallholders were fighting the wind to keep their marquis from flying away and there was no food in sight.  We continued our walk valiantly through the autumn colours of Golding’s Wood, walking under the A10 and through more woodland before arriving in Great Amwell.  We went down to the Myddelton Monument urn island and followed the New River – passing Amwell Marsh Pumping Station – back to St Margarets.

Dominique.  Photos by Ida and Stuart

Seven Polyramblers travelled from a busy Euston station to Berkhamsted, where we were joined by three more people. Before starting along the canal we stopped to look at the paintings on a bridge showing scenes connected with the history of the Grand Union Canal. We walked along the canal for a couple of miles and noticed that it was not nearly as busy as the Regent’s Canal the previous week. We passed a heron which was very interested in something in the reeds, perhaps a frog. Herons are quite common on the canal but you don’t see many dragons. We did, however, see a dragon. It was carved from wood and was on a table in the garden of a canal-side house. For anyone who collects dragons, it is on sale for £600.
At Dudswell we left the canal, crossed the A4251 and started to climb through fields. In the first field we saw a couple of donkeys who started to approach us but then changed their minds. We saw horses and then someone spotted llamas in the distance. After a steady, but not too strenuous climb we reached a stile. Fortunately it was an easy stile, which brought us on to a sports ground. One of our party tried to push the groundsman’s roller, but without success. I suspect that the groundsman uses a tractor. After a few more fields and wooded areas we came to the Greyhound at Wigginton, where two people went off the look for a picnic spot, and one left for Tring station as she had an important appointment.
A table had been set aside for us and we sat down to order drinks and study the menu. The pub was busy and we had a long wait for our food. However we passed the time in pleasant conversation, with topics that ranged from the Himalayas to fostering rabbits and hamsters. When the food finally arrived we all agreed that it was very tasty. One of the group tackled a large plate of Wendover sausages on a bed of mashed potato, with a separate dish of vegetables. I had tried this on my walkover and can recommend it to anyone who goes to the Greyhound, provided they have a healthy appetite.
Thanks to the long wait for our meal we were able to make the 15.34 Southern service to Clapham Junction. We walked through Wigginton village and joined the Ridgeway Path, which took us through fields. From the path we were able to see Ivinghoe Beacon and then, on the high arched bridge over the A41, we were able to pick out the Bridgewater Monument and the village of Aldbury (see my next walk). We were just in time for the train, which took us to Berkhamsted, Shepherd’s Bush and West Brompton.

Sandy.  Photos by Ida