Meng writes: Eleven Poly Ramblers had a lovely calm walk with Pam today.  Epping Forest is amazing with beautiful trees, tree roots, fungi, and we also came across a few shy longhorns.  As some of us got closer they began to wander off.  Shame! I have never been to Epping Forest before so it was a real treat.   A thoroughly enjoyable walk which was then topped off by our visit to The Wagon Boulangerie.

Pam adds that there were also mandarin ducks and an interestingly huge green caterpillar. Thanks to everyone for joining in with the spirit of the walk.

Photos by Meng

It had rained on and off all day and it was a blustery evening, so I did not expect many customers for my walk, but 7 stalwart Polyramblers, including Danny, turned up. We started by going north to trendy Islington High Street and Camden Passage, then turned right and right again to walk in gardens on top of the New River. After busy Pentonville Road, we turned into Claremont Square with the large mount of Claremont Square Reservoir in the middle to store water brought from Hertfordshire via the New River. We walked along Myddelton Square with its beautiful Georgian house before going to the viewing platform for the New River Head (there is not much to see but there is a lot to read). We passed Sadler’s Wells theatre, named after the well discovered in the garden of Mr Sadler, the laboratory building, the head office of the Metropolitan Water Board and Spa Gardens. We stopped to read a green plaque on old Finsbury Town Hall for Dadabhai Naoroji (the first Asian elected in the House of Commons) and, in Exmouth Market, a blue plaque for Joseph Grimaldi, the father of modern British Clowning. We did not go into Spa Fields as it was not lit and might be home to footpads (a highwayman operating on foot rather than riding a horse). We did a detour via the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering and the Finsbury Health Centre before reaching the London Metropolitan Archives. Then we followed Clerkenwell Close to arrive in Clerkenwell Green with the Karl Marx Memorial Library and the Old Middlesex Sessions House. Turnmill Street led us to Farringdon station, the end of the walk, but we headed straight to the Sir John Oldcastle for some sustenance. If you want to do the walk, the itinerary and information are here.

Dominique

Eight Poly Ramblers assembled at Chorleywood railway station on the morning of a Saturday for which heavy rain was forecast.  And all too soon we would be only seven because Sunita had to withdraw with her slow-healing leg injury.  After descending through the common we climbed back up to the noisy M25 and a footbridge across, only to cross back a mile or so later. At this time it was still sunny and we were enjoying the southern view of the motorway when we noticed the northbound traffic being slowed up by some vehicles, not police cars but Lamborghinis! as spotted by the eagle-eyed Stuart (see photo), only the first of his visual acuity feats that day.  Later a lambo driver was reported to be assisting the police with their enquiries. Round about then the leader received a no-reply email supposedly conveying a picture message from another member but couldn’t get it to display. Later, in the evening, it eventually transpired to have been from Mike who had made his way to Chorleywood, having missed the group,  and must needs embarked on a circular walk of his own.  Sorry, Mike! Continue reading CHORLEYWOOD CIRCULAR – 2 OCTOBER →

Fifteen walkers and Teddy (the dog) gathered in the Chiltern market town of Princes Risborough on a grey but warm and humid Saturday.  Princes Risborough has medieval origins and my guidebook told me that the under the car park we were standing in was the foundations of the 14th century manor house of Edward the Black Prince.  Disappointingly the group didn’t seem that impressed by this fact.  The first park of the walk took us south through meadows to the hamlets of Horsenden and Saunderton. We diverted to look at the 15th century churchyard in Horsenden. Continue reading PRINCES RISBOROUGH CIRCULAR – 25 SEPTEMBER →

Eighteen Poly Ramblers met at Maidenhead station and made their way to the River Thames by Brunel’s famous rail bridge. It is the widest brick arch ever built and features in Turner’s 1844 painting ‘Rail, Steam and Speed’ viewed by Mick and Dolly just a few days earlier in the National Gallery.

We then followed the Thames Path to Cookham passing Boulter’s Lock described in Jerome K. Jerome’s 1889 novel Three Men in a Boat and the Cliveden Estate centre of the notorious Profumo scandal of 1963.

Six members ended their walk in Cookham whilst the rest of us, after a picnic lunch and a swift drink in the Crown pub’, rejoined the riverbank before heading inland and up a short but steep and narrow path onto an escarpment. We were rewarded with fine views of the Thames Valley as we followed the contour of the hill to its peak at Winter Hill before descending into the pretty eighteenth century town of Marlow.

Missing the hourly train, known as the Marlow Donkey, back to Maidenhead, necessitated us enjoying a drink in the sunny garden of the Marlow Donkey pub’ before heading home.

Jennifer and Sunita with photos by Stuart