After a truly horrible final walkover two days earlier – torrential rain, gales, thunder and lightning – the day of the walk was beautiful. It was warm with a pleasingly gentle breeze and the world seemed a different place in which it was a pleasure to be out walking.  We gathered at Stonegate station and set off along paths that were on the map but clearly not, or very rarely, used. There were some rough fields which must have been left for years and were completely overgrown but which had probably once been ploughed and so were ankle-twistingly but invisibly uneven. We are skillful and experienced walkers of course, and we navigated our way through with no problems. There were many stiles that were in a disgraceful state and in some cases so completely overgrown that they had to be hacked free to have any possibility of getting over them. Others had so many bits missing that they were a challenge to even the most long-legged among us but, again, we all managed and eventually were rewarded by a view of the lovely Bewl Water. Continue reading STONEGATE TO WADHURST – 7 SEPTEMBER →

Sixteen of us were on this sunny evening walk around Bermondsey and Rotherhithe. From Bermondsey tube station, we made our way to the Thames which we followed for a short while. We learned about Dr Alfred Salter, his wife Ada and daughter Joyce. Alfred and Ada became involved in local government in an attempt to improve conditions for the poor of the area. There is a statue group of the family by the Angel Inn. Opposite are the remains of a 14th century manor built for Edward III. 

We walked to The Ship pub, passed the mortuary building which is now used by the Time and Talent Association, Hope Sufferance Wharf, the Watch House and the former parish school with the figures of two schoolchildren. We went into St Mary’s churchyard where there is a memorial to Captain Jones, master of the Mayflower. There is also Prince Lee Boo’s grave in the churchyard. I had forgotten to check who he was so could not enlighten the group. But after asking Google, I found out that: “Prince Lee Boo was one of the first Pacific Islanders to visit Great Britain.  His life and untimely death from smallpox, only five months after his arrival in London, captured the imagination of the British, and wider European and American, audiences.”

We passed the Mayflower pub and the Brunel Engine House which was designed by Marc Brunel with his son Isambard Kingdom to be part of the infrastructure of the Thames Tunnel. It held steam-powered pumps used to extract water from the tunnel. It was originally used as a boiler house during the construction of the Thames Tunnel between 1825 and 1843. 

We rejoined the Thames to look at a statue of a Pilgrim Father reading a child’s comic. We left the Thames and made our way to the quite bland Library and Finnish Church and the pretty Norwegian church of St Olav. Both churches were built to serve sailors from Scandinavian ships who delivered their timber cargo to Rotherhithe and Surrey docks.  Then we made our way to Southwark Park.  It was a lovely summer evening, and the park was busy with people relaxing or having a picnic.  We went through the Ada Salter Garden and along the lake.  After a toilet stop by the nice new cafe, we exited the park and went through King George’s Field, passing the former Dock Manager’s Office before reaching Canada Water station where the walk ended. All the pubs mentioned in this report have been patronised by Danny. After the walk, eight of us took the overground to Surrey Quays to go to the Surrey Docks Wetherspoon pub for dinner.  Get in touch with me if you want the details of this walk.

Dominique

Photos by Nita

Nineteen Poly Ramblers met at Acton Town Station made their way to Gunnersbury Park to visit the museum which has an incredibly varied collection of around 50,000 museum and archive items. The collection provides an insight into the heritage and culture of Ealing. Sadly we missed meeting the most recent occupants of Gunnersbury Park, Salt and Pepper (two Kunekune Pigs), however we enjoyed a walk around the pond before making our way towards South Ealing Cemetery. This is one of the largest cemeteries in London; Agatha Christie’s parents and Spencer Perceval, the only Prime Minister in British history to be assassinated, are buried here.

We had lunch at Boston Manor, a combination of woodland and open space adjoining the Grand Union Canal. There was a chance for the group to visit the 17^th century Boston Manor House where there was an intriguing collection of spoons created by members of the community during the Covid Pandemic!

We continued the rest of our walk along the Grand Union Canal having avoided a heavy downpour. We spotted cygnets and ducklings. The leader pointed out some of the orchards planted along the canal where people could forage.

We finished our walk at the leader’s house for refreshments and Cake to celebrate her birthday.

HilaryPhotos by Joyanna, Gillian and Nita.

Ten Polyramblers met at Chorleywood station for a seven mile walk exploring the picturesque Chess Valley and surrounding countryside.

Walking through woods fragrant with the smell of lime trees we reached the pretty village of Chenies with its Tudor Manor House. We visited the adjacent fifteenth century church before walking east past meadows of vibrant blue Lacy phacelia to Mountwood Farm and north through Mount Wood to Crestyl Barn, sadly no longer a watercress farm due to sewage in the river.

Joining the Chess Valley Walk we passed through Sarratt Bottom, deviating uphill to Church End for our picnic in the churchyard and a drink at the Cock Inn, and onward to the Local Nature Reserve at Chorleywood House Estate. 

Finally we walked through the attractive Chorleywood Common, stopping to admire a striking Memorial Tree, before returning to the station.

Sunita and Jennifer with thanks to Nita and Hilary for the photos.

It was a good turn out for the revised walk. Fourteen Polyramblers met outside Staines railway  station and walked to the Staines Obelisk No.87 Coal Tax post,  marking the mid 18th century  boundary of the City of London. 

After half an hour along the Thames Path, the group arrived at the wildlife filled Penton Hook Lock & Island. We walked over the weir to the island. The area is now managed by the Environment Agency to protect wildlife. Fish can travel upstream to spawn via a special channel which bypasses the weir. The Salmon Ladder opened in 1995 linking Teddington to the upstream reaches of the Thames. There were lots of different birds singing when we passed through the island. 

After a short stop for water and snacks, we continued along the towpath for another two miles. We saw a large number of swans, water birds and ducks in the river. We briefly stopped near Laleham Park to learn about the wildlife and birds in the area. Soon we passed the Chertsey Lock and Chertsey Bridge (which has a high water mark showing the level of flooding in 1947). Then we entered Dumpsey Mead, an improved grassland Site of Special Scientific Interest, for a short break. There were some interesting houseboats in the private Ryepeck Meadow Moorings area. According to Bradts Travel Guide both Dylan Thomas and Viv Stanshall once lived on houseboats at Chertsey. 

We reached the third lock of this walk, the Shepperton Lock. Some had a lovely lunch in the Ferry Cafe and some had a picnic nearby. I am glad that no one dropped out at Shepperton and everyone took the  oldest Thames river ferry crossing to the Weybridge side. 

We then followed the Church Walk to the oldest Wey Navigation System (now managed by National Trust). After a short walk along a beautiful stretch of the river Wey, the group finally entered the southern edge of Chertsey Mead. We walked through the fresh and open fields. It was fantastic that the whole group completed the longer revised route, a total of nine miles. Overall, this route included four river locks, two meadows, a bridge and a weir plus the oldest river ferry crossing and the oldest canal navigation system. Not bad for one day out! 

Ida

Photos from Ida, Lan, Nita and others.