I had not done a recce and left my map an information at home but how hard could it be to find the seaside!  Ten of us found it within 5 minutes of arriving in Birchington after following the aptly named Beach Road.  It was a windy, grey day and the guard on the train had warned us that the walk to Reculver was exposed and so it was.  We walked along the beach in Birchington and then on the sea wall battling against the strong wind with the Thames estuary on our right and flat countryside on the left.  We could see the Reculver church towers in the distance (they were supposed to be in the Continue reading Saturday 20 February: Evening walk from Birchington to Herne Hill (Kent) →

Ten of us left Berkhamsted station in drizzly rain and walked past the remains of the 11^th century castle, whose motte and bailey layout could be seen clearly.  It was muddy as we made the gradual ascent to Berkhamsted Common, but we Poly Ramblers have seen much worse.  Passing some horses we made our way to the Alpine Meadow.  This area is the haunt of lizards, but we didn’t see any.  Presumably they were hiding under stones, sheltering from the rain.  Our disappointment at not seeing any lizards was soon forgotten when we caught a glimpse of five or six deer running through the wood and into the adjacent meadow.  Moments later we were further rewarded by the sight of a much larger herd of deer running in the same direction. Continue reading February 13th. Berkhamstead to Tring →

The weather forecast was poor,and the preceding week had been wet, so it was a creditable 9 who assembled at Chipstead Station. We were pleased to welcome new member Marie-Reine who  came out with us on the Windsor walk before Christmas. We entered Banstead Woods, taking due note of a sign urging people not to eat the snails. There were a lot of people about, but we were probably the only ones who were dogless. Emerging from the woods, we continued through undulating farmland to the Well House Inn at Mugswell. Despite having done a few walks in this area, this was the first time we had been there and we were most impressed. Friendly staff, efficient service, good food and beer, all in a wonderfull old building. Continue reading Sunday February 7th. Chipstead Circular →

Via Cassiobury, Sarratt Church End and Croxley Green. We made use of Watford station before its threatened closure by 2020. Undulating West Herts with some flat stretches.  Lunch at Cock Inn, Sarratt Church End. Distance: 10 miles.

photo of Almshouses, Church End Sarratt by Nigel Cox

A longish walking day for late January as we tackled two sections of the loop from Chigwell to Havering atte Bower and then on to Harold Wood, 10.3 miles in total. In spite of engineering work on the Central line and the threat of mud, fourteen members turned out. After a sharp shower at the start it was dry for the rest of the day but the mud persisted all day. This is one of the most rural sections of the loop with the first 6 miles taking us though open country, farmland and woods. We passed Hainault country park with its lake Continue reading LOOP 14 – CHIGWELL to HAROLD WOOD 30 JANUARY →