We had beautiful sunshine for this day out in Gloucestershire, a bit further than our average walks. 8 Polyramblers braved the longer journey to Kemble. After walking through a meadow, we found the infant Thames which we followed for a while. We crossed more meadows and reached the source of the Thames (dry) marked by a stone. We continued the walk along the abandoned Severn and Thames Canal until we reached the Coates Tunnel. We had a leisurely lunch at The Tunnel Inn but resisted the desserts. We walked through more fields before reaching the source again where we had a celebratory piece of chocolate provided by the leader. We then retraced our steps to the lovely Kemble station.

Dominique

I did consider catching the though train from Flitwick to Coulsdon(the ramble’s train), but wisely decided to catch the earlier one leaving 0920. With the arrangement for the party to meet at Blackfriars to board the ramble’s train, this would give me 15 mins there between trains to buy some refreshment. Meeting at Blackfriars is a first, for my nearly 39 years in this club!
However, my refreshment plan was somewhat thwarted, as, my train into London got delayed near Radlett, so on reaching Blackfriars there was only 3 mins to spare & no time to go to the kiosks downstairs. Still, I was gratified to see a huddle of 10 Polyramblers gathered at the centre of the platform, enjoying a view down the Thames to Tower Bridge.
We all boarded the ramble’s train, the party being in high spirits as we journeyed through the suburbia full of conversation! Coulsdon is the last station on the edge of London. From there we just walked around the corner to the edge of Farthing Down and along a wooded path along its side. After 2 miles the land rises slightly at Coulsdon Common, with lovely views down Happy Valley on the way. Lunch was enjoyed at The Fox PH on the Common. From there we proceeded southwards and westwards and an hour later reached Chaldon church and spent a liitle time inside to see the murals on the rear wall.
The rest of the walk took us along the opposite side of Happy Valley where there were good views of the Shard and City skyscrapers! By now a shower of rain had cleared giving way to a rainbow. We soon got back to the station and immediately bundled into an arriving London train.

Geoffrey Waters

Photos by Pam

This walk in the Square Mile was a mixture of the old and the new with contemporary sculptures among modern office buildings such as the Gherkin and the Cheesegrater and older landmarks like St Helens Bishopsgate, St Botolphs and Leadenhall Market. We met outside Liverpool Street station on a chilly evening; 20 of us. I handed out an information sheet with explanations about each sculpture – to avoid questions I would have been unable to answer – Continue reading Wednesday 29 March 2017: Sculpture in the City Walk →

Given the vicissitudes of finding a walk that didn’t involve a long stretch walking alongside the A1, starting at a station that wasn’t closed by engineering work, with a lunch-stop venue that wasn’t being repurposed as a block of swanky apartments, today’s walk turned out really well! I was more worried about there not being enough walkers or helpers but there were 31 of us in all! What a splendid turnout! Thanks to everyone Continue reading Sunday 19th March: Hadley Wood to Cockfosters and exploring Trent Country Park with the London Blind Ramblers (Linear) →

The weather was looking up when we arrived at the lovely old station with its Victorian carvings of fruit and flowers and its pillars, built to impress the travellers of that time. Geoffrey was waiting with boot laces untied, having just arrived by car. A few minutes later, with a quick glance left and right, the broken chair was safely put aside and another enlisted for the job. All laces tied, off we went, most relieved to take a different direction to a large group of teenagers doing their DoE. Continue reading Saturday 4th March; Polesden Lacy and Ranmore Common →