We got beautiful weather for our walk on Sunday 9th March. Starting at Uxbridge, the first part was mostly along the Grand Union canal, passing two lakes and two nature reserves. We stopped briefly at a cafe, ‘The Hubb’, which had a large OPEN sign but was actually closed. Fortunately, we were able to use their loo behind the building, which was open, although there was a bit of resistance from the staff. Promising to move on fairly sharpish was enough to persuade security to let the final three walkers needing the loo to do so!
Back along the canal we arrived at the Coy Carp pub, ate our lunch on a green area nearby and then visited the pub to wash it down.
The second part of the walk was very different. A steep ascent took us up onto rolling Hertfordshire countryside, green paths with a lovely long stretch through Bishop’s Wood. We had a little bit of backtracking to do on this bit, missing a loop sign and then taking a path next to the correct one! Reminder to myself not to chat when leading! Fortunately, these diversions didn’t involve long distances so we did get back on track and completed in good time, our final stretch running parallel to the railway lines at Moor Park.
It was such lovely weather that some of us sought a cafe or pub to extend our day out. However, Moor Park was very quiet, no cafe or pub in sight, and we settled for chocolate from a little grocery store and headed for the train home.
It was a chilly, foggy, start at Isleworth but the sun was soon out to cheer us on our walk. Isleworth was once a well-cultivated farming and trading settlement, the boundary stretching from the Middlesex bank of the River Thames, westward to the centre of Hounslow and as far as Southhall in 1066. Much of Isleworth became orchards and market gardens in the 19th Century. Many royal and noble houses were built there including Syon House.
The leader welcomed 20 polyrambers at Isleworth station where we started our walk to Old Isleworth. We walked along a street with rows of workmen‘s cottages which were built for workers of the famous Pears soap factory. The Red Lion Pub in the same street has won the local CAMRA pub of the year prize four times since 2003. It was one of only three buildings in Hounslow to be recognised as ‘assets of Community value’. Then we walked through the Silverhall Park which sits either side of the Duke of Northumberland River. We entered Mill Plat, one of the oldest paths giving access to the Flour Mill built in 1635. The Ingram’s Almshouses built in 1664 are the oldest almshouses in the Borough.
Apparently there are often up to 20 herons resting in the area during night time. We looked at Warkworth House built in 1866, later becoming West Middlesex hospital accommodation for nurses. Now new houses have been built in the complex. Then the Mill Bridge : over the Duke of Northumberland’s River which was man-made in the 16th century to provide water for the Isleworth Flour Mill. The Tudor mill was made of wood and was destroyed by fire in 1795 and replaced by a brick built structure. It closed in 1934 and was demolished in 1941. Tolson’s Almshouses for the poor is located where the Duke of Northumberland River meets the Thames, and these are now flats.
There were many water puddles along the route after lots of rain over the past few days. The group enjoyed lovely views of the Thames. We followed the Capital Ring/Thames Path on the north side of the Thames, crossed Richmond Lock then we were walked through the Old Deer Park. We crossed the busy A316, to the town centre, through two alley ways and passed the house where Virgina Wolf lived for 9 years. We made our way along the Vineyard Passage, St. Matthias Church ( a victorian gothic style Grade II listed building) to the top of Richmond Hill. Finally, we arrived at our lunch stop in Terrace Gardens where some had their picnic lunch and some lunched at the Hollyhock Cafe.
After lunch 17 polyramblers continued walking back up to the top of the Hill where we enjoyed fantastic views over the Thames and further afield. It was not long after entering Richmond Park that we reached the Poet’s Corner Pollinator Garden and the John Beer Laburnum Walk. It was a fine clear afternoon and we spent some time at King Henry VIII’s Mound marvelling at the unrestricted view of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
We carried on walking towards Ham gate. I had promised there would be some mud for the group to enjoy, so we took the path to the left side of Ham Common instead of the formal path on the right. After walking for a mile, we arrived at Teddington Lock. One member decided to finish his walk there. The remaining 16 carried on along the Thames Path towards Kingston and we had a water stop under the 64 year old replacement of Half Mile Tree, a sign marking the official ‘half mile’ to Kingston.
Overall we had a very rewarding day with glorious sunshine that made the walk very enjoyable. This section of the Thames is thoroughly recommended for anyone seeking a metropolitan ramble with plenty of historical interest.
Despite the threat of dire weather and constant reminders from the leader about steep and possibly slippery inclines, 13 of us gathered at West Humble for a good and reasonably long walk in the lovely Surrey Hills.
We started with a fairly drawn-out climb to Mickleham, a bit of flat and then the first steep haul up onto Mickleham Downs which, in summer, is full of the kind of chalk downland wildflowers which have become a rare sight. Over 50% of the UK’s chalk grassland was lost between the mid-1950s and the early 1990s. Now that these areas are not routinely grazed, unchecked encroaching scrub is one of the main problems and there are, thankfully, schemes to control it including the National Trust’s introduction of Belted Galloway cattle on Box Hill. Continue reading WEST HUMBLE CIRCULAR – 23 February→
On Saturday, 21 ramblers (with 2 more joining for lunch) set off to walk to Northolt with a stop to see the Greenford Beaver colony. The weather was overcast, constantly threatening to break out into rain, but we were lucky and only experienced occasional light drizzle.
We started by following the Capital ring along the river Brent. We passed the Millennium Maze which has become well established after 25 years growth. The path was mostly wooded although we did pass 4 golf course s without having to worry about flying balls. We passed St May’s church in Perivale which is the oldest church in Ealing, dating back to 12th Century.
We made it to the top of Horsenden Hill, despite the muddy path, to catch the views of London. We had an enjoyable lunch at the Ballot Box where we caught up with 2 extra hikers who had missed the train. We then made our way to Paradise Fields where the Beavers have taken up residence. They are a recent addition to the local fauna, and although we did not see any beavers, we saw plenty of evidence – many chewed trees and their dams to make their lodges. They are already thriving and are already breeding. Those who would like more information can follow the link London welcomes urban beavers for first time – Beaver Trust
We followed the Grand Union canal round to Belvue park. The park is set on a hill and was a settlement going back to roman times, with a moat. There were informative display boards giving its history including information about how the common land was enclosed. From here it was a short walk to Northolt Station.
An impressive total of 18 assembled at Crystal Palace station. The weather forecast was overcast and occasional light rain. Unfortunately, this turned out to be pretty accurate and so we only had glimpses of the views the route offers on clear days. The length is about six miles, so is suitable for shorter days in the winter months.
The Crystal Palace building was originally constructed for the Great Exhibition of 1851 which was in Hyde Park. At the end of the exhibition it was taken down and rebuilt on the current site where it was used until destroyed by fire in 1936. A railway line was built from Nunhead to carry the large number of visitors and the walk follows some of the old route.
The hall was built up on a stonework base which is all that remains. One can still appreciate what a massive building it must have been, the length being nearly 600 metres. The designer, Joseph Paxton, was principally a gardener but he drew on his experience of large green houses. The building was three times the size of St Pauls and had many innovative features. It consisted of largely standardised panels of plate glass in cast iron frames. For the first time in a major structure, standard nuts and bolts were used which hugely simplified construction. The original Exhibition charged for entry, and made a surplus of £25 million over the six month period which was used to found the V&A museum. Continue reading Crystal Palace to Nunhead, 8th February 2025→
The Polytechnic Rambling Club – Walking with friends
