Alternative Essex Tops – Part one

The London Boroughs

Bored by my recent inactivity and missing out on the fine October weather, I spent last Saturday topping in my own backyard. I made an early start, surprised the postman parking his van across the drive way and set off to conquer the heights of south west Essex.

In 1965, the London Boroughs of Barking (renamed Barking and Dagenham in 1980), Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest were forged out of twelve municipal boroughs in south west Essex. There is plenty of open space around in this crowded part of Essex. A large part of Epping Forest lies within Waltham Forest and Redbridge and is managed by the Corporation of London. Hainault Forest was purchased by the London County Council in 1906 and is managed jointly by Redbridge Council and the Woodland Trust. Hainault was used as tree nursery for other parks and roads throughout the GLC. Even in Dagenham, we have one of the largest nature reserves in London, a haven for wintering wildfowl and home to the rare black poplar tree.

Marks Gate (Barking & Dagenham) 141ft
07.50

The highest part of the borough is the Marks Gate area where apparently there was once a windmill. The top is an indeterminate area on Whalebone Lane just past the cemetery. I have driven up and down this road countless times before finding out it was a top. I now can’t resist mentioning it every time. There is no chance of view due the urban sprawl but this shot (taken within the borough) shows what it once looked like. (There are no real hills in Dagenham so they built one in the Country park where you can pick several landmarks along the Thames).



Cabin Hill (Redbridge) 295ft
08.40 & 12.45

Hainault Forest Country Park is about 7 miles from home and was quite busy with dog walkers, joggers and cyclists at 8am. It was also covered in frost, slightly misty and distinctly chilly. However the sun was shining in a clear blue sky when I set off. The plan was to walk up Cabin Hill and then follow the London Loop to the church at Havering-atte-Bower and back via a slightly different route.

There are some fine views south towards London but the morning mist hid all but a tall chimney somewhere on the Thames. The walk up Cabin Hill is moderately steep and very popular with mountain bikers. The Cobb family used to visit Hainault quite a lot before the 139 bus stopped running. I seem to remember we were always trying to spot the cross of St Pauls Cathedral. We can’t have looking from the top of hill as the views are screened by the trees.

I followed the London Loop through the golf course, surprisingly empty despite the lovely morning and over some fields and bridle paths into Havering Country Park. Apart from one ugly tower block, it was easy to forget that urban London was just over the horizon. Havering CP was formed from an old estate and contains an avenue of Wellingtonias (huge redwoods that drawf the native trees despite being babies). They form a distinctive pattern on the skyline already. All the trees, apart from the Wellingtonias, were in their autumn colours which made it a very pleasant walk up the hill onto Havering Ridge.

Havering-atte Bower Farm & Havering-atte-Bower Church (Havering) 344ft
10.55 & 11.00

The next stop was Bedfords Park, another family favourite of ours. Although not the high point of Havering, it certainly has the best views. A wide expanse of London and the Thames, from the Queen Elizabeth II bridge, all the way to Tower 42 and the Gerkhin in the City. Red deer have been kept at Bedfords Park since the 1930s as a reminder that this part of Essex was once a Royal hunting park. I enjoyed some light refreshments at the new visitors centre run by Essex Wildlife Trust before retracing my steps towards Havering village. The village is on a plateau on Havering Ridge so the highest points could be either the church or by the farm entrance. Also on top of the ridge is the Round House (it looks like a water tower but is a house) which is a useful landmark.


The return trip took me back along the avenue of Wellingtonias, avoiding the troops of cavalry (Havering CP is very popular with riders). Then north across fields to Bournebridge Lane, then west to pick a footpath back to Hainault CP. It was a rather weary plod along the Three Forests Way, a circular route linking Hainault with Epping and Hatfield forests. I enjoyed a brief pause at the top of Cabin Hill before returning to Archie down the grassy hill that I rolled down as a child, taking great care to avoid any holes. The walk was about 8½ miles and took me almost 5 hours to complete.


Pole Hill (Waltham Forest) 299ft
14.55

After a spot of lunch and a cup of tea, I drove to Epping Forest about 7 miles away and parked opposite Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge. Epping Forest stretching for 12 miles from Forest Gate in Newham, north to Epping stopping just short of the M11 junction at Harlow. The Centenary Way links all the surviving bit together starting at Wanstead Flats and finishing at Epping Station, joining up with Essex Way. The forest has always been a mixture of trees and clearings, rather densely afforested. Despite never being more than a mile from any road, it is still possible to get lost (or not in the place you expect to be) in Epping Forest.

Pole Hill is about a mile from the Hunting Lodge, but it was for me a very slow amble as my ankle was hurting having rather overdone the first walk. The sky had rather clouded over as well, but it was still a pleasant afternoon. I followed a footpath along the edge of Chingford Golf Club up a slight gradient. The path enters the forest by a big dip in the trees very popular with BMX riders. I managed to get one last reading from the GPS and walked in the correct direction towards the trig point and monument.

Pole Hill lies exactly on the Greenwich Meridian. It may be possible to make out Greenwich Hill with binoculars as there is a very fine view south towards central London and beyond, including the London Eye and some building works which may be the new Olympic stadium. I returned the same way I came and was rewarded with an equally fine view to the east where I could spot the Wellingtonias on Havering Ridge and Hainault Forest.



Wanstead Flats (Newham) 49ft
16.00

Had I possessed a bit more energy I could have walked the six miles to Wanstead Flats following the aforementioned Centenary Way. Being knackered I drove. Wanstead Flats aren’t actually in Newham, but the borough boundary runs along side it. I parked, took a picture and drove off. If you want to get a view in Newham, visit the Beckton Alps (familiar to users of the A13). This one-time artificial ski-slope was built on a toxic spoil heap from Beckton Gas Works. It certainly looks higher than 50ft, but as the light was fading and my feet were aching, I carried on along the A13 toward home and Strictly Come Dancing.