Topping Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes is place with lots of attractions, Xscape, the Bowl, the shopping centre and the iconic Concrete Cows. It also possesses a top, which turned out to be small but perfectly formed. It was actually a hill, topped with a trig point and the obligatory aerial and completely accessible to the public. The only thing it lacked was a view but as that would have been of Milton Keynes…….

I set off from Apsley Woods (free parking and no heights barrier!) courtesy of the Duke of Bedford. The top of Bow Brickhill (551ft) was about half a mile up a gentle incline through a plantation of conifers. The footpath back went past All Saints church, isolated from the village at the top of hill. Bow Brickhill village had some very pretty cottages on its very steep main street. The return trip to Archie was a bridleway through Woburn Golf Club, the scene of many professional tournaments. You need to keep your wits about you as balls could come at you from any direction. One ball did land very close to me and I had to resist an strong urge to pick it up and walk off with it.

There are lots of interesting place to visit in and around MK. Bletchley Park, home of the WW2 code breakers is just a few miles away. Stowe House is about ten miles away in Buckinghamshire and Silverstone Race track is just over the border in Northamptonshire.

Woburn Golf Club

Bow Brickhill

All Saints Church

East Sussex tops in pictures

East Sussex has five Marilyns including the county top, Ditchling Beacon, and the twin peaks of Brighton. I bagged 4 of the five Marilyns with Noddy on a glorious November day a few years ago and the Brighton tops last weekend.

A day out in Hertfordshire

Where hurricanes hardly ever happen....

At the weekend I went walking with my friends, Frances and Trevor, in Ashwell, a pretty little village in north-east Hertfordshire. We had a light lunch in the Rose and Crown (very good) and set off to circumnavigate the village on footpaths, bridleways, byways and lanes. Sunday was a very fine spring day, with virtually no wind and lots of sunshine. There was plenty of birdsong and someone spotted a skylark. We had Ashwell church with it odd little spire in view most of the time. We followed the Icknield Way up Ash Hill, where we had a superb panorama of at least three counties; the transmitter at Sandy to the north, west to the Greensand ridge across Bedfordshire and the Sharpenhoe Clappers and east to the not so pretty cement factory in Cambridgeshire. We had a well-deserved cuppa in the Three Tuns, Ashwell’s other hostelry. After 5½ miles we were too knackered to explore the village but you can see what it looks like with some pictures I took on a previous visit with Noddy. There is a town trail available, taking in the village green by the church, an old watermill, the town lock up and the village pond with stepping stones, which is the source of the River Rhee, a tributory of the Cam and some very interesting old buildings on the main street.

Ashwell Museum

River Rhee

Town Lock Up

The Thames Path - 3

Kew Bridge to Putney Bridge

I had intended to return home from Kew but the day was sunny and pleasant so I decided to plod on to Chiswick Bridge. Downstream from Kew Bridge on the northern bank is Strand on the Green, a fine row of Georgian houses. There are several interesting pubs I'm looking forward to visiting on the return leg. The Path is temporarily diverted here through the pretty streets of Kew and rejoins the Thames near the National Archives. Approaching Chiswick Bridge I noticed there appeared to be a large number of boats, a whole flotilla in fact. What was taking place was the Head of the River Race (for women). This takes place over the University Boat Race course, but in the reserve direction and with a lot more crews, 300 in all. The race is a time trial and the crews were lining up in their race order for the start at Chiswick Bridge. Obviously I couldn't stop now so I plodded on towards Barnes Bridge.

Strand on the Green

Thames Boat House

Getting ready for the race

University of Birmingham's C team in a bit of a pickle

I decided to take a rest at the White Hart and was settling into a riverside seat when the first boats came past. A big cheer went up as a Cambridge eight went by. Sadly I missed all the Durham crews in the race but I spotted one boat paddling back. I decided to continue to Putney Bridge so I could watch the racing. The towpath on the Surrey bend was crowded with race watchers and locals enjoying the fine spring weather, add loony men on cycles yelling encouragement to their troops, (keep going! how useful is that?) it was only a matter of time before someone got creamed by a bike. That someone was me! The bloke said sorry, took one look at my face, jumped on his bike and rode off before I had a chance to remonstrate. I arrived at Putney as the last boats were finishing. The race was won by an Elite composite crew in 18:28.27 about half a minute ahead of the next boat. I'm pleased to say the Durham A boat finished in the top 10 ahead of both Oxford and Cambridge.

Battling it out

Fulham FC

The finish line at Putney Bridge

The men's Head of the River race takes place on the 21st March 2009

If you are thinking of walking the Thames Path in London, Transport for London produces four excellent leaflets;
London’s Rural Thames – Hampton Court to Chelsea
Heart of London’s River Thames – Albert Bridge to Tower Bridge
Seafaring London by the River Thames – Tower Bridge to the Thames Barrier
London’s Working River – Thames Barrier to Crayford Ness.

The Thames Path - 2

Richmond to Kew Bridge

Six weeks on I picked up the Thames Path where I left it in Richmond. It was a warmer day, quiet pleasant in the early spring sunshine and no breeze to speak of. I crossed Richmond Green and through the gatehouse of Richmond Palace, the last remaining bit of the Tudor Palace. It was a favorite home of Elizabeth I who died there in 1603.

The section from Richmond to Kew Bridge is just over 3 miles and is very interesting historically. Old Deer Park, once an Elizabethan hunting ground, is now a huge park and home to former Royal Observatory. On the opposite bank is Syon Park, London home to the Dukes of Northumberland. In Syon Park is the only surviving natural river bank of the Thames in London. A couple of battles were fought there as well. The Grand Union Canal enters the Thames at Brentford across the water from Kew Gardens. By Kew Bridge is the Steam Museum with its Italiante campanile. Inside Kew Gardens is Kew Palace, recently restored, once a favorite home of George III and his 15 children.

All the people in the front of this boat appear to be Sherlock Holmes!

Syon House

Crocuses in Kew Gardens

Kew Palace

Kew Bridge Steam Museum

London Loopy

Old Bexley Village to Jubilee Country Park

The latest leg of the London Loop took me from Bexley station through the heights of Sidcup to Petts Wood in Bromley. It was pleasantly rural throughout with a only a couple of short road stretches.

Five Arches Bridge, Foots Cray Meadow

To read full details of my exploits click here.