EB5 Lee Valley

From Sewardstone the walk turns north and for next 40 miles or so the border is delineated by water, firstly the Lee Navigation and then the Stort Navigation. The river Lea is the traditional western border of Essex, separating us from Middlesex. The lower reaches have been lost to Greater London but that still leaves 20 miles of riverside walking to Dobbs Weir, where to Lea heads off into Hertfordshire. The Lea Valley Walk covers all 58 miles of the River Lea from Leagrave near Luton to Limehouse Basin on the Thames. The naturally flowing bit is called the Lea, the canalised bit is known as the Lee. The Lee Valley Regional Park stretches from 26 miles from Ware in Hertfordshire to the Thames. It provides watery leisure space for Londoners, nature reserves for wildlife and the home for white water canoing for the 2012 Olympics.

Waltham Abbey, as the name suggests, once had an Abbey, famous for being the last resting place of King Harold, possibly. His grave was behind the high alter, but as much of the abbey church and buildings disappeared in the Reformation, now he's marooned in the Abbey Gardens. The gardens are now a public park and there are plenty of information boards around to explain what remains of the monastery buildings. Waltham Abbey has some nice old half timbered buildings, a tiny museum with a fabulous piece of wood panelling on loan from the V & A and a rather old-fashioned tea shop where I had lunch.


The Lee Valley Park has a couple of campsites and I took advantage of the one on the Essex side of the river at Sewardstone. I rather think took advantage of me, charging £17.50 a night in the depths of November. I wasn't very impressed with the facilities; only one toilet block open; one cubicle out of action; showers that had no clothes pegs or stools. The best thing you can say about the site is that it was convenient for the walks I wanted to do. I expect they'll make a mint during the Olympics. I won't be going back.

Walk 8 This was a short circular walk from the campsite to link up with the previous walk. The weather was sunny but hazy obscuring the view from the top of Gilwell Hill across the Lee Valley and King George's Resevoir. The Scouts have an big campsite with an amazing obstacle course, somehow I managed to resist sliding down the big tubes. It would have been embarassing if I got stuck. From Sewardstone I took a footpath on the very edge of Essex back to the campsite. A muddy 2.5 miles


Walk 9 In complete constrast to the previous walk, the weather was dull, dark, dank and dismal. The route to Waltham Abbey hugged the Essex border by the Lee and crossed the Greenwich Meridian at some point. Surprisingly rural, I got to Waltham Abbey having only crossed one road. It was all a bit boggy until reaching Gunpowder Park, which is laid out with all-weather paths to encourage cyclists. This is a relatively new park, having previously been a Royal Ordnance munitions testing site, which has left some odd humps behind. The highlight for me was, obviously, Cob Hill, which I'm sure has a very nice view when it's not raining. I arrived at Waltham Abbey in time for lunch. A slightly damp 5.5 miles


Walk 10 Suitable replete, I set off for a circular walk around the Lee Valley Country Park leaving the Abbey gardens via a handy underpass. The country park has been created from old gravel pits, so is very popular with bird watchers. I'm not sure that November is the best time for a visit though. I headed towards Fishers Green via Cornmill meadows and returned along the canal towpath which fortunately, is on the Essex bank at this point. A few hardy souls were aboard moored boats but no one was taking their cruiser for a spin. I arrived back at Waltham Abbey in the gathering gloom to catch the hourly bus back to camp. Too late I realised I was at the wrong stop and made vague effort at running. To my amazement the bus driver took pity on me and picked me up. I was most effusive in my thanks. A watery 6.5 miles

Walk 11 Three months later and it's back to Fishers Green. This time I employed the services of a local guide a nature expert, Frankie. I should have listened to her as we headed off towards Nazeing as we had to retrace our steps as a promised footpath failed to materialise. We followed cycle route no 1 over Clayton Hill, in and around Nazeing and eventually rejoined the Lee towpath just south of Dobbs Weir. There was a good view from the hill over the Lee valley, if you avoid looking at Harlow. Very enjoyable 6 miles

Completed distance 80 miles

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EB5 Lee Valley

The Far East

This month's camping trip took me to Lowestoft in Suffolk. Why, you ask? To complete the compass rose of Britain by visiting the most easterly point, Lowestoft Ness. From the campsite at Kessingland I could see the bright lights of Lowestoft and Gulliver, Britains's tallest wind tower. I was lucky enough to secure the last beach side pitch, (the campsite has only been open an hour and half!). As it was rather cold, I retired early but set the alarm so I could see the dawn rise from bedroom window. I woke up to find the van encased in ice so I had to watch the very chilly dawn from outside instead. It was a pretty sunrise and I would be one of the first people in Britain to see it.

It about six miles from the campsite to Lowestoft and I was able to walk all the way along the coast. It was an absolutely glorious day, fully twelve hours of unbroken sunshine, the winds were light but chilly. Ness Point is hidden away behind the port, off Gas Works Roads towards the north of the town. It's a rather forlorn spot, marked by Euroscope, a direction finder giving distances to the capitals of Europe. The Hague is 110 miles away and London 106 miles. It also marked the other cardinal points of Britain; south, Lizard Point, 352 miles; north, Dunnet Head, 472 miles; west, Ardnamurchan Point, 451 miles.

I was able to watch the moon rise from my sitting room, and what a fantastic site it was too. Huge and pink, it seemed to fill the sky and moonlight on the water was brilliant. Apparently it was a super moon.

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EB4 Epping Forest

Epping Forest has been the playground of Londoners since 1878 when the Corporation of London became Conservators of Epping Forest and the general public were granted legal access for the first time. The Corporation acted to prevent greedy landowners from enclosing what remained of the Forest, (it's hard to visualise the City as champions of the comman man). Epping had been one of the many Royal Forests and covered much of Essex. The Forest was made up of a mixture of woodland and grazing, the trees provided cover for the deer and the locals grazed their cows and made off with firewood, pretty much as they do today. Epping is full of large, pollarded oaks, many centuries old. Pollarding prevented deer from eating the new growth. Sadly I didn't pass one on my walks but they are very impressive.

What remains of Epping forms a crescent shape extending from the Lower Forest just south of Harlow to Wanstead Flats, less than 6 miles from the heart of London. The main part of the Forest lies between Chingford and Epping with Loughton at the centre. Centenary Walk extends from 12 miles from Manor House to Epping, linking all the various parcels of land. It's a very enjoyable walk but comes with two particular hazards; firstly, the waymarking is poor and secondly, you have to cross some very busy roads. The highest point is Ambresbury Banks near Epping but Pole Hill, the highest point in Waltham Forest, has the best view, overlooking Central London, the Olympic Stadium, Millenium Dome and the aerials of Crystal Palace.

The undoubted jewel in the crown is the Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, just south of the Essex border at Chingford. Actually built for Henry VIII, it provided a grandstand for monarch and guests to watch and/or participate in the hunt by loosing of their arrows at the deer, a latterday shooting party. It's free to visit and open most weekends. The other popular place is High Beach, so called from the sandy nature of the soil. It's the location of the Visitor Centre, several pubs, an ice cream van and hordes of picnickers on sunny days. Sadly, the Epping Forest Festival, a celebration of all things foresty, has been discontinued due to budget cuts. Shame!!


Walk 6 took me around the border with Redbridge, from Cabin Hill in Hainault Forest to the mighty river Ching on Whitehall Plain. It started and ended in trees but otherwise, you couldn't see the forest for the houses. This is the point where the Green Belt disappears and London and Essex merge. I'm pretty sure that the entrance to Grange Hill Station is in Essex but the platforms are in Redbridge. There was a very fine view from Grange Hill east towards the QEII bridge, Tilbury power station and Havering Ridge, giving me a chance to see how far I've come.

Then followed a long road section through Chigwell to Luxborough Lane to cross the M11. Just pass the Spurs training ground was a small bit of greenery along the Roding valley before more pavement pounding to Buckhurst Hill. I stopped for a snack at a local bakers but wouldn't recommend it. The last part of the route went through Lord's Bushes, past pretty St John's pond and ended on Whitehall Plain. The bridge over the Ching marks the point were Essex, Redbridge and Waltham Forest meet. I can only assume the Ching was a much mightier river if it required a ford because you wouldn't need to be Jade Johnson to jump over it now. The weather was mild and sunny, the trees wore their autumn colours, a pleasant 10 miles.

Walk 7 was a short hop taking me through Epping Forest to the River Lea or Lee, the traditional western boundary of Essex. Starting just over the border at the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge, I followed the River Ching to Connaught water and then through the Bury Wood to Sewardstonebury. There isn't much waymarking in the Forest and it's quite easy to get lost so I had to use Brimble's Guide to Epping Forest, with large scale maps, to navigate. Once across Bury Road, I followed Woodman's Ride to Yardley Hill and down the other side to Sewardstone. It was another crisp, sunny autumnal day. However this is not the place to come if you want a quiet walk. You'll meet mountains bikers, horse riders, gangs of joggers, packs of dog walkers, rabbles of ramblers, screaming kids and blokes flying model aeroplanes, to name just a few. A pleasant, if crowded, 3 miles.

60 miles completed

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London Loopy

Coulsdon South Station to Banstead Downs

A short and boring section through the London Borough of Sutton, the main highlight was Oaks Park.

A Stalking Horse

To find out more (about the walk and my encounter with the horse) click here.