The Leaning Tree of Wansted Park

Off message but went for a great snow patrol today in Wansted Flats and Wansted Park. Picture above of the leaning tree (right) at the bottom of the Long walk which has seemed in danger of falling into the lake for years. Its branches are just about touching the water.

I'm trying to upload more photos to Facebook but it keeps crashing at the moment. Will post link when it works. Due to the clouds and snow most of the pictures seem to be in black and white.

Christmas Sunshine Over Maeni Hirion

Off message-ish but I thought I would share my picture of the early bronze age stone circle, Maeni Hirion. It was taken on a marvellous pathfinder guide walk on Sunday in Penmaenmawr, North Wales. The far edge of the Snowdonian National Park overlooking the sea. Nowadays you may have driven past Penmaenmawr in minutes while along the A55 on route to Anglesey or Ireland. In the past it use to be a popular seaside resort. A favourite with William Gladstone.

This stone circle is better known as the "Druids Circle" yet it was built a 1000 years before the Druids first came to the area with Iron Age invaders.

Sunday was only a few days after the winter solstice.  You would imagine in the past that the midst of winter and the shortest day, would have been an important time of the year for those who built it.

It is a breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful site even if the wind whips red raw any skin you foolishly expose to the elements.

Check out the balanced and thoughtful (as ever) Jack of Kent post on the origins of Christmas here.

Nadolig Llawen everyone!

Walking in Charles Darwin's footsteps: Cudham & Downe

Off message-ish. Collage from recent pathfinder walk in Bromley, London.

A really fantastic 8 mile, rolling up and down walk with glorious views.

You cannot believe that you are so close to central London and within the M25.

Highlight of the walk was a visit to Down House, which was the home for 40 years of Charles Darwin. He wrote here his famous "Origin of the Species by Natural Selection" in 1859.  He use  to enjoy walking in the countryside around his home while contemplating his theories.

Click on picture to bring up details. Get your boots out of the attic and do this lovely walk over crimbo. (update: more photos from walk posted here on facebook)

Newport and Debham Walk 2012

This walk is from yesterday and is one of my favourites Essex tramps.

The weather was actually much brighter than the dark and moody picture suggests.

I last did the walk on boxing day in 2010 when there was beautiful blue skies, snow and ice.  I slipped then in the ice without any harm and did the same yesterday.

This time however I landed in a large puddle of very soggy Essex mud and clay. Which led to some strange looks on the way home when stopping off at Waitrose.

Towards the end of the walk there was a Grouse shooting party. A line of men with shotguns standing alongside the public path were shooting at birds being driven from the woods by beaters.  To my surprise they missed a number of birds that they fired at who were flying low and fast overhead. Yet there was a trailer full of dead birds (see picture on Facebook). I asked one of the shooters if they ate or sold the birds. He said he did eat them, after leaving them a week to decay and improve the flavour. However, he did not pluck them himself, there was "on old boy in the village" who did it for him.

You could hear the sound of gunfire from all directions for much of the walk. The season I believe finishes tomorrow. While I have never hunted and killed anything in my life, it would be I think rather hypocritical of me to cast any doubt on those who do, when I was happily seeking supermarket Welsh lamb joints a few hours later.  

Epping Forest and Upshire Walk

Off message: but a great 9 mile pathfinder walk today on my own doorstep in glorious winter sunshine.

East London Narnia
Click to bring up detail.

Photo album on FaceBook here

Ulting Walk along the River Chelmer then Boreham hills

Off message but before it gets too wet, cold, dark and miserable I thought I would post on a wonderful 8 mile walk last month.

The walk started near the 12th pilgrimage church, All Saints in Ulting.  Walk along farmland then alongside the River Chelmer and back through the village of Nousley. Stopping off at the "Sportsman Arms" for a little light refreshment.

Walk from the free site Essex Walks. I've posted more pictures on Facebook here. Click on picture to bring up detail.

Kemsing Walk: North Downs Way

Off message but a short post on a marvellous autumnal 6.5 mile walk today in the North Downs, Kent. It's been a while since I have been walking south of the river but if you live in East London it is probably the nearest decent hill walking area. The Blackwall tunnel is the chief problem but today it behaved itself both ways. Kent at its best is simply stunning and incredibly beautiful.

Most of the route follows the North Downs National Trail and the old Pilgrims way from Winchester to Canterbury.  It starts alongside the M26 but please give it the benefit of the doubt. I've added more photos on Facebook here.

York 800 (not out)

Last week I stayed in the historic City of York going for country treks during the good weather and sightseeing during the bad.

York is a theme park for history junkies. On Wednesday after getting soaked jogging around the City walls, I was trying to decide what to do next when I noticed that a free tour by the Association of
Voluntary Guides (AVG) was on offer.

It was celebrating 800 years of municipal history in York since King John first granted it a City charter in 1212.  While I waited for the tour to begin I read the display boards outside and inside the City Library (meeting point). In some ways the civic problems that York suffered from during medieval times are still about today. There was problems with bad housing, overcrowding, traffic, dirty streets and anti-social behaviour.

Okay, today York doesn't have Pestilence, War or Famine but it was strange to read medieval accounts of husbands and wives being punished for causing drunken noise nuisance and for  householders fined for putting their rubbish out in the street too early. Good to see a connection with East London in the exhibition since York in the 1930's also took in many of the Kindertransport children refugees from Nazi Germany.

 

Due to the on/off rain there was only 4 of us on the tour. The guide was Brilliant! pleasant,  knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his City. I've been visiting York since I was a child but I think I learnt more in that 2 hours than in any other visit. The AVG York 800 tour is Monday and Wednesday 11am and 2pm twice weekly until 26 September. The AVG also do other guided walks (check website)

 

I'll post the pictures from the walk on Facebook later.

 

Wansfell and Troutbeck Walk

Off message but I spent last week walking and sightseeing in the Lake District. The weather was just a little ropey at times but it's such a beautiful part of the world.

Picture is from the summit of Wansfell looking down at Lake Windermere. A short but relatively tough climb from Ambleside then an easy decent back via Troutbeck valley.

Magnificent views of lakes and fells. I'll post other pictures from the week on Facebook.

Used walking poles for the first time. I found them really useful and definitely felt they made going up easier and protected your knees when coming down. 4 legs are better than 2.

Update: done check out here