Sudbury Hill Harrow - 11 Miles - Thursday 8th December 2016

On a damp and dreary Thursday morning I set off on the 07:36 from Falconwood for Sudbury Hill Harrow (arriving at 09:07) on the Chiltern Line to Garrards Cross to pick up the Capital Ring to bring back into London using the Grand Union Canal (Paddington Branch).

I had already decided (as my rules allow) that I would finish this walk at Charing Cross Station as there are a number of Zone 4 Stations in this part of North West London that will end up there, ie Greenford, Southall, and Kenton. I will complete the Charing Cross to SE9 route once all of these are completed.

I have been past Sudbury Hill Harrow station at least twice, once on the Capital Ring and once on the Regents Canal / Grand Union Canal walk, but I had never used the station. The timetable is not the best and I don't believe its open on weekends anyway, mainly serving the commuter passengers in the early morning, evening rush hours. Apparently during 2015/16 this was the 4th least busy National Rail station in London with 71,000 passengers annually, that's 194 per day! 

So this planned to be a very straight forward walk with little map reading required once I had joined the Grand Union Canal (Paddington Branch), hence forward called the Canal.

However, first I had to negotiate my way through Sudbury, passing Horsenden Hill, one of the major high points of the area at 84 metres (275 feet to me).

I joined the canal at Perivale where North Horsenden Lane bridges the canal.

The walk along the canal was canal walking, a canal on one side and either housing or industry on the other side. There were a few people about including about half a dozen students, no doubt making their way to or back from college, some cyclists but not very many dog workers. A few people were doing work on their canal boats.

There were new flats on the canal edge which looked quite nice from a distance but not quite so as you got closer. 243 Ealing Road, Alperton fell into the former category.

There were a number of swans on route, and Canada Geese.

Just past Alperton but before reaching Park Royal the Canal crosses the A406, the North Circular Road. Some workmen were replacing some of the block paving which no doubt had been removed earlier by yobs to throw at the cars as they sped past below, as happened to me on my way back from Manchester last week on a coach.

Park Royal proved to be an area of industrial buildings, including a power station at Harlesden, well at least that's what my A2Z tells me and an old gas works

I was very much looking forward to the section that passes by the Old Oak Common area were a lot of new Railway work is being undertaken, in fact I stopped here to drink my coffee and have a snack.

Obviously I saw lots of Canal Boats but this one in particular caught my attention, its very green in a literal way as opposed to an ecological way (although it could well be)

There was quite a lot of graffiti as you would expect, these series particularly caught my attention near Old Oak Common.

As I approached Paddington Basin and Little Venice the properties backing on to the canal got older with these terraced houses being a fine example.

Little Venice is obviously a very popular spot but I don't believe you can moor canal boats there, and therefore on the approach is where most canal boats are moored.

Walking under Westbourne Terrace road bridge brings you into Little Venice where the Grand Union (Paddington Branch) and the Regents Canal merge.

There's a small island in the middle of Little Venice, I guess it acted as a kind of roundabout when the canal's were used for transporting goods, maybe it still is.

From little Venice it was a short hop to Paddington Basin and Paddington Station, were I stopped for lunch.

Paddington station boasts a very impressive Art Deco Office block, which you can't really appreciate from close up, but approaching from the canal you get a good view of it.

From Paddington I crossed Praed Street and Sussex Gardens and entered Hyde Park through the West Carriage Drive entrance. At this point my walk became a bit of a London Tourist trip as I took in the sights!

First was The Serpentine

Then came Apsley House (closed for the winter) the former home of the Duke of Wellington, also know as No 1 London.

Crossing the busy Hyde Park Corner via the underpass brought me to the Wellington Arch, I never knew it was called that and I never realised it was a monument to the triumphs of Wellington in the same mould as Nelson's Column (which I also saw).

The Wellington Arch is looked after by English Heritage and is open, with an exhibition of the Battle of Waterloo and  two viewing platforms, one on each side. One side you can look up Constitution Hill and the other over to Hyde Park Corner and the Hyde Park Screen as well as Apsley House. One half of the arch is used as a ventilation shaft for the Hyde Park underpass.

Walking along Constitution House brought me to Buckingham Palace. The Royal Standard was flying so the Queen was in but not on view.

A stroll through Green Park and up The Mall brought me to Horse Guards Parade and the Admiralty (I felt at home here!) on my left hand side 

and on my right was the Horse Guards Barracks and Museum

Finally past Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square and on to Charing Cross Station and Queen Eleanor's Cross and a train home to Falconwood.

New Eltham - 3.5 miles - Monday 21st November

On a wet and miserable morning I set off from home to take Flosi to the vets, having made our visit we made our way to New Eltham Station to catch a train to Lewisham to pick up some pictures I had framed. New Eltham is on the Sidcup loop line from London to Dartford and was my local station for four years following my marriage back in eighties, it was no remembrance visit as its a station I do use from time to time. But back to the walk, I left home and crossed the Rochester Way and entered Shepherdleas Wood. 

From Shepherdleas Wood I crossed the footbridge across both the Railway (Bexleyheath loop) and the Rochester Way Relief Road.

This took me into Eltham Park South, despite the weather there were a number of people out walking their dogs.

Having walked through Eltham Park South I crossed Bexley Road and down Butterfly Lane, where at the end is the former site of Butterfly Sports Ground where I refereed a number of games in years gone by, now derelict, vacated and no longer used. Welling United used to play here before moving to their present ground in Welling.

Butterfly Lane leads you into Avery Hill Park, where the famous Glass House stands which was part of the Avery Hill mansion, and latterly part of the University of Greenwich, Avery Hill Campus, although I believe they have given notice to quit if not already quit. The building will no doubt be made in to luxury flats!

Across the park I exited into Avery Hill Road crossed the road and visited the vets, and another large bill! Having returned to Avery Hill Park I made from New Eltham station.

Avery Hill Park was wet and damp but again lots of dog walkers about, Flosi was kept on the lead thorughout.

I cut through Sparrows Farm Leisure Centre which is used by Charlton Athletic as their training centre. From here is was just a few hundred yards to New Eltham station.

Norwood Junction - 15.8 miles (the long way round) - Thursday 17th November

Today's walk kicked off from Norwood Junction at about 10:40, I was piggy backing on the back of another walking project which walking around all the London Football Clubs with Minkco, we had already completed AFC Wimbledon to Crystal palace and today we were doing Millwall and Charlton and stopping at Woolwich Arsenal, unfortunately due to the Pub Olympics we never got as far as Woolwich Arsenal having stopped at the Valley, were Minkco got a train back to London for Johnny Cash concert, whilst I continued on home. A total of 15.8 miles was completed against a forecast for this route of 8.5 miles.

From Norwood Junction we followed the railway line back the way we came, through South Norwood and Anerley. We walked through Betts Park where we saw what remains of the former Croydon Canal. The Canal ran 9.25 miles from Croydon via Forest Hill to the Grand Surrey Canal at New Cross (which we also passed on this walk). The Canal was opened in 1809 and Closed in 1836. It was sold to the London and Croydon Railway and was partly used for its railway route. 

Croydon Canal

We then headed for Crystal Palace, to view the splendid Railway Station, this is one of two stations built to serve the site of the 1851 exhibition building, the Crystal Palace, when it was moved from Hyde Park to Sydenham Hill in 1854.

Crystal Palace Railway Station

Having viewed the Station, which even Minkco thought was impressive, we moved on to Crystal Palace Park to see the site of the former exhibition building, which burnt down in 1936. Having looked at some old pictures of the building and having been to the site it must have been monstrous and overwhelming. Behind the site is the Crystal Palace transmitter.

Site of the former Crystal Palace

After cutting through the park and the National Sports Centre we passed through Sydenham and Forest Hill, with Minkco eyeing up all the Pubs as by now the "Sun was well over the Yard Arm"! It was around here somewhere that we stopped off at a charity shop to hand in my puzzle which I had completed earlier in the week. When I say my puzzle, I mean my wife's, she got it as a Christmas Present a few years ago, but it was not very inspiring so took ages to complete! Once completed it was actually pretty impressive!

Edward Gorey - Jigsaw Puzzle Completed

Whilst walking between Crystal Palace Park and Upper Sydenham we came across a number of houses with Blue Plaques, the most famous (to me that is) was Sir Ernst Shackleton in Westwood Hill. If you follow this link you will see what I mean about all the plaques! I must say there are some really lovely properties in this area.

Once the home of Sir Ernst Shackleton

Having negotiated our way through Sydenham, Forest Hill and Honor Oak  admiring the lovely autumn colours we cut through Camberwell New Cemetery from where I could see Shooters Hill and the houses that line my road.

Camberwell New Cemetery

And not before long we had arrived at Nunhead Cemetery, one of the Magnificent Seven, the name afforded to the seven large private cemeteries in London which were created following an Act of Parliament in 1832 to alleviate overcrowding in existing parish burial grounds. The other six are Kensal Green, West Norwood, Highgate, Abney Park, Brompton and Tower Hamlets. I have been to a number of them and Nunhead is particularly haunting. I used to bring the girls hill and let them play and ride their bikes, Sarah particularly enjoyed it as she was going through her 'Goth' phase!

Nunhead Cemetery - Chapel

Having passed through Nunhead it was a fairly straight route north via Pomeroy Street and Ilderton Road to arrive at The (New) Den, home of Millwall Football Club. Strangely enough I was back here the following week for AFC's 0-0 draw, a credible result with ten men, although Millwall were without Gregory and Morison.

From Millwall its just a short hop to the Dog & Bell in Deptford, on route we followed the course of the former Grand Surrey Canal. This was constructed during the early 19th Century. It opened to the Old Kent Toad in 1807, Camberwell in 1810 and Peckham in 1826. Its main purpose was to transport cargo, primarily timber to the Surrey Commercial Docks. The canal closed progressively from the 1940s, with all but the Greenland Dock closing in 1970. Much of the route is traceable, as it has been turned into roadways and linear parks.

At the Dog we had a couple of pints and a game of Bar Billiard's, I lost rather heavily.

By now it was beginning to get dark and Mincko had in mind another Pub visit, the Pelton Arms in Greenwich and a short stop from The Valley, but before then we had a pleasant walk alongside the river passing Peter the Great (a statue), the Naval College and the Cutty Sark

Canary Wharf from Deptford Wharf

The Naval College Greenwich, now home to Greenwich University

The Cutty Sark

We also passed the Trafalgar Arms, The Yacht and the Cutty Sark, these are all Pubs (none of which appear in the good beer guide), before we arrived at the Pelton Arms, which Mincko was suitable impressed with. Here we had a couple of pints and a couple of games of Darts, which I won, the score is now 2-1 in the Pub Olympics, as Mincko has also won at Snooker.

Celebrating my victory

It was now dark and it was now raining, we decided to halt our Football walk at the Valley where Mincko caught the 17:17 train back to London.

I meanwhile carried on home, walking up Charlton Church Street, through Charlton Village and headed for Hornfair Park where I would cut through to Woolwich Common and then home. Unfortunately the exit was locked in the Park and I had to re-trace my tracks back to Shooters Hill Road and continue on home. I guess I arrived home at about 18:30 - quite a long old day.