People tell me I'm crazy
Walk report
Will Self was on a vox pop a couple of years ago, and he said it was possible to walk from central London to beyond the outskirts of the city in one day. Inspired by this, and also by the TV programme with a group of obese Americans walking across America, I decided to walk from my home in the heart of central London to Hertford.
I prepared myself as best I could. Got a friend to help me book a hotel (I haven't got a useful card for booking hotels), bought and lost a compass, bought an Ordinance Survey map and a map of the Lee Navigation, a waterproof map pouch, and packed my bag with the minimum of stuff. Essentials: sunblock, kagool, blister plasters, mild painkillers.
I walked from my place in King's Cross to the other side of the Battlebridge tunnel in Angel, and walked along the Regent's Canal to Hackney. I got a bit confused at the junction of the Regent and Hertford Union canals, but doubtfulace helped me through that. Along the short Hertford Union canal to the Lee Navigation. The Lee Navigation is a canalised river, not an actual canal, but in many ways has the look of a canal.
My first stop for a soft drink was at a pub I'm rather familiar with, the Princess of Wales pub on the Lea Bridge Road. Onwards to Tottenham Hale where I stopped for lunch at the soulless shopping centre. I walked on to Enfiled Lock, and had dinner at a pub full of locals. I was a little nervous, I felt rather out of place. I thought of my friend E, and left the Lee to walk west along the London Loop path to Bull's Cross. North again up Bull's Cross, then over the M25 orbital motorway on Bull's Cross Ride. I stopped on the bridge, looking down at the cars, and thought 'Hah, here's me being all pedestrain and non-polluting! Look at you, in your smelly cars. I got here myself!' The walked onwards so I didn't get too angry about pollution.
I managed to find my hotel ok. It was in the midst of a pretty wooded area half a mile from the M25. I bounded up to the receptionist, telling her I'd walked from King's Cross. She told me I was mad and crazy. King's Cross to Theobalds Park: 18 miles. My shorts were soaked with sweat as was I. I had a delicious shower, then rinsed out my shorts (regretting having decided against bringing a second pair). Fresh in jeans and t-shirt, I wandered out to the cofffee bar and had a chamomile tea then got online for an hour or so.
I ironed my shorts dry in the morning, and had a good breakfast. I set out again, and promptly got lost. Theobalds Park has too many public footpaths on it. I managed to make my way back to Bull's Cross Ride again, south of the M25. I knew where I was at this point, but I'd added up to five miles to my journey. I walked acrooss Bullsmoor (a residential area) using the main roads, over the M25 again and west until I hit the Lee Navigation at Waltham Abbey. I walked up the Lee for a few miles, stopping for lunch near the Old Nazeing Bridge, and got lost again at Dobb's Weir. I was concentrating so hard on keeping to the correct branch of the river (which was to fork in two at Fielde's Weir) that I went the wrong way. I discounted a young boy's accurate directions, so his friend mooned me as I looped back on myself. *rolls eyes* I was already really tired at this point, so when I was back on track I decided to stop every three or four miles. I had a little jog every now and then to keep myself motivated. The last few miles were the most beautiful. There were stormclouds over Hertford, and I could smell the rain in the air.
After walking for two days in the godawful sun, it was a relief to get rained on in Hertford. The thunderstorm was a bit scary though. A sixteen year old kid was struck by lightening yesterday and had a heart attack. It seemed like a huge distance from the Lee to Hertford North station: it was probably only a mile or a mile and a half. The sight of the train station was immensely cheering!
I got the train back straight from Hertford North to King's Cross, and only had 5 minutes to walk from the station.
On writing this I'm aware that I haven't gone in for descriptions of my surroundings much. All that walking took such a toll on my body that I didn't really care about my surroundings. Yes it was pleasant; if it was unpleasant I'd have noticed it more I imagine. I was aware of: bullrushes, brambles, nettles, water lilies, water, dusty towpaths, locks, weirs, sunshine, coots, moorhen, swans with their young, ducks with their young, geese, various other birdlife, the odd rabbit, little fish, lots of anglers, joggers, cyclists, walkers, narrowboats and their inhabitants.... but mostly pubs, public toilets, cafés.
I want to do something like this again!
Will Self was on a vox pop a couple of years ago, and he said it was possible to walk from central London to beyond the outskirts of the city in one day. Inspired by this, and also by the TV programme with a group of obese Americans walking across America, I decided to walk from my home in the heart of central London to Hertford.
I prepared myself as best I could. Got a friend to help me book a hotel (I haven't got a useful card for booking hotels), bought and lost a compass, bought an Ordinance Survey map and a map of the Lee Navigation, a waterproof map pouch, and packed my bag with the minimum of stuff. Essentials: sunblock, kagool, blister plasters, mild painkillers.
I walked from my place in King's Cross to the other side of the Battlebridge tunnel in Angel, and walked along the Regent's Canal to Hackney. I got a bit confused at the junction of the Regent and Hertford Union canals, but doubtfulace helped me through that. Along the short Hertford Union canal to the Lee Navigation. The Lee Navigation is a canalised river, not an actual canal, but in many ways has the look of a canal.
My first stop for a soft drink was at a pub I'm rather familiar with, the Princess of Wales pub on the Lea Bridge Road. Onwards to Tottenham Hale where I stopped for lunch at the soulless shopping centre. I walked on to Enfiled Lock, and had dinner at a pub full of locals. I was a little nervous, I felt rather out of place. I thought of my friend E, and left the Lee to walk west along the London Loop path to Bull's Cross. North again up Bull's Cross, then over the M25 orbital motorway on Bull's Cross Ride. I stopped on the bridge, looking down at the cars, and thought 'Hah, here's me being all pedestrain and non-polluting! Look at you, in your smelly cars. I got here myself!' The walked onwards so I didn't get too angry about pollution.
I managed to find my hotel ok. It was in the midst of a pretty wooded area half a mile from the M25. I bounded up to the receptionist, telling her I'd walked from King's Cross. She told me I was mad and crazy. King's Cross to Theobalds Park: 18 miles. My shorts were soaked with sweat as was I. I had a delicious shower, then rinsed out my shorts (regretting having decided against bringing a second pair). Fresh in jeans and t-shirt, I wandered out to the cofffee bar and had a chamomile tea then got online for an hour or so.
I ironed my shorts dry in the morning, and had a good breakfast. I set out again, and promptly got lost. Theobalds Park has too many public footpaths on it. I managed to make my way back to Bull's Cross Ride again, south of the M25. I knew where I was at this point, but I'd added up to five miles to my journey. I walked acrooss Bullsmoor (a residential area) using the main roads, over the M25 again and west until I hit the Lee Navigation at Waltham Abbey. I walked up the Lee for a few miles, stopping for lunch near the Old Nazeing Bridge, and got lost again at Dobb's Weir. I was concentrating so hard on keeping to the correct branch of the river (which was to fork in two at Fielde's Weir) that I went the wrong way. I discounted a young boy's accurate directions, so his friend mooned me as I looped back on myself. *rolls eyes* I was already really tired at this point, so when I was back on track I decided to stop every three or four miles. I had a little jog every now and then to keep myself motivated. The last few miles were the most beautiful. There were stormclouds over Hertford, and I could smell the rain in the air.
After walking for two days in the godawful sun, it was a relief to get rained on in Hertford. The thunderstorm was a bit scary though. A sixteen year old kid was struck by lightening yesterday and had a heart attack. It seemed like a huge distance from the Lee to Hertford North station: it was probably only a mile or a mile and a half. The sight of the train station was immensely cheering!
I got the train back straight from Hertford North to King's Cross, and only had 5 minutes to walk from the station.
On writing this I'm aware that I haven't gone in for descriptions of my surroundings much. All that walking took such a toll on my body that I didn't really care about my surroundings. Yes it was pleasant; if it was unpleasant I'd have noticed it more I imagine. I was aware of: bullrushes, brambles, nettles, water lilies, water, dusty towpaths, locks, weirs, sunshine, coots, moorhen, swans with their young, ducks with their young, geese, various other birdlife, the odd rabbit, little fish, lots of anglers, joggers, cyclists, walkers, narrowboats and their inhabitants.... but mostly pubs, public toilets, cafés.
I want to do something like this again!