02/11/19 - London Countryway Stage 21 - Brentwood to West Horndon

Distance - 6 Miles
Start - Brentwood
Finish - West Horndon
Geocaches - 3
Pubs - The Railway Hotel, West Horndon
Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7, Stage 8, Stage 9, Stage 10, Stage 11, Stage 12, Stage 13, Stage 14, Stage 15, Stage 16, Stage 17, Stage 18, Stage 19, Stage 20


All things move toward their end and a nice easy leg on the penultimate stage of London Countryway.

A mere 6 miles and downhill all the way, as I move towards the flatlands of the River Thames estuary.

Not that today's walk was lacking in drama.   The majority of the walk is in Thorndon Country Park - officially closed to the public due to high winds.  I've set the alarm at 5:40am, travelled 130 miles and have targets to meet - so I conducted my own health and safety assessment.   Hard shell goretex top and bottoms and a German made trekking umbrella and I will be fine.

I'm not going to lie - the wind did test the umbrella.

Grim and soggy start at Brentwood Station and a short mile through the housing estates before picking up the woodland that provides some respite from the gales.    Very little to bring you in the way of photos, but if you're going to walk in woodland, doing it in Autumn provides the optimal experience.

Today's Walk - Mainly Woodland

Perfect in Autumn

Old Hall Pond - the only Variety

I'd done my research and the comments on Des's blog had warned of the dangers and futility of trying to cross the A127 at the official footpath crossing.   Dick Bowman, who's GPX files I am following, managed to successfully cross without diversion.   I can only assume he did this at 3am on a Sunday morning.    I waited for 10 minutes, but there was no chance of getting through four lanes of speeding cars. 

At least I knew which way to go for the nearest safe crossing - and a grim one mile diversion it was to.   I know the answer to the question "Where does Essex man dispose of plastic water bottles that are certainly recycled for a use other than the storage of water".

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, cross the A127

And onto Essex Man, I might as well meet him at his lowest ebb but in his natural habitat.   No danger of the Railway Hotel (further proof that the scariest pubs always have Railway in the title) not being open at 11:57am.

England had lost in a rugby final in a game that had started at 8:30am.   The flat capped, tattooed ones were fours hours into an early doors drinking day.   They were showing no signs of going back to reality any time soon.

West Hordon's Railway Hotel