31/01/15 - An Unfitting End

Start - Harold Wood
Finish - Purfleet
Distance - 13.7 Miles
Geocaches - 14


Carriage A of the 7:20am Birmingham International to Euston resounded to the cheers of middle aged women and the popping of champagne corks. Alas, this was nothing to do my final leg of London Loop but with me accidently finding myself in the middle of a pre-breakfast hen do.  Terry Thomas could have had a field day.

So this is it - 15 months in the making and I find myself travelling to Harold Wood for the final piece of the jigsaw.  A week looking at increasingly ominous weather forecasts suggest everything from blue skies to snowstorms.  In the end, I escape relatively lightly - even if the last four miles were through horizontal sleet.

I'm in for a lengthy haul today, so after a DNF at Harold Wood Station, I can ignore the geocaching and get on with a good few uninterrupted miles.  This walking is through a pleasant enough landscape following the minor Ingrebourne river, into a nature reserve.

Mud avoiding Tarmac Paths for most of Today

First signs of civilisation are at Upminster Bridge, but I'm on tight timescales, so have no time to stop for refreshments.  I also set a time limit on cache hunting, which means number 2 of the day is also a fail.

Never mind, there are loads in Hornchurch Country Park, a former WW1 and WW2 RAF base.  Somehow, the ground and many lakes did not look suitable enough to support the take off and landing of Spitfires.  There is plenty of evidence of its former use with many old pill boxes just off the paths.

Muggles avoided and an increase on my smiley count, I come to Rainham - where naturally enough, it starts raining.  I have factored in time for a break if the pubs on route look suitable.

They are not.

If you're going to name the pub the Albion, don't put it in Wolves colours.

The ones in town are even worse.  I take a look at the Norman Church and head off, thirsty.

Corporate Art, War Memorial and Norman Church

The tourist information signs don't really offer much in the way of quality entertainment.

Go past the Pylon to look at the Concrete Barges

It's a strange landscape once outside Rainham.  Over the railway line and into Rainham Marshes, were the usually ubiquitous London Loop signs disappear.  I do fancy a look at the concrete barges but despite being in the guidebook, the direction arrows are sending me in the opposite direction.

I revise my plans to make sure I complete every inch of the London Loop and set a course to the grey factories and warehouses.  It's that sort of landscape.  A last dissection of two industrial units bring me to the flood defences of the Thames and the original end - the site of the old Rainham to Erith ferry.

No Ferry running now

The guidebook suggests turning around and going back to Rainham station, but improvements to the loop have been subsequently made.  It's now possible to follow the river into Purfleet and get the train from there.

Its a cache laden stretch with industrial views.  The problem is that I get caught up in the Essex Husky Walking society and the sleet comes in horizontally to make these Arctic dogs feel at home.  Eventually, I wait for all 30 of them to disappear into the distance by pretending to take photos of art installations and the aforementioned concrete barges, which are thankfully on route.

Originally supporting the D-Day landings - now an unneeded flood defence

The Diver by John Kaufman

There's not much of beauty along this stretch, although it's popular with bird watchers.  All there is for me to do is keep the Dartford Bridge on the horizon and attempt to thaw out my freezing fingers between caches.

All Grey and Grim

Once past the RSPB centre, its a short walk into the town and the station.  There is a grand choice of one hostelry to celebrate the end of this 152 mile odyssey.

The website for the Royal Hotel makes a play of its former glory as a Royal Opera house and "it putting the Purfect into Purfleet".  TripAdvisor has a different view, with the majority of reviews poor or terrible, with pictures of mouldy bathroom fixtures.  I found friendly bar staff, no real ales and the Irish residents holding court at the bar and entertaining themselves by holding a swearing competition.

Joined in by ordering a Fecking Guinness

20 minutes to get the train, a tearful farewell to the last of the London Loop green signs and obligatory photo to mark the end.

That's the Loop Done

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