We're off to Wembley.....
A chance to see if Avanti are worthy of their recent contact renewal. Things have improved. This time, they emailed me to say my 06:56 was cancelled. The next one was late. And none of the power sockets worked.
But it got me to Euston and then onwards to Arnos Grove to pick up the London Spiral. Pyschogeography, at its finest as we reach the outskirts of London. The areas where they don't really want ramblers - walking as an act of rebellion. Frequently, I run up against fencing of new build high rises allowing no progress. Crossing motorways and railway lines over neglected bridges and sinister tunnels.
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| Over the M1 |
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| The End of the Line - a deserted railway track running west from Mill Hill East |
This stretch is not without its charms.... Suburban housing estates, where the buildings look like those from home but you can only guess at their value. Green spaces of Friary Park and eventually, Fryant Country Park. The opportunity to reconnect with both the Dollis Greenway and the Capital Ring.
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| Quite the entrance to Friary Park |
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| Reacquainting myself with the Capital Ring Fingerposts |
Refreshment wise, its a little bit of a desert, with Colindale the surprising oasis. What on earth is Colindale? A soulless main route of new build mid-rises, marketed by a company called Uncle, who rate themselves rather aggressively. I must be in old Colindale when I detour for a remote Good Beer Guide tick at the Moon Under Water.
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| The Wonder of Woolies |
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| George Orwell admiring the promotional boards |
Brains SA at £2.39. I must be getting mean. On taking my high seat in front of the bar, I noticed the front facing price clip said £0.99 on the pump. Shame on me, I almost went back to demand my refund.
Lunch identified but foresaken until I do the next 5km to Wembley. I know that JJ Moons is going to be one of the better value food outlets in a rather surprising area.
Its unlikely I'll be getting to Wembley with the Baggies anytime soon - so I'm grateful for the route to take me right up Wembley Way. Capitalism observed in full pomp. Everything is new and shiny. Yes, they play sport here but who knew about the endless shopping, dining and drinking experiences on offer?
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| Wembley |
No photos from JJ Moons - but chicken in a basket and prize winning Elland Brwery 1872 Porter for less than a tenner.
A direct overground back to Euston for the 2nd GBG tick of the day. My untapped check in at the never previously visited Euston Tap includes a plea as to where are the toilets. A response in less than ten minutes tells me upstairs. I never even considered them to have an upstairs.
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| Kelham Pale Rider at the Euston Tap |
The Avanti 4.32 back to Edinburgh via the midlands was running on time. With both adjacent Glasgow trains cancelled, it was a great place to make new friends.
Walk Information
Distance - 13 Miles
Start - Arnos Grove Tube
Finish - Wembley Central Station
Areas Walked - Friern Barnet, Colindale, Wembley
Geocaches - 1 and three Adventure Lab Caches
Pubs - 2
Previous Walks - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7, Stage 8, Stage 9, Stage 10, Stage 11
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