05/07/25 - London Spiral Stage 20 - Carpenders Park to Hayes and Harlington

Limited Interest - Decision Point Looming

Oh dear - the London Spiral Walk is starting to get a little stale. The last leg involved a lot of non-pavement, fast-traffic country lanes. It could not be described as wholly enjoyable. If anything, the stretch from Carpenders Park to Harlington Station is even worse.

There is nothing of any interest in 14 miles of walking. I have 6 photos on my phone. 2 of a too-early visit Good Beer Guide pub and one of an identikit 'Spoons that was the highlight of the day.

Early on, Oxhey Woods provides traffic-free countryside walking alongside the dog walkers of North London.

Woods.  Trees.

 

Then it's the outskirts of Pinner. Too early for the Good Beer Guide Woodman Pub and too many miles to walk to hang around for it's opening. Housing estate after housing estate. Admire the shed extensions on the rooflines. Find the house with the most cars parked on a repurposed front lawn. Dull, dreary walking. At least I get to tick off a couple of podcasts.

Wish I was at the Woodman End

At Ruislip, the OS Map switches from London North to Chilterns East and at least there's countryside again. The Hillingdon Trail takes me around Northolt Aerodrome along Yeading Brook. More or less all the way to the day's finale at Hayes and Harlington Station. Marshland, a babbling brook and mowed grass fields. You wouldn't think you were in London. It's so dull.

The Hillingdon Trail is a 20-mile (32 km) waymarked walking route through the London Borough of Hillingdon, running from Cranford Park near Heathrow to Springwell Lock in the Colne Valley. The trail offers a varied landscape of canals, ancient woodlands (Ruislip Woods NNR), rivers (Pinn and Colne), meadows, and historic landmarks like St Dunstan’s Church and Harefield’s ANZAC Memorial.

Refreshment desperately needed in Hayes, where there are near unlimited choice of takeaways.

One Good Beer Guide Tick available - the ubiquitous Wetherspoons Botwell Inn making the Bible for the 17th year running. Long may it continue when you can drink cask Jaipur for £2.29 a pint in London.  Best thing on the menu? Chicken in a basket.

Best a man can get (In Hayes)

I'll give the London Spiral until the next crossing of the Thames - although getting through Heathrow Airport doesn't promise great walking. Maybe I'll get some good photos.

Walk Information

Distance - 14 Miles

Start - Carpenders Park Station

Finish - Hayes and Harlington Station

Areas Walked - Pinner, Ruislip, Hillingdon

Geocaches - 11

Pubs - 1

Previous Walks - 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

10/05/25 - London Spiral - Stage 19 - Hadley Wood to Carpenders Park

A Day-Saving Bushey Backstreet Boozer

Not sure what occupation the designers of the London Spiral have, but it's surely not route creation. This is a walk that I have to double-check to make sure I haven't plotted it incorrectly. But no, they really did want me to walk up Wagon Lane at the day's start. A country lane, with no pavements and the worst of Hertfordshire boy racers. I would say that at least 40% of the walk is similar.

If it wasn't for Bushey's Swan pub, I would be questioning what I am doing with my life.

Absolutely nothing of interest until reaching Elstree and Borehamwood, where I walk the high street expecting to find refreshment. I am not exaggerating when I say that barber shops outnumber pubs by more than a ten to one. The two pubs, Pick and Shovel and the Alfred Arms, both look too dull for even me. And my head was too sweaty to get a haircut. Instead, I get to learn about the British Film Industry though the many information boards dotted along.

A frankly terrible picture of Elstree Studios

Haircut, not pints - and Elizabeth Taylor

Aldenham Country Park offers some relief. In an attempt to lure families, they have re-created it as 100 Aker Wood and setup a number of Winnie the Pooh artifacts to hunt for. Of course, someone has set up an Adventure Lab Cache, so I try my best not to look suspicious among the families and gathering the clues. I dread to think what I would react if I were out with grandchildren and I saw myself loitering around.

100 Aker Wood

If there is one place that the solo man of advancing years is welcome, it's the pub. I checked the opening hours on Google Maps. To be honest, I expected little from a back street pub emblazoned with "Sky Sports" banners. But there was nothing else in the Good Beer Guide anywhere near.

Of course, it was a gem. Along a terraced street, with some outdoor patio seating, I was unable to take an external photo. The beauty is inside.

Proper

The ubiquitous Timothy Taylor Landlord was in fine condition. Taken outside with an elderly gent who called me brother and moaned about the price of a pint. He could spot a target audience who was prepared to not only listen but to join in. 

£5.40.

Not long before I was whisked back to Euston, where I could have given him something to really moan about.

Walk Information

Distance - 13 Miles

Start - Hadley Wood Station

Finish - Carpenders Park Station

Areas Walked - Elstree, Borehamwood and Bushey

Geocaches - 10

Pubs - 1

Previous Walks - 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  

01/03/25 - London Spiral Stage 18 - Woodford to Hadley Wood

15 Miles but only 3 Pubs

And one of those was a Harvester and doesn't count.

Who would have thought London at the edge of Epping Forest and Enfield would be so dry? 

Today's walk was meant to start at Roding Mill Tube Station but that's too much of a pain to get to. Some odd loop on the Central Line. It makes more sense to add half a mile to the route and hell, you never know what you are going to find.

A rather normal suburban house for a former Prime Minister. Clement Attlee was here

Not long till the South Western edge of Epping Forest at Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge. Mainly notable for the mud that has not stopped some sort of under 10s cross country run. Junior Mud Runners. There is no doubt I was wearing the wrong footwear.

A rare mud free section of Epping Forest 

Pole Hill Obelisk and Trig Point

Reservoirs in view

The twin reservoirs of William Girling and King George are dissected by a road. The urban streets of Enfield instantly forgettable. Simply nothing of interest.

The Albion kick off at 12:30 with a herculean task of facing the mighty Leeds. I hope to find a pub with wi-fi and power. Instead, I find a bench in the grounds of Forty Hall Farm. Already a goal down by the time I have logged on.

Forty Hall Farm - London's only vineyard

Move on but prayers are answered for the second half. The Rose and Crown, Clay Hill. 

Extend, Extend, Extend

It's got history. A pub is believed to have existed on this spot since 1572 and brace yourself, there is a Dick Turpin reference. Of course there is, although this sounds genuine. Owned by Dick's Grandfather.

Today, its atmospheric with low beamed ceilings and plenty of ancient wooded support beams to navigate. It might be "gastro" but I shall be forever grateful for the Chesterfield sofa and Timothy Taylor. Especially as the Baggies pulled it back for a credible and unexpected draw.

Onwards - 5 miles to go to Hadley Wood Station - sharing the route with the London Loop. I barely remember this section, despite it offering fine countryside walking.

Re-wilding on the London Loop

Nothing to tempt you to stop at Hadley Wood - unless you are a fan of huge gated properties. Tap in and hot foot it back to the City.

Where, as always, a cancelled Avanti train awaits. At least Delay Replay is getting more efficient. The refund was back in my account in less than 24 hours. 

Walk Information

Distance - 15 Miles

Start - Woodford Tube Station

Finish -Hadley Wood Station

Areas Walked - Epping Forest, Chingford, Enfield

Geocaches - 4

Pubs - 1

Previous Walks - 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

06/01/25 - London Spiral Stage 17 - Woolwich to Roding Valley

The Great Guinness Shortage

Another Thames crossing on the London Spiral. I have used bridges, ferries and cable cars. Today, I can add feet - taking the deep dystopian plunge into the underworld and using the Woolwich Foot Tunnel. Only slightly worrying that there is an alarm sounding and no one else going subterranean. 

Going Underground

Not that I really wanted to surface. North Woolwich in the freezing rain.

Take me back down

Today's walk vividly demonstrates the essence of what Iain Sinclair's definition of psychogeography. Walking through industrial estates, alongside airport runways and under motorways is not for everyone. Route finding is tricky. Paths appear unexpectedly but also cannot be found to match the map. 

For Iain Sinclair, psychogeography is a way to uncover a city’s hidden soul, focusing on the forgotten, overlooked, and unloved spaces where history lingers. By walking through these neglected areas—abandoned industrial sites, crumbling estates, and disused railway lines—Sinclair reveals the stories and memories embedded in the urban landscape. These places, often dismissed or erased by modern development, serve as a counterpoint to sanitized urban spaces, offering a raw and chaotic glimpse of the city’s true essence.

Through his explorations, Sinclair celebrates the poetry of decay and the persistence of the past, reclaiming the narratives buried beneath the surface. Psychogeography, for him, becomes both a method of discovery and a form of resistance, connecting visible and invisible layers of urban life.

The end of London City airport runway

The River Roding

Most of this walk tries to follow the River Roding. Like many of London rivers, there is a waymarked walk associated. 

Delighted to find waymarkers

Yet this Roding Valley Way is a secret. I can find no official PDF or route map. Just a few blogs and part recordings on the usual tracking sites. Within metres of finding this marker, I manage to get to a dead end of new flats development (is there any other kind) and have to back track.

But getting lost has its own rewards. The diversion takes me to Barking Abbey. A rare bit of cultural history in an unloved part of town.

Ruined first by the Vikings, then Henry VIII

Refreshments? A rich seam for the pub archeology, with every pub passed derelict or turned into temples for different faiths. But there is an outlier in Ilford. And it opens before midday.

The Good Beer Guide Jono's.

How many Irish Pubs in the Bible?

I'm not sure what to make of this. Whilst checking whether open, I am instantly hit with a sign. No one likes signs in pubs. They should remain the last bastions of free living.

Marketing Myth or reality? Surely first come, first served.

Now, I only drink Guinness on St Patricks day. And only then if I am in Cheltenham Racecourse. Yet what else are you meant to drink in an Irish Pub. I chance my arm, but my Brummie accent ruins any chance of being mistaken as a regular.

Tribute it is. The only cask on offer and even then, the pump hidden around the corner away from the keg. Almost as if they are apologising for serving cask.

Decent TBF - Especially for 11:45am on a Monday

A real Good Beer Guide oddity. The guide adds scant info on its inclusion - noting that an occasional second pump sometimes serves Banks Wainwright.

And the locals? On Carling to a man.

Onwards, though a couple of pretty parks (Valentines and Clayhill) before more urban grittiness under the M11.

Flyovers - but at least the paths are signposted now

The destination - Roding Valley Tube Station. Only the most Londoner of Londoners knows which line this is on. A weird loop of the Central Line. 

I'll pick this route back up from Woodford.

Walk Information

Distance - 13 Miles

Start - Woolwich

Finish - Roding Valley Tube

Areas Walked - Barking, Ilford, Woodford

Geocaches - 4

Pubs - 1

Previous Walks - 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

21/09/24 - London Spiral - Stage 16 - Penge to Woolwich

Green Corridors to Scary Woolwich

A comprehensively good walk in South East London. Fast disappearing. Most suburbs ending in Ham, as I negotiate Beckenham, Mottingham and Eltham, before finishing up at Woolwich. The Elizabeth Line the quickest and cheapest way to get back into town, leaving a river crossing for the start of the next stage.

Kent House, South Penge is the start of the walk. Waiting for a GPS signal, I am instantly met by the local wildlife.

Parakeets on a Wire

I'm soon picking up existing and official Long Distance Paths - The Capital Ring, The Green Chain Link and St John's Walk take me along green corridors and through some fine walking country. Discovering;

Beckenham Place Park - The Georgian Mansion House

A Woodland Trail

Best views over the City for a long while

Eltham Palace - A Medieval Royal Residence

Severndrrog castle - a folly on Shooters Hill

Both refreshment stops are in Eltham - a traditional gem and a micro.

Its easy to fall in love with the Park Tavern. My arrival is five minutes before opening, so I can wait with increasing expectation for the scrape of the bolt - only to find several punters already bedded in. Lots of maybes. Maybe Google have the wrong hours. Maybe they haven't gone home from last night. Maybe there is an opposite name to a Lock In?  A Crack Open?

Handsome. Proper. Free.

And look at this interior - a modern interpretation of a classic bar counter?

As if I couldnt love it more

Adnams Broadside taken into the last of the 2024 sunshine, wondering if I have enough of the Anthony Bourdain in me to lunch at the Mash and Eel cafe opposite. I don't.

A little bit of Kent is found at the Long Pond. A micro pub, that will be remembered for Kent Ales (Hop Buzz Martello), Kent Crisps and a newspaper on every table.

Micro Pubs in Eltham, Kent

All downhill to Woolwich. I've got to admit, for the first time in my London wanderings, my danger senses are tingling overtime. Groups of men, hanging around on most street corners with cans and jazz cigarettes. Shirtless men howling at the skies and trying to break into church fetes. Architecturally becoming increasingly shanty. Was I correct to be on edge, or has Elon's algorithms polluted my mind to the end of Western civilisation? Possibly, but the day after I wake to the sad news of yet another fatal daylight stabbing in the very next street to where I was plodding.

Once at the the Waterfront, its very handsome.

Walk Information

Distance - 12 Miles

Start - Kent House

Finish - Woolwich

Areas Walked - Beckenham, Mottingham, Eltham, Shooters Hill, Woolwich

Geocaches - 7 and two 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, Stage 12, Stage 13, Stage 14, Stage 15

03/08/24 - London Spiral - Stage 15 - Wimbledon to Penge

What the bloody hell did you want to do that for?

Not necessarily the words you want to hear after a lengthy hike through South London. But the regulars of the Craft Union Crooked Billet in Penge had a point.

The pub is the clue for an Adventure Lab Cache (ALC), with a history that belies its rather terrifying looking exterior. There I am am, rucksack adorned and the chief wag says "been on a walk, mate?".  I thought I'd be able to hold my own in the banter stakes but when I said I had walked from Wimbledon, I couldn't get a word in edge-ways. First they joshed, then laughed like drains and then it descended into a fit of coughing that I thought may require medical attention. I used google to get my answer and moved on.

The thing is, they had a point.

Wimbledon was left at 9am and the housing estates and parks of Merton, Mitcham and Norbury was not exactly rambling country. I was questioning my own existence myself.

Rambling, South London Style

Crystal Palace saved the day. Not many have said that, although I probably screw up both the pub and beer order through a desperation that this might be the best it gets. The Sparrowhawk is a gastro pub, full of ladies who lunch (with prosecco). Two cask on and I had never seen the False Number number, thinking Bury St Edmunds is relatively LocALE. Should have known it would be a Greene King.

Desperate Times/Measures

Gastro Pub

Turn the corner and there are much more interesting looking pubs - the Westow Tap, Royal Albert and even the Westow House Hotel (offering takeaway pints).

But Crystal Palace Park is a joy and and an ALC takes me to all the dinosaurs.

Go on, ask me a question about dinosaurs?

Certainly the highlight of this leg of the London Spiral. And it leads to Penge, where it is all going on. Loud music and the smell of BBQ Chicken, which sounded good for lunch. Seemed to be some sort of religious festival and there is no cult in the world that needs me.

Instead, I looked for my next refreshment spot.

Craft Metropolis for NEIPA Schooners

Walk Information

Distance - 11 Miles

Start - Wimbledon

Finish - Kent House

Areas Walked - Merton, Mitchem, Norbury, Crystal Palace, Penge

Geocaches - 10 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, Stage 12, Stage 13, Stage 14

20/04/24 - London Spiral - Stage 14 - Kew Gardens to Wimbledon

Why 'Spoons is the best for the Lonely Football Fan

The London Spiral doing a fine job of making you think you are not in London. The 8 miles of this stretch are mainly traffic free, sharing wild paths with horse riders and dog walkers.

From Kew Gardens tube, through North and East Sheen to pick up Richmond Park at East Sheen Gate.

Richmond Park, through East Sheen Gate

Richmond Park is 2500 acres of emptiness. Created by Charles I as a deer park, its history includes duels between sitting Prime Ministers and their political counterparts. That would make PMQs more interesting. No sign of deer today, or indeed dogs called Fenton on the rampage.

The route skirts the Eastern side of the park, following Beverley Brook upstream and into our second park, Wimbledon Common.

Following Beverley Brook

Adventure Lab Caches following a theme of the Wombles are in abundance, so my route contained just the one diversion to increase caching numbers. I didn't get close to the Windmill. I also didn't need to make decisions on whether to revisit some of the Wimbledon 8 Pubs. The Fox and Grapes too gastro, but the twins of Hand in Hand and Crooked Billet are always worth a visit when the sun is shining.

Instead, its into "The Village" for the only (new to me) Good Beer Guide Tick available.

And it's a 'Spoons.

Wibbas Down Inn - #1 Entrance

Let me count the ways why its perfect for my needs;

• Power:  With rail E-Tickets, I need to replenish the juice consumed by my geocaching app to get home. I time it lucky, to get the final booth. Complete with double power socket.
• Free Wifi: Baggies are live on Sky Sports, for a crunch game at the business end of the season. The free wifi is strong enough to get a non lagging signal, although the Sky App is slightly behind the live action.  At least my son's messages prepare me for the disappointment.
• The App: Having settled in, I now need to protect my space. The app allows me to order lunch and drinks without moving an inch. However, this rather shows my hand to the disapproving Mrs M. She, who has set up banking app alerts from our joint account. And still hasn't forgiven Timbo for the dog ban.
• The Prices: London Pride at £2.74 a pint is a steal. For comparison, I attempted to use a pub near Marylebone on my return. A similar ABV Cask retailing for £6.90. It was the plastic glass that encouraged me to take an earlier train home. 

In the interests of fairness, I should document any faults. Kids playing games on too loud iPads were annoying, although I did have earphones. Dingle Don Goodman's commentary arguably worse. A walloper dragging a huge suitcase through the pub, knocking over furniture, bumping into people and shouting obscenities increased tension. On my exit, I found him throwing karate shapes against the bemused external gaspers.

All part of life's rich tapestry.

Wibbas Down Inn - #2 Entrance

Walk Information

Distance - 8 Miles

Start - Kew Gardens Station

Finish - Wimbledon

Areas Walked - Richmond Park, Wimbledon Common

Geocaches - 3 and two Adventure Lab Caches

Pubs - 1

Previous Walks - 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

17/02/24 - London Spiral Stage 13 - Wembley to Richmond

 From Rags to Richmond Riches looking for Ted

The biggest surprise today was how close Wembley and Richmond are. If quizzed, I would have said 20 miles. In reality - 8 miles that includes some Adventure Lab Caching (ALC) meandering and a train from Kew Gardens.

A walk that shows the diversity (of wealth) of London. No hanging around in Wembley. I'd have got stoned on second hand breakfast jazz cigarettes. Not that there was anywhere to stop.

The Plough, Alperton

There's no way this could be described as classic walking but it does have challenges to overcome. Circumventing Hanger Lane gyratory on foot requires luck and bravery. The main road of Hanger Lane is full of traffic noise, but does allow a glimpse through the gates of Ealing Village. Cottage living in West London. Distraction found in Gunnersbury Park, where an ALC shows me the temples, pools and gothic castles.

Architecture in Gunnersbury Park

Planned to perfection for the 11am opening of my first Good Beer Guide Tick - The Express Tavern at Kew Bridge. But who are the hordes of people being helped across the pedestrian crossing under the M4?

Does Brentford still have a pub at each corner of the ground?

Alert the "Dubious Ticks Committee".  As beautiful as the Express Tavern looks, I'm not battling a four deep bar queue to drink Bass out of a plastic glass.

Guarded by two layers of bouncers - High and Low Viz

Vow to future self - check the football. Not only did I plan a lunchtime pint at the nearest pub to a premier league game with a 12:30am kick off, I also planned a 19:00 return train after both Villa and Wolves took three points each back to the Midlands. Unsurprisingly, I have a delay/reply in progress due to the Avanti West Coast main line being blocked by the previous train due to "passenger disturbance".

Back to the walking.... Kew village is beautiful and a final ALC shows me the sights around the Green. I could bring photos, but probably best to let you use you imagination as to what the mortuary for Thames river drowning casualties looks like.

Richmond is not quite on the London Spiral Walk but it is easily accessible from Kew Gardens station.

Walking curtailed to go on the hunt for Ted Lasso. 

I'm owed an half from missing the Express - so a beeline is made for The White Cross. 10 years since my last visit and I have fond memories of seeing the brightly lit neon signage after arriving in town as dusk fell after a riverside walk.

A simple Young's Pub that should be on all "Best views from a pub window" lists.

The White Cross, Richmond

View from the pub steps

Same view past the diners in the Bay Window

Ted Lasso - the mildly amusing football based comedy drama that prompted me to take out another paid TV subscription - is quite the cultural phenomenon. I wait my turn for the photos outside his flat in Paved Court.

Paved Court - Home of Ted

And there he is....

The fictional pub in the series, the Crown and Anchor, is in reality is the Princes Head. A prime location, looking over the Richmond Green and as you would expect from a Fullers House, a very good ESB.

Music is Life at the Princes Head

Lots of Ted fans - but they can't complain - Richmond AFC Scarves behind the bar just encourages them

 

Starving hungry, I would have eaten here if they had allowed a solo diner one of their free restaurant tables. All booked at 2pm sounds like an anti-rambler excuse. But to be fair, this did lead to a much more convivial experience in Cricketers next door.

Greeted by an old school, be-tied landlord, this Greene King House from 1770 has the same views over Richmond Green, with a far more laid back experience.  Everything is old school - from the furniture, stripped floorboards and cricket related paraphernalia. Timothy Taylor an addition to the GK Standards but it was the food and service that made this place a joy. Prices reasonable (for London).

Handsome and Old School

Walk Information

Distance - 8 Miles

Start - Wembley Central Station

Finish - Kew Gardens Station

Areas Walked - Alperton, Ealing, Gunnersbury Park, Kew

Geocaches - 2 and two Adventure Lab Caches

Pubs - 3

Previous Walks - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7, Stage 8, Stage 9, Stage 10, Stage 11, Stage 12