Walk London certificate

Trent Country Park to Underhill

Job done! My circumnavigation of London by means of running the London Loop is now complete.

I did 4.84 miles today making a grand total of 151.82 miles covered.

I must deduct 0.9 mile from the total as I have discovered I included the Totteridge to Underhill Park, Dollis Walk spur in my original calculations.

So, final length of London Loop ran is 150.92 miles.

There are two Loop routes around Underhill Park. I chose to go to the point where I started which is an alternate to the one indicated in David Sharp’s book. (How exciting, a new edition of the book was published on the 16th of May.)

Since I had to go back the way I came this figure is doubled and the actual distance ran is 301.84 miles.

Needless to say I regard this as a real achievement and am very pleased with myself.

Me, looking pleased with myself.

On another page I have an account of the run so a little on what I saw today.

Loop sign outside Cockfosters tube station

On the underground tube map Cockfosters, at the end of the Piccadilly line, looks as though it is in a completely separate quadrant of London to High Barnet at the end of the Northern Line. In reality there are only four miles apart. I saw them both today.

Mainline to the North

I waited for a train to come but I was too sweaty and it was too cold. After all it is August. Amazing to think that more than a hundred years ago one could get to Scotland in four to five hours. Even now it still has to be the quickest way city centre to centre. That’s progress for you.

Like a great many places on the Loop I had never been to this part of London before. Hadley Green definitely had the biggest collection of really nice houses on the Loop. I didn’t take any pictures simply because I am fond of my own privacy as well.

But I did take a picture of this gate.

Gate - Hadley Green

That ought to keep the riff-raff out.

After passing Dr. Livingstone’s House there was this great view of London from Barnet looking out across Tottenham to Greenwich. The photo doesn’t do it justice.

View from Barnet

And finally, Underhill Park, Journey’s begining and journey’s end.

Under Hill Park just down from Barnet FC football ground

Now what to do………?

I know!!

Forty Hill to Trent Country Park

Today’s run through the Chase was an absolute joy.

by Salmon's Brook

Thanks must go to Enfield conservation volunteers and groundforce countryside conservation volunteers on doing such a terrific job maintaining the path.

Groundforce Plaque

I wish they could take care and maintain the rest of the Loop. Really good work.

Trent Country Park was lovely and it was my first chance to get into some proper woods since I crossed the river many moons ago. The delicious ferny smell and the sunlight splashing randomly through the green leaves made this arboreal reconnection a real delight.

Woodland - Trent Country Park

Also, even though the recent weather has been miserable, it is still August and the woodland canopy brought cool relief from the strong rays of the sun when it deigned to appear.

I think this section of the run had my least engagement with traffic. I ran along the Ridgeway for about a hundred yards, although it looks further on the map as the route is parallel to the road and about half that distance on a road outside the park. And there was one other road separating Hilly Fields from Forty Hill and that was it. The only road running I had to do in over six miles.

I came across the old channel for the New River. It was strange to see the channel still so clearly visible there after being abandoned for about a hundred and fifty years.

Old New River

That it is still there is testament to the hard work that went into constructing it back when Shakespeare was still alive.

After running across the open, empty fields of the Chase it was nice to come across a good deal of human traffic on the Loop when I got to Forty Hill.

Elsynge Fish Ponds

The decks are a nice addition to Elsynge Fish Ponds. I wonder if there are any fish in there.

6.46 miles today making a total of 146.98 miles

Chingford to Forty Hill

Well, that was a spectacular day.

Just look at this view across the reservoir to Alexandra Palace. Really not far from the end of the run.

View of Alexandra Palace

I had to detour around a car boot sale in the field next to Sewardstone Road before I came across the real surprise of the day.

The Clear, Clean River Lea

Who would have thought that one day I would ever come to write the clean, clear River Lea and mean it.  I used to canoe and row in that river when I was at school. I am pretty sure I glowed in the dark for that period of my life.

River Lea near Enfield Lock

Sadly, there was a derelict pub at Enfield Lock and the boarded-up building next to the lock-keeper’s cottage was approaching terminal decay. I wonder what can be done, if anything, about it. I don’t regard tearing them down and putting up a series of those tiny hutches as being an option.

Enfield Lock

Between Enfield Lock and Forty Hill it was a bit on the urban side. Seemed to be a lot of geezer types with sore heads from the night before. Some serious gold chains and of course the inevitable pit bulls – the true horror story of the Loop. Fortunately, the balance weighs far more to the beautiful and dramatic and I can tolerate running the drooling, yapping gauntlet every now and then. Well, I have to run it quite often actually.

I also saw my first blackberries. I thought they were supposed to come at the end of summer. Very beautiful even if we didn’t have the summer first.

First blackberries of 2008

I will talk about it in my roundup but still amazed that other users of the Loop are sparse to the point of being a neglible presence. It is a shame because it is a fantastic facility for us all to have and take advantage of.

Lane at Sewardstone

Miles today, 5.9, making a total of 140.52 miles

Chigwell to Chingford 4.07 miles

Unfortunately, my camera had a malfunction today so there are no photos from this section of the route. I also had a problem uploading this post. Gremlins 2 – Tom 0.

It was a low-hung overcast morning and anything that I would have produced would have been a tad flat anyway.

Crossing the M11 was an indicator that I have now turned into the home straight and the end is now in sight. Well at another fifteen miles or so it is not in sight but there are only three or four more runs now.

The run today was like a microcosm of the whole route so far. There were nice areas, poor areas, woods, open spaces, rolling hills, a river and a secret path between the houses. There were the crossings of the major arterial routes, the M11 and the Central Line. Even passed by a golf course. The whole London Loop in just over four miles.

I was rather intrigued by the amount of expensive cars outside relatively inexpensive houses.

4.07 miles making a grand total of 134.62 so far.

Havering atte bower to Chigwell

This is the longest run on any section of the Loop that I have done and what a beautiful, beautiful morning to do it on. I have put an enlarged map up today as there are some minor variations from my route today and the maps in the “The London Loop.”

View from by the village hall at Havering atte bower

Even though they were mentioned in David Sharp’s fine book I was still greatly surprised to see the Redwood Trees just a few hundred yards after setting off.

There is something very reassuring about those trees.

A delightful run through the woods and then down a bridle path and then across two fields one of the full or wheat.

The golf course was dismal and probably the worst marked part of the entire Loop. It was only through some DR and a bit of luck that I found myself back on the route. I only found one marker. I asked a groundsman where the others were  but he clearly didn’t have a clue what the London Loop was. My advice -study the book, read the maps.

I then found myself in Hainault Country Park. The marker here suggests that one traverses the middle of the open ground but I stuck to the route laid out in the book and found this.

Some sort of Millennium celebration marker. I got to the lake fine and then started heading up to The Chigwell Water Filtration plant. I will remember it well as my legs got lashed by nettles and briars which had overgrown the path. This was shortly after nearly taking a tumble on a broken stile.

Path maintenance in North East London is the poorest of the loop. But just as one gets a bit fed up one finds oneself on a lovely country road. All is forgotten if not quite forgiven.

country lane

Finally, I got to Chigwell which is on the near horizon. I do think this is somewhat less boring then a treadmill.

path through wheat field

Overall a great day out. 

6.55 miles making a total of 130.55 miles in total. Nearly 90% of the way there.

Harold Wood to Havering atte Bower

At the end of the last run I was misled by this sign which is just after Harold Wood station, opposite the library, by the bottle bank. It should point to the road to the right but as you can see it just affirms that I am on the right track. As a result I cut a little corner off the route. I made amends for that today. I have also made the appropriate revisions in the calculations below.

Harold Hill has to be the messiest section of the London Loop so far. Litter was absolutely everywhere. The glorious little Inglebourne River was stuffed with old prams and other pieces of metal skeletons of indeterminate origin. The residents must be ashamed of themselves. The place was full of track-suited yoof with their brutal looking dogs. I was given to wonder if the leashes weren’t on the wrong animals.

Further up the hill and out into the fields the English countryside triumphed once again.

However, a certain of lack of care still prevailed.

The bright object, just off centre, is a London Loop marker disc. Yes, I did traverse the wall of briars and nettles (twice.) Yes, I was wearing running shorts. A beautiful day nevertheless.

Distance covered 4.49 miles (0.47 already deducted for shortened run in last entry.) Making a total of 124 miles covered so far.

The first truly warm day of the year. Everyone was out and I lost count of the number of smiles and bidded Good Mornings I received.

Running through the very unwood-like Pages Wood ( though plenty of plantings indicate that it will one day live up to its name,) was very peaceful.

Just to make it even more bucolic I came across this cricket ground by the playground being prepped for a long day’s leather meeting wood or vice versa.

I wish I had time to stay and watch. However all good things must come to an end as my sudden meeting with the A12 testifies.

Total distance of 2.46 miles making a total so far of 119.51 miles.

13/4/08

Just a gentle run across some fields then on a rather busy road leading up to the A127. The Southend Arterial Route.

There was some doubt whether I would escape a drenching but I made it with seconds to spare.

It wasn’t the most delightful stretch of the Loop but I enjoyed myself anyway.

However, the markers are the best on the entire circuit so far.

2 miles today making a total of 117.05 miles.

The sun was shining and it was so good to get out running yesterday. Especially after such a long break.

I only intended to run as far as Upminster Bridge tube station and back but it was such a glorious day that I added another half mile or so.

My thighs are not too stiff this morning.

It was nice to start along by the River Ingrebourne. I think Hacton lane would have been the northern boundary road for Hornchurch aerodrome.

Passing by AFC Hornchurch football stadium basking in the sun awaiting the thrills and drama of match day. Go on you urchins!

The rest of the run was along a main road and through a suburban street. As surprisingly little of the Loop is on pavement I have always mildly resented having to cover it as necessary evil. Not today – it was all just great.

1.46 miles making a total of 115.05 miles.