Deborah Adams

On an overcast Saturday started from Thaxted church and walked to Radwinter to complete the Uttlesford Way at last

It was a walk of electricity pylons, grey skies and a spikey discussion with a landowner about the route.

This has been an ongoing project; the whole Way itself is comprised of circular walks that form a string of pearls, starting and finishing at Stansted Mountfichet station. Each circular walk can be done in two parts, there and back or the Way itself walked in one large circle.
Following the routes in a book, researched and written by Peter Cooper, was easy and used less obvious paths. Notes about being beware of chickens and llamas heeded!
So, another long distance path completed in an embarrassingly long time but thoroughly enjoyed none the less.

Started from Bromley South station and walked, via some lovely green parks, to Greenwich following detailed instructions in Greenwich Meridian Trail Book One. Having started from Peacehaven on Sussex coast a couple of years back and meandered up Sussex in chunks, it was time to do the “bit” up to Greenwich itself. And what a revelation ….. Beckenham Place park full of trees and parrots, the Waterway following the river Ravensbourne up to Lewisham, Blackheath an enormous green space with a workers history and finally spectacular views over London from Greenwich Park.

Next chunk starts from Greenwich foot tunnel north; final destination Hull ……. in a few year’s time.

 

 

Zipping it!

Well, parking Ziggy and then walking back to it/her or whatever one calls a black car, ubiquitous as Ziggy is.

Started on a dampish morning with low cloud over the Downs, hiding sheep being branded in blue markings, hiding the up-hill drags but not hiding smiles from other walkers, not bothered by a bit of Sussex drizzle. Walked up to Trig point on top of Beacon Hill where I’d stopped in January, the last time in low mist and winter sunshine that I’d managed to get walking on the SDW. A longish tramp back to Ziggy, stopping to look at Bronze age burial mounds, now home to rabbits and wild flowers and probably those sheep again. Hillocks in a field for thousands of years.

Cup of tea from a mobile van in the car park for a reasonable amount, soon able to pay by card apparently when the card machine arrives, enough to reinvigorate another couple of hours walking.  This time up a long slope to a forest and on to more burial mounds in cloud, a ghostly atmosphere, completely different when seen on a sunny morning.

And so to day two and Ziggy left in Graffham village. Clambered up through trees to SDW and back to those ghostly burial mounds then on to Bindon Hill carpark; sharp outlines of trees against a blue sky.  Perfect.  Views over towards Isle of Wight and yet more sheep to look a bit interested in those two legged beings marching by. A turn around and back to Ziggy and a cup of tea and some intense sun, nose saved by sun cream if not arms. Over-whelming memories of “green and blue” – trees against a bright blue sky.