| It had been about 5 months since we had last
walked the LOOP. I had wanted to complete a section last autumn after
returning from the South West Coast Path. However, Jim had sworn he would
never walk again after his coast path experience. Needless to say this
oath didn't last more than a couple of months, but by that time a lack
of daylight hours meant that we wouldn't be able to walk as far as we
wished. It was therefore February before we contemplated taking on the
LOOP again, and to be quite honest, we were still worried we would run
out of daylight - especially as it was to be the longest walk either of
us had ever undertaken in one day. We were desperate to complete this
section too, for it would bring us back to the Thames and therefore complete
the southern "half" of the LOOP (ignoring the fact that the
"half" of the LOOP north of the Thames is far longer than the
southern bit).
Despite the time worries, it felt good to be back on the path and we
arrived back at Whyteleafe station with light hearts and heavy backpacks
- it was pretty chilly out there and we'd decided that bringing a flask
of soup would be a good idea.
The name "Whyteleafe" conjures up images of pretty little villages
with tearooms and maypoles. Possibly it's the "Olde English"
style spelling of the name that does it. Needless to say it didn't live
up to any such ideals - from what we saw, it consists of run-down semi-industral
buildings straggled alongside the busy A22, which unfortunately we had
to walk along all the way back to where we had left the LOOP all that
time before. Mouth-watering aromas of bacon sandwiches wafted from cafés
nearby; we were tempted to stop, but mindful of the impending early sunset
we decided to make do with the cookies which, in line with the now established
LOOP tradition, we had purchased at London Bridge station on the way through.
We were welcomed back onto the LOOP proper with a steep eighty metre
climb up to Kenley Common. Despite the chilly (but sunny) weather we started
to sweat profusely, although I couldn't say whether this was due to the
hill or due to 5 months of accumulated girth!
At the top we passed through some fairly undistinguished woodland before
passing close to Kenley Aerodrome, one of the Battle of Britain airfields.
Despite its distinguished history, today it looks no different to any
other slightly run-down airfield - it was a shame there was nothing commemorating
its role in the Second World War (or at least, nothing visible from the
LOOP!)
Soon we passed the dome of a tiny observatory, oddly located in a rough
overgrown field next to discarded chunks of concrete - I assume it used
to form part of the airbase. The dome itself looked slightly better maintained
than its surroundings, perhaps indicating that some local astronomy group
have taken it over? I can imagine staying overnight at this observatory
being a cold, lonely experience.
We left the airfield area behind us as we descended into some woods on
a rough track, briefly taking a wrong turn. There were no LOOP signs visible,
and the map only indicated one track in the woods. On coming to a junction,
we therefore just took the most obvious route. As it veered round to the
north-west we quickly realised our error, for the map in the book showed
that we should be heading south. We retraced our steps to the junction
and from this direction were able to see the LOOP sign hidden amongst
the bracken. Not for the last time we were glad we had the book!
We passed briefly through some housing at the tail end of Old Coulsdon
and ascended to the woods of Coulsdon Common - as we crossed the 170m
contour we had reached a bit of a landmark, for this was the highest point
of the whole LOOP. For the rest of today it would be downhill all the
way (on average, at least) until we reached the banks of the Thames at
Kingston.
Soon after we crossed a road into what was obviously a very popular public
amenity area (judging by the size of the car park and the number of people
around) and discovered to our delight one of those outdoor wooden exercise
courses. Needless to say we felt the need to have a go on some of the
activities - in particular those overhead monkey bars (which might possibly
have a different name).
Turning a corner into an open grassy slope into a valley we had reached
another big landmark - the southernmost point of the whole LOOP. It was
a good moment, and we felt the need to celebrate with water and chocolate
nuts & raisins on a handy bench with pleasant views. Perhaps we also
needed a rest after our exertions on the exercise course!
The valley opening out before us was called "Happy Valley"
- I doubt it was named after the joy of LOOP-ers "turning the corner",
but we felt pretty good as we descended into it, and then ascended through
trees on the far side. After initial cloud, the sun had finally emerged,
and the valley was enchanting - and only slightly spoilt by the hordes
of other people wandering through it.
We emerged from the woodland atop the Farthing Downs, and I was gladdened
further to find myself atop open chalk downland - one of my favourite
types of landscape (but why are "downs" always "up"?).
The LOOP runs smack down the centre of the down and gives you something
of the usual feeling of this landscape - of being on top of the world!
The book said that there were Saxon burial mounds here, but frankly the
grassy humps & bumps that we saw could have been anything.
The down is a little spoiled by having a road running along it, but fortunately
traffic was light, and we were able to follow a path a little way away
from the road over lovely soft springy grass - this section of the LOOP
was a real delight! It was a shame that the views were only of the suburb
of Coulsdon ahead of us, which even in the early spring sunshine looked
pretty ugly. This was a real shame because all too soon the down ended
and the LOOP descended (now on the road again) over cattle grids and -
you guessed it - into Coulsdon.
(b) Coulsdon South to Banstead Downs (4 miles)
The centre of Coulsdon was, unfortunately, very much in line with the
ugly views we'd had of it from Farthing Down. The station here is on the
main A23 London to Brighton road, and the noise and fumes of such a busy
route were a nightmare after the peaceful Happy Valley and (relatively!)
clean air of Farthing Downs.
After a hairy five minutes spent trying to get across the A23, we quickly
marched our way out of central Coulsdon (possibly the worst part of the
LOOP so far). We left the main roads behind us by crossing over a railway,
and emerged onto a long, straight and slowly ascending suburban road.
Possibly in response to having got away from the noise of the A23, our
pace drastically slowed as we started looking at the early spring bulbs
in the front gardens. For some reason this particular road (Woodmansterne
Road, if you're interested) had managed to put on a particularly fine
performance - wherever we looked, crocuses (should that be crocii?), narcissi,
snowdrops and muscari were sprouting forth in a vivid display of colour.
It was a delight to amble along and compare the gardens, and it was a
while before a creeping chilliness made us realise just how slowly we
were walking.
Due to the chill and the slope it took us some time to get going properly
again. Perhaps we were running short on energy and should have taken a
break, but on cresting the hill we found ourselves in a dubious-looking
council estate with a particularly nasty looking pub called the Jack &
Jill. Needless to say we didn't stop, but pushed on as the LOOP finally
left the outskirts of Coulsdon via a narrow trackway which was soon blocked
by a fallen tree; there was no way around but to scramble over, dragging
our tired legs behind us.
Soon afterwards the map proclaimed a viewpoint towards central London
both on the map and in the text, but compared to the great views we'd
had near Croydon on day 2, it was disappointing. Soon after, the LOOP
approached the A2022 and took a bizarre diversion - a kilometre long zig-zag
back southwards just to avoid a mere 200m of road-walking. Well-meant,
no doubt, and certainly much safer than walking along a main road, these
diversions are however not the sort of thing you need when you're trying
to over 20 miles in a day!
As we approached the southern end of this inopportune contrivance, a
sudden squally shower blew up. We gratefully squatted on a plastic tub
and a lump of concrete that some kind-hearted soul had seen fit to abandon
under some trees, we finally downed some energy-giving chocolate nuts
& raisins. When the rain abated some 10 minutes later we felt much
recuperated and ready to go again. This was just as well, for we were
aware that time was now pressing urgently upon us - it was well into the
afternoon and we weren't even halfway through the walk.
The northwards part of the diversion (possibly the "zag"?)
took us through a herb farm. This was fantastic - I'd never seen herbs
commercially farmed before, and the neat rows of thyme, mint, sage and
the like gave off an intoxicating scent, one that made us start salivating
and longing for our lunch. Unfortunately we had decided that we would
not have it until we were at least at the halfway point.
Soon we finally crossed the elusive A2022 and entered Oaks Park, where
the famous Derby horse race is run. The park grounds were lovely - well
tended, with plenty of flowers and interesting shrubs. Unfortunately the
presence of the racecourse meant that all the surrounding paths (including
the LOOP) were bridleways, and at this time of year churned up into mudbaths.
The going thus became rather taxing for the next mile or so - especially
as the bridlepath we were on was just a long straight route with no particular
landmarks other than the depressing presence of a prison to the right.
Eventually and thankfully we left the long bridleway across a railway
and emerged onto a golf course - very welcome relief as I enjoy walking
on golf courses. The ground underfoot is soft and spongy, the sculpted
land is pleasant on the eye, and there's a real feeling of being out in
the open - you can see why so many are drawn to the sport. I understand
that golf courses can have a bad impact on the environment, especially
when it comes to water extraction to feed the greens but - hey - at least
they help to give big cities some green "lungs"!
After crossing just one fairway, we came to the A217 dual carriageway,
a road that leads straight to Reigate, the town where we were born and
lived for the first few years of our lives. Any slight feeling of nostalgia
was blown away by the fast moving traffic on the dual carriageway. Fortunately
it was slowed a little by roadworks, but under normal conditions I can
imagine this would be a very tricky crossing.
The road also marked a big point in today's walk - we were halfway through.
You could leave the LOOP here for Banstead station - we, like the fools
we are, elected to press on towards Kingston.
(c) Banstead Downs to Ewell West (3.75 miles)
The golf course strangely continued on the other side of the road - it
can't be much fun playing a course with a dual carriageway though the
centre! We were glad though - it meant more soft spongy easy walking for
us. We also hoped to find somewhere to stop for lunch, put the one bench
we saw had a large group of golfers by it and we felt it would be too
intrusive.
I was a bit annoyed with the golf course though. For the next mile and
a half we would be forced to walk through suburban roads - this was, the
book said, because local landowners refused to allow the LOOP through
their land. The proposed route was clear from the map - running through
more of the golf course, so I assume it was the golf club that had forced
the LOOP into the houses. It seemed a bit bizarre that a footpath ran
across the middle of one half of the golf course but the LOOP wasn't even
able to run round the edge of the remainder of the course. Surely it couldn't
harm the course to provide a little fenced-off strip around the edge?
Instead we were forced into a housing estate. Not your normal estate
though - huge houses with Jags & BMW's parked outside. Many of them
were probably members of the golf club. I felt it was nicely ironic that
people who may have been involved in stopping the LOOP from taking its
intended route now had scummy sweaty walkers (and we are happy to include
ourselves in that category) walking past their front gates and peering
in at their houses and gardens. Once again we were slowed by looking at
houses, but unlike Coulsdon the residents of East Ewell had a poor bulb
display - perhaps they were scared of getting their hands dirty.
I'll pass over the remainder of this long period of road walking (other
than to say it made my feet hurt & made us long still more for lunch)
until we emerged from beneath yet another railway and into Nonsuch Park.
I'd mentioned this odd name to people before we'd started our walk and
they'd refused to believe it existed, saying things like "there's
nonesuch place!" Needless to say, there is - it's the site of Henry
VIII's Nonsuch Palace, and the later Nonsuch Mansion. The book suggested
a diversion to the mansion if you had the time, but we frankly didn't
- all our housegazing had cost us dearly, and we knew that we would be
finishing the walk in the dark - that was, if we made it to Kingston at
all.
First though we had to find a place to stop for lunch - one of the disadvantages
of winter walking is that you can't simply sit on the ground. We did see
a bench, but it was about thirty yards up a slope to our right and we
refused to divert that far from our route. Given that we were entering
a park, we felt sure we'd find another bench soon enough. Turning a corner
into the park proper, there were no benches to be seen, and we ended up
having our long-awaited lunch hunched up uncomfortably on a tree stump
which was too small, too low, too rough and too exposed in the cold cloudy
weather. After a very high-speed lunch we rose to find that we were cold
and stiff, and it took us a long time to get up to speed again.
The park was surprisingly busy for such a cold day, and as we made our
way down a long avenue of trees we were annoyed to find that there were
actually a fair few benches - they had just been hidden from our previous
viewpoint by the trees. The path led us to some low brick walls marking
out the site of Henry VIII's banqueting hall. The size of it was most
impressive - even more so when the book informed us it was only the place
where Henry's hunting parties dropped in for a quick snack. If the hunting
party was large enough to warrant this size of snack bar, then I feel
truly sorry for their quarry - it wouldn't have stood a chance! The shape
of the hall was rather nice too - a simple rectangle with a circular turret
at each corner. Despite our need for haste, we did spend some time admiring
the site.
Moving on quickly, we left Nonsuch Park behind and crossing the A24 entered
central Ewell, past a succession of interesting and varied buildings with
castellations, towers and the like. From here it was a short walk to Ewell
West station, but we were determined to get to Kingston.
(d) Ewell West to Berrylands (4.75 miles)
At the heart of Ewell we entered a stunning park via an impressive archway.
There was a landscaped and fish-filled pond at the centre, and floral
displays all around. The pond was the source of the Hogsmill River, which
we would spend the remainder of the day following all the way down to
the Thames. It was rather nice to think that, whilst we would only complete
one eighth of the LOOP today we could at least boast that we had walked
the entire course of a river!
Next to the exit from the park was another, smaller pond, backed with
carvings and arches. It was so pretty that I pulled out my camera to take
a photo - unfortunately the batteries had died. Having forgotten the camera
on the previous two days we seemed destined to have no photos to remind
us of the LOOP.
Striding onwards into light woodland we came to another pool - apparently
a millpond in former times. We started to see traces of the Hogsmill River
that we were to follow, in the form of several interlinking channels running
through the woods. Paths wound between the channels and crossed them on
tiny wooden bridges. It was a delightful area, and you could see why Ewell
supported such a high proportion of large houses - people must be willing
to pay a fair wodge to live in the area.
The river soon passed under yet another railway via a circular tunnel
and the LOOP did a most astonishing thing. It passed under the same tunnel
- but on a long wooden bridge set lengthways down the centre of the river!
It really is an odd feeling to be on a bridge, yet within a tunnel, with
running water below and to each side of you! Using the same clever structure,
the path switches from the left hand to right hand bank of the river.
The light level was already starting to dim slightly, and we were forced
to up our pace as much as possible. It was a shame, because the Hogsmill
had, so far, been a lovely waterway. Admittedly the further we went downstream,
the more the river was hidden away between deep banks, and the more the
surrounding land degenerated into unattractive rough grassland, but on
a warmer day (with a later sunset!) I'd have liked to linger a little
and watch the river waters gradually swell as we moved further downstream.
Instead we were forced to adopt a heads-down high-speed trudge, slowed
at times by the path being completely churned up into glutinous and yet
slippy mud pools. Another long distance path, the Thames Down link, joins
the LOOP here, which I guess might increase the usage a bit. Maybe it's
just that a lot of people enjoy walking the Hogsmill!
Just before Malden Manor station there was an annoying road diversion,
where paths to take the LOOP along the river are yet to be negotiated
and opened. After the station we came to the A3. One of the interesting
things about the LOOP (which I've probably mentioned elsewhere) is that
you really get to see how England's road network is numbered - in sectors
radiating out from London. So far on the LOOP we'd been purely walking
through the "A2" sector - for instance, today we'd crossed the
A22, A23 and A24, in that order. From hereon all roads we encountered
would have an "A3" prefix. Main roads do for this reason make
quite nice progress markers on the LOOP, but when you're in a rush they're
annoying. In the case of the A3 we had to turn aside from our headlong
rush to Kingston and walk a fair distance down this busy road to use a
skanky underpass that smelt of wee.
The kilometre of river from the A3 down to Berrylands station was a bit
of a nightmare. It was gone 5pm, it was getting dark (all the streetlights
we could see in the distance were already on, and preventing any "night
vision" we might have had), and frankly we were scared of accidentally
falling in the river. The terrain was also pretty nasty - rough tussocks
of grass slowed our progress as we tried to pick out a route in the failing
light which wouldn't lead to sprained ankles.
Fortunately this was the last rural section of the LOOP we would be on
today; the two miles from Berrylands to Kingston would be entirely through
urban areas and, we hoped, fully street lit.
(e) Berrylands to Kingston Bridge (2.25 miles,
plus 0.5 mile station link)
Leaving Berrylands on Lower Marsh Lane, the map showed a small industrial
estate that we fully expected to be street lit. Needless to say, it wasn't,
but at least we were now on a tarmac surface (it's not often I greet a
road with such relief when walking!) and the going was much safer and
easier in the dark than the riverside path had been.
Emerging from the industrial estate, the LOOP follows a bit of a zig-zag
course through Kingston, clearly trying to keep as close to the Hogsmill
River as possible. First of all a busy road takes you across the river,
and then you cut back through modern flats to join a narrow alleyway above
the Hogsmill, now sadly constrained between high concrete walls. There's
a delightful looking pub here called the Swan, directly overlooking the
river, but we were cold and tired and just wanted to get home as soon
as possible.
After a brief diversion away from the river we rejoined and followed
it on an alleyway which - unbelievably for a town centre (especially one
as affluent as Kingston) was completely unlit. With high buildings all
around cutting out the natural "light" you get in the country
at night, it was absolutely pitch black, and we pretty much stumbled along
with our arms out in front of us - it was like being in a cave!
Eventually emerging onto St James's Road, we lost the path. There were
no LOOP signs whatsoever (although it was a dark road and our brains were
tired, so we could have easily missed them!). We wandered up and down
the road disconsolately for five minutes or so before actually reading
the book properly, which said the path went under the council offices
- a route we'd ignored because it looked too private and not at all like
a right of way!
Descending down one final secretive alleyway we emerged onto the Thames,
and all our tiredness vanished as we looked out over the grand waterway
before us. Even in the dark it looked stunning with the lights of riverside
buildings reflected in it. We felt completely uplifted - as we'd predicted
seeing the Thames again made us feel like we were halfway around the LOOP
(even though we weren't).
It was lovely walking besides the Thames, but we would only follow it
for a few hundred metres up to Kingston Bridge, where this section of
the LOOP ended. On the way we passed some expensive-looking bars, which
must have had grand views from their second floors.
Now all that remained was to make our way through the centre of Kingston
to the station. We were guided on our way by a series of strange signs,
hanging from various buildings, each of them showing the pi symbol followed
by a different number. I think it was probably a chain of shops, but it
was hard to be sure. The station was crowded with shoppers, but our sweaty
muddy demeanour ensured, as usual, that we got a space to ourselves!
I can't say that this was one of my favourite walks - my enjoyment was
reduced because the extra food and soup we had bought failed to compensate
for the cold sapping our strength over the course of the day. Granted,
there were some stunning bits - Happy Valley, Farthing Downs, central
Ewell and much of the Hogsmill River spring to mind. Unfortunately they
were separated by long wearying sections with little to see, which will
only be walked by completists. That said, there were few actively nasty
bits. I think that we simply attempted slightly too far for the time of
year. We spent much of the afternoon rushing to beat the early sunset,
and perhaps it would have been better to split it into shorter sections
for the winter months.
Despite this I was still looking forward to day 4, our first LOOP walking
north of the Thames!
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