efog-blog
Recent outings and activities...
Return to EFOG – and a walk from Ilford to Valentines Park via the Roding.
I hadn’t been to an EFOG Thursday evening, or on a walk or outing with the group – apart from attending a couple of AGM’s – for two or three years.
It’s the evening public transport travel on a Thursday, and quite a bit of pain while walking these days, that has dissuaded me, but I made a determined effort to get to the Thursday evening meetings a few weeks ago, and even went on a walk with some of our members last Saturday, the 8th March 2025.
The walk was a local one for me, starting at Ilford Station and finishing at Valentines Park – a well known route for me and all in very familiar territory. My thoughts were that if I didn’t find it easy, or was slowing the walk too much, I could pull out and find my own way back. I didn’t expect to manage the whole route as far as Valentines Park – my days of easily walking five miles, enjoying ten, sometimes doing fifteen and occasionally twenty or more, are long over.
View from the Roding Bridge at Ilford. The Aldersbrook emerges from the left in the middle of the photo. Note the rubbish in the trees.Eleven of us set out from Ilford, after some at least had enjoyed a pre-walk drink at a convenient ‘coffee’ chain. The Romford Road between Ilford and Manor Park is not a particularly pleasant road to walk by, but at least as we crossed the bridge over the River Roding – from an Ilford Essex postcode to a Manor Park East London one – there was a flowing river, bit of vegetation, and a Heron. A few of us stopped on the bridge, primarily I think, to watch the Heron. It stood on the bank, almost motionless, probably disinterested in us. There was a lot of rubbish on the bankside, even hung up in small trees. Some may have been thrown by the local inhabitants over the bridge, but most I suspect had been thrown over other bridges by the local inhabitants upstream, coming to a convenient resting spot here. That which was hung up in trees was probably deposited at that height when the river itself was a lot higher, as it is liable to flooding.
I mentioned the riverside vegetation, but in fact there was much less of it than used to be. A lot of clearance has taken place alongside the Roding, as I explained to a couple of our group, by the River Roding Trust – a group based in Barking who for some years have been doing an immense amount of work clearing up the riverside, creating paths, planting and enhancing the river. Because of their vegetation clearance near the bridge, it is now possible to quite easily see where the little Alders Brook enters the Roding from the west.
Walking on through what was the original Ilford settlement – now known as Little Ilford – we turned of the Romford Road to join the Roding Valley Way, a designated and signposted foot and cycle route following the Roding – although sometimes somewhat intermittently – from the Thames at Beckton out to somewhere around Chigwell and Debden.
Passing through the foot tunnel beneath the Greater Anglia/Elizabeth Line railway lines between Manor Park and Ilford Stations, we were immediately adjacent to the Alders Brook on our right and the City of London Cemetery on our left. From here the decently-surfaced path leaves much of the traffic noise behind, and indeed is an almost rural setting so deep into east London. A woman was working on vegetation clearance just by the tunnel exit, and I paused to thank her for the work that the River Roding Trust was putting in not just on the Roding itself but on tributaries like the Alders Brook. A man appeared, also doing work on the brook-side, and I recognised him as Paul Powesland, the Founder and Chair of the Trust. He asked about the group I was with – now rapidly receding into the distance along the path – and I gave him one of our business cards. Perhaps it’s a bit of a shame that we don’t do a bit more to acknowledge the effort other people do to enhance the areas that we like to walk and visit. Maybe we take too much for granted, although of course EFOG has participated in litter-picking, clearance projects, maintenance at Chigwell Riding Trust, and the like.
This view, taken from the bridle path, is of the newly exposed and landscaped pond in the Birches Nature Reserve in the City of London CemeteryWell, the rest of the group was now well ahead of me and I struggled to reach the speed required to catch them up. This part of the route is along what is known locally as ‘The Bridle Path’ (although it isn’t a bridle path), and after all the Romford Road traffic noise I became aware of more details of what we were passing. There were lots of Snowdrops and a few Daffodils immediately adjacent to our path and just inside the cemetery railings, and the sounds of small birds helped disguise the persistent although distant noise of the A406 across the golf course to our right.
We entered what I have always known as ‘The Old Sewage Works’, but as it is now part of Epping Forest is more correctly ‘The Exchange Lands’. This amazing piece of land is bordered by the Roding, so it is quite possible to spot Kingfishers, Egrets – even Otters – here. Although we didn’t. I saw or heard Long-tailed Tits, two Greenfinches (which aren’t that common these days) Blackbirds, Green Woodpecker, Ring-necked Parakeets and a few other birds which I have forgotten.
We passed a point near Wanstead Park where last year I stood and listened to a Nightingale. I wondered at that time whether many or even any of the people who were passing on their bikes and on foot – it’s on a cycle/foot route between Aldersbrook and Valentines Park – were aware of the fact that there was such a wonderful bird right there. I really do think that with all the incentives and possibilities and enthusiasm to get out into ‘nature and the countryside’, that so many of us miss so much of what it consists of. For example – apart from the birds – on our route there were mole hills, fox scats, early spring plants such as White Dead-nettle, Red Dead-nettle, Birdseye Speedwell, Hazel, the Daffodils, the Snowdrops, Daisies, Blue Anemone, Lesser Celandine, Chickweeds, Sweet Violet, Bittercress and others – all in flower.
Peter and Annick left us by Wanstead Park, and Jill S. left us near her home close to Redbridge roundabout. I had intended to get a couple of buses back home from here, but it was such a lovely day and I was enjoying the company so decided to keep going to Valentines Park. I knew that at least there not only could I sit down and get a drink, but I would be able to get ham, egg and chips in a familiar environment. Although not a very substantial meal, it would do.
From Redbridge Roundabout to Valentines Park the route is through some unremarkable although pleasant enough residential streets – even a bit uphill as far as I was concerned, from the valley of the Roding. Valentines Park is a very different environment from that through which we had passed, except perhaps for the City of London Cemetery and we’d only been along the outside edge of that. It’s a lovely park and well deserving of the awards that it has got over the years. Apart from it’s historical interest – the mansion being an important aspect of that – the ornamental canals and lakes, trees and lawns provide a welcome respite from the surrounding houses, roads and busy-ness.
I was flagging desperately and painfully well before we reached the park, but I know it well enough to be aware of it’s natural aspect as well. Its lakes and waters support a wide variety of water-birds, including nowadays nesting Herons, of which we could see one on a nest already.
We refreshed in the traditional cafe in the park. I have been going there over the years from when I left school and worked in the (then) well-known electronic company, Plessey. Hence I am likely to be one of the cafe’s longest term customers.
The group split up even further after our repast, with some heading towards Gants Hill and others including myself towards Ilford.
I certainly enjoyed Trevor’s walk. Thanks Trevor for arranging and leading it – that was the furthest I have walked in years. Apparently it was about a five-mile walk as planned; getting to and from the stations added for me at least another mile. I suffered, but I am glad that I did, and really pleased to have re-associated with all the nice people in the Epping Forest Outdoor Group.
Paul Ferris, 10th March 2025
Greenwich and the Maritime Museum
The journey to the Maritime Museum on 16th February to see the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition couldn’t have gone more smoothly. I wish.
If the Elizabeth Line being out on Saturday didn’t get us, the 121 steps at Cutty Sark did their best to stop us in our tracks, the escalators being out of action. Some members chose to take a bus from Greenwich Station to avoid the climb; others braved the steps, and we were all glad to emerge into the daylight. Worse was to come; as we made our way through a rather cold and overcast Greenwich, Eileen, Cathy and I were slightly ahead, and after crossing a road looked back to see how close the others were, and there they weren’t. Group A went one way, Group B went another, both groups getting lost. I blame the sign posting, which didn’t direct us all the way to the museum’s entrance, and not the organiser of the trip at all. Thankfully both groups met up in the foyer before too long, and were soon joined by Peter, Annick and Fozi who had taken the Greenwich Station route.
As the café was filling up, and caffeination was much needed after such a disjointed journey, we decided to have an early lunchbreak before seeing the exhibition, and managed to all sit together.
The exhibition was really lovely, and well worth a visit. The photographs were wide-ranging, featuring for example the Northern Lights, galaxies, skyscapes, lunar eclipses and asteroids, and many of the works were stunningly beautiful. Accompanying each photograph was information on how the photographer came to capture the image, along with (dare I say slightly geeky) technical descriptions of the camera-work.
After the exhibition, Trevor very kindly led us on a walk through Greenwich Park. First we climbed up to the Royal Observatory, where the Greenwich Prime Meridian begins, and looked out at various London landmarks. Canary Wharf did its best not to be spotted, but eventually we all located it. We then went to see the deer, but found that they have been relocated to Richmond Park while the deer’s habitat is improved. We made our way back through a wooded part of the park, and several of us had a cup of tea for the road at the museum before going back to Cutty Sark Station, where the steps were a doddle to descend, and the journey back was almost disappointingly uneventful.
Thank you very much Trevor for the park walk, and to everyone who came along on Saturday.
Louise, 18th February 2025
Photos by Trevor
Bethnal Green to Canary Wharf Walk
Five members met at Bethnal Green tube station to brave the weather on a damp and drizzly 8th February. Passing the V&A Museum of Childhood, we walked towards Victoria Park, stopping on the way to reflect on the Cyprus Road memorial plaques, 26 soldiers from this one street lost their lives during the 1st World War. Cyprus road is also one of the smartest streets around with colourful doors and matching window shutters. On arrival at Victoria Park, we stopped at and read about the Pagoda before 4 of us walked on around the lake. With lots of ducks and geese on the lake, the Pochards stood out, both the standard one and some amazing red-crested Pochards with lovely bright red/orange heads. There were also quite a few Shovelers which were funny to watch as some pairs were going around in tight circles stirring up the lake-bed for food.
The Chinese Pagoda, Victoria ParkWe then joined the Regents Canal to continue our walk admiring the river various craft with all their unusual names and decorations. Fozi left us just after the Ragged School Museum and luckily did not have to wait long for a bus. The remaining 4 of us carried on down the Regents Canal to the Limehouse Basin where we admired the larger boats, and where we were in for a nice surprise. Just after the dock gates on the Thames side, Trev and Richard spotted a seal sticking its head up out of the Thames. We all then tried to spot it again, and when it surfaced again we saw it was a large grey seal, with a large fish in its mouth (on looking up 'fishes in the Thames' when I got home, I think it was a Carp). The seal went down again, and did not reappear so we carried on down Narrow Road to admire the huge Seagull statue (one of my favourites). We carried on through to the Thames Path to view the river traffic and on to Canary Wharf Pier. With the drizzle turning to rain, we headed up the stairs and through to the Canary Wharf fountain. Richard left us at that stage, leaving 3 of us to walk across the Pontoon bridge to West India Quay, watching a group of young men bathing in a 'tub' boat gave us a laugh (mad!) the bubble covered boat pods at least looked dryer and saner. We finished our walk with lunch at the Ledger Building before heading home.
Sue S. 9th February 2025
Crystal Palace to the Horniman Museum
On a sunny Saturday 25th January, just after storm Eowyn, 11 of us met at Whitechapel Station to catch the newly named Windrush Line (old Overground) to Crystal Palace Station.
Photo by MadeleineOne member was delayed due to engineering works on the Elizabeth Line and then bus delays so caught up with us at the dinosaurs.
Leaving Crystal Palace Station we turned right and headed straight down to the dinosaur lakes. We did a full tour of the lake seeing a robin, cormorant and grey heron on the eastern side and all the dinosaurs on the western side. These were stone replicas installed in 1854, the Palace itself having been relocated from Hyde Park where it had formed part of the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Photo by Madeleine
We then back-tracked towards the café, nearly losing two members of the group who were too engrossed in the wildlife on the lake, and then headed for the Fisherman’s Lake and exit where we crossed the road and headed round Charleville Circus. As we said goodbye to the Circus we headed straight across the road and down to Sydenham Wells Park. Exiting the park we crossed over to then ascend through a housing estate to Sydenham Hill. One member opted to get the bus and go straight to Forest Hill Station, for the rest it was a stroll along the road, alongside a wood to the Horniman Museum with fine views across London when we reached the junction with Kirkdale.
Once at the museum another member joined us and we partook of sustenance at the café – which was very busy and made us wish we’d maybe gone mid-week. I then felt it easiest if we just split and went our separate ways to go round the Museum at our own pace then head to Forest Hill Station and home. The length of the walk was 2.5 miles.
Richard. 31st January 2025
Photo by Richard
Photo by Richard
Photo by Madeleine
Hampstead Heath and the Hill Garden
On a chilly 18th January 2025, nine of us met at Stratford Station to catch the newly named Mildmay Line (ex Overground) to Hampstead Heath Station, and Kathy & Brian met us en route.
This was a re-run of last year’s August walk since the rain had put some off then, but the cold evidently wasn’t such a deterrent for EFOGers, though unlike in August, there were no signs of swimmers in the ponds today.
Kenwood HouseWe passed to the left of the ponds and followed the paths heading for Vale of Health Pond 2.
Following a path just to the left of VH Pond 2 we headed for Whitestone Pond with Hampstead Observatory virtually next to it. Just beyond the Pond is Jack Straw’s Castle – not named after the Labour MP, but a leader of the 14th C Peasants’ Revolt – it used to be a pub, frequented by Karl Marx, Dickens et al, but alas is now converted to flats.
Beyond the Castle we turned left towards West Heath, then shortly right to arrive at the Hill Garden and Pergola, a lovely oasis in the woods, which we wandered through. In August we’d kept to the Pergola and hadn’t realised we could actually walk through some of the gardens themselves.
The group at Parliament HillWe then headed down to the Old Bull & Bush pub, immortalised in music hall song, which Kathy and others gave a brief rendition of. Turning alongside that we headed towards the main Hampstead Heath, passing Blue plaques for William Blake (poet) and Sir Raymond Unwin (architect and designer of Hampstead Garden Suburb).
Entering the Heath, we headed for Kenwood House and the café. When we had almost finished our food a couple of pigeons started pestering, but then in a Hitchcock like scene several went for the food on a neighbouring table where two people were still eating, and within seconds there were about 20 pigeons on and around the table.
Leaving the café we headed for Parliament Hill and a slightly misty view over London. En route we passed a group encouraging birdwatching and lending binoculars, then a little further on we saw 3 cormorants in a tree overlooking a pond.
Just before arriving back at the station after about a 5 mile walk we did a quick detour into the ‘World Peace Garden’, a small urban wooded garden area backing onto the railway and adorned near the entrance with prayers and poems.
Richard. 19th January 2025