Little Venice, Regents Canal and Primrose Hill

On Sunday 12th February, on a very crisp, bright and sunny day, ten EFOG members met at Warwick Avenue Station, just a little way from Little Venice area, for a walk led by Eileen.

On Primrose HillThe lovely weather seemed to have encouraged people out, because it was quite busy and bustling in places. From Little Venice we made our way to the Regents Canal towpath, passing some very impressive/expensive looking houses (lucky them - living in such a beautiful surroundings). We made a wide circuit around Regents Park, which was very green with the shrubs and trees full of buds just beginning to realise it's time to wake up and put on a show (It's all going to look very different in a few weeks time).

Along past the perimeter of London Zoo and on to Primrose Hill, from the top of which you get that amazing view across London. Then back along the canal to the station where we started.

Roughly 6 miles of very enjoyable walking.

Val.  16th February 2023

Bridging the Dock

The photograph below was taken at an EFOG walk in 2014. Of the twelve people that attended I think that all but one or two are still members of the group, and most of those still reasonably participant in it. That's quite something, after 9 years.

EFOG members chatting to Simon Myers on 18th May 2014The walk was one that I led through a somewhat lesser-known area of London, walking from Stratford to the River Thames, mainly beside the River Lea. Apart from introducing people to an area which I was perhaps more familiar with than the others, my intention was to show just how frustratingly poor the footpath system could be, particularly after all of the hype of the Olympic Games when we were told how wonderful the aftermath of that would be. You can read about that walk by using the link here, or below the article, It may be noted that the barrier that prohibits complete access along the riverside to Canning Town is STILL in place in 2023.

I visited Cody Dock - the riverside community project that I became fully aware of on that day - on Monday 30th January (2023), on one of those January days that is bright and with enough warmth in the sunshine to be able to comfortably sit by the river and eat one of Nadia's Chilli con carne and Rice meals, with a cup of tea.

Cody Dock has changed significantly over those years. For the majority of them, the dock has been open to the public during daylight hours, enabling walkers and cyclist to travel to and from Bow Locks, and out into the area around Start Lane DLR station. As I said, that barrier is still in place, so to continue on to Canning Town and the Thames still necessitates the horrid walk along Stephenson Street - although I noted that at least some rubbish/fly-tip/abandoned car removal had been undertaken recently.

The dock itself has undergone all manner of improvements; like Copped Hall, each time you go there some improvement has been made. A useful improvement to the infrastructure has been the addition of proper toilet (and shower) facilities, which is a great relief. And a very major improvement to the dock more recently has been the installation of a substantial bridge over the entrance from the river to the dock itself. This is the 'Rolling Bridge', the first - and possibly the only - one of its kind in the world. Proposed in 2019, the bridge is operational, but not yet in use. What prompted me to write this article was seeing the promised engravings of people's names on the bridge - people who donated to the fund to get the bridge built. As you may be able to see from the photograph, although the names are in essentially alphabetical order, the first two are not. Those names will be familiar to all of those who came on that 2014 walk, and to most of our club members. They are Duncan Lowther and Ann Lowther. Duncan was known for not venturing into London, much preferring the countryside or quiet towns. But once he had been introduced to the Cody Dock project, he made numerous visits there, and indeed lent his strength, knowledge and abilities to the project. He particularly liked the 'gardening' aspect, and even on casual visits for a cup of tea and maybe a hot meal from Nadia's cafe, he would usually do a bit of weeding. And when the concept of the bridge was forming, he took a great interest in it's design, and donated a generous sum to the funding. If you look at the YouTube video - linked at the bottom of this article - you will see that the credits include Duncan's donation. (at 2:03)

It really is nice to see how much Duncan's contribution to the project has been appreciated. What an honour to be first on that list, together with his wife, Ann. It's a solid memorial.

Cody Dock's rolling bridge on 23rd January 2023

Duncan and Ann Lowther's names are at the beginning of the list

 Paul Ferris,   31st January 2023

Link to 2014 walk

YouTube video:      www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAJy5ai6E2U

December Epping Forest walk

On Saturday 10th December, three intrepid members braved the cold, wrapped up warm and enjoyed a frosty but lovely sunny winter walk in Epping Forest.

Leaving Loughton Station we walked into the Forest at the Stubbles, viewing the frozen-over Strawberry Hill Pond before settling out around the horse paths to the Ups and Downs Ride to High Beech, with a stop off at the Visitors Centre for a look round. We had a lunch break in the sun at the Bikers Hut (large hot chocolates all round), and after lunch we walked via Mount Pleasant to pick up the Green Ride to Jacks Hill. After a group decision we continued around the Theydon Loop past Ambresbury Banks before heading back to Theydon Bois Station.

The Forest was very picturesque in the winter sunshine; many of the oaks are still dropping their leaves, and fungi were seen in some places. A very pleasant and enjoyable 7.5 mile walk by the end.

 Sue S.   11th December 2022

Soanes Museum and a Thames Walk

Wednesday 7th December was a cold day (it felt like 2 or 3 degrees) but bright and dry. Ten of us meet at Holborn station for a visit to Sir John Soane's Museum, organised by Andrea. A short walk later and we were at the museum in Lincolns Inn Fields.

The museum has been kept in the same condition as it was when Sir John died in 1837. This was at his request. Madeleine joined us at the entrance to the museum where there was some fuss about bags. It soon became apparent why; the walkways were narrow and absolutely covered with statuary, pieces of plaster, bowls, paintings and other items from a long career collecting whatever took his fancy. The house itself was a rabbit warren, with a fresh view to admire every time you turned a corner, looked up or looked down. I had to keep asking the curators where I was and where I had to go next. The Picture Gallery was impressive with paintings mounted on hinged panels which a curator regularly opened to let us see the paintings hidden behind the front display. Canaletto’s views of Venice and Hogarth’s Election series featured in the Gallery.

90 enjoyable minutes later we left and went to a Wetherspoons nearby for lunch. Paul, who had been closing in on our trail and covered the museum in 6 minutes flat in his pursuit, finally caught up with us but had to leave part of his lunch as we left to walk on to the Thames. Walking along the North side of the Thames towards Blackfriars Bridge we saw a strange looking new building on the South side but the local maps did not mention it. A Google search established it was called The Boomerang – no, we hadn’t heard of it either.

We diverted to Paternoster Square where some of the party were entranced by a couple of reindeer while the rest of us stood and shivered. There was a dining table with many large animals sitting around and two empty spaces for photo opportunities, which of course we took.

On again along the river, we stopped at St Magnus the Martyr Church, near the Monument, claimed to be Christopher Wren’s most expensive parish church. Worth a visit but some of us just wanted to get a bit warm.

Back to the river, and we walked on to the Tower of London where the walk finished.  Most enjoyable.

Brian   7th December 2022

Andrea's trip to the John Soane's Museum today was very interesting, even though I had been there before. Afterwards we had lunch at a Wetherspoon's, then walked slowly to Tower Bridge beside the river - where road/pavement works allowed. We stopped briefly at St Paul's, and got sidetracked by a man with two reindeer (no - not that man!) and learned a lot about reindeer. They were very sweet, and their feet really do click when they walk. Eventually we carried on - it was pretty cold and we all needed to thaw out by the time we got to Tower Hill.

Thanks to Andrea for organising a lovely trip - and the bright sunshine - despite the cold.

Madeleine    7th December 2022