Roding Riverside Walk

A not-so-hot-as-it-has-been Saturday August 1st, 2026, and Trevor had advised a 10.30am departure from Redbridge Station for a riverside walk in my local area.

As this walk would be in familiar territory along a familiar river and familiarly near home – if not family – I decided that I would ignore complaints from my ankles and join the group. A simple bus ride to Wanstead was followed by a not-at-all simple descent down the 99 stairs at Wanstead Station to the platform, which is 29 metres below the surface. It would have been fine if I had been coming out of the station, because the escalator was working in the up-mode, but not down.

Anyway, it was nice to get off the train at Redbridge at almost the exact point at which Trevor was sitting in the cool, as we were early and there is not much shade up top and outside.

We met some others off subsequent trains heading eastwards. There were a lot of trains heading eastwards even in the short time we were sitting there, so there would doubtless be a large collection at Hainault, as there seemed few coming back.

There are only 39 steps to the surface at Redbridge Station ('Only 39 Steps' could make a good title for a book?), so that was alright, and we emerged into the sunshine and warmth of the above ground.,Some more EFOG members were basking in the sunshine there, ready for the walk, so we had a total of 12 ready for the adventure.

At precisely 10.30, or maybe a little later, we were led off – having missed the bus to Stanstead which we had not intended to take anyway. Using a pedestrian tunnel to cross the Redbridge Roundabout system (any other means is foolish) we soon entered onto the unpaved foot-and-cycle path that – after paralleling the northbound A406 for a while – leads to the famous River Roding. Trevor confused at least one northerner who was with us and unfamiliar with local rivers, geography, or Trevor's and my senses of reality, by saying that it was actually the source of the Thames.

The riverside walk by the Roding at this point is realistic as a fact, but the fact is not really supported visually, ‘cos it’s difficult to know that it is even there. It’s to do with intervening vegetation. I bored almost everybody by pointing out at one point (where we actually could see the river) that across the river was Wanstead Park. Most of the group – if not all – knew that, but what perhaps most did not know was that behind us was also Wanstead Park. This is a small area called Whiskers Island, which is not really an island and for some anomalous reason is part of the park, even though it is on the ‘wrong’ bank. A bit like North Woolwich being in Kent until it was moved.

We did have a lovely view of the Roding from the bridge that does cross it, where lots of flowery and sedgy vegetation has been allowed to grow in and by the river. Butterflies and damselflies enhanced the view, and a couple of group photos were taken to prove that we’d been there.

I kept quiet about the glories and historical relevance of ‘The Old Sewage Works’ that we passed through before entering Wanstead Park proper. If I had been leading the walk people would have been bored silly long before halfway through.

We admired a corner of the Ornamental Waters - which is a silly name because it is now waterless - then continued our journey through Wanstead Park, walking along the north side of Perch Pond. At the east end of Perch Pond, near the tea hut, we had a quick look for Roman tesserae at a spot where I have found them in previous (but non-Roman) times. This is near where it is believed a Roman villa was situated (back in Roman times). We didn’t find any tesserae, so we continued the walk.

Leaving the nearby tea hut until later, we walked the length of the Heronry Pond and had a look at the Shoulder of Mutton Pond – which is the first in the succession of lakes that form the water features of Wanstead Park. At least we did see a couple of Herons there. We returned to the tea hut, having mostly circumnavigated Heronry Pond – where we didn’t see any Herons but did see a duck with a single (late) duckling, the rest of her brood likely having been eaten by Black-backed Gulls.

The tea hut, of course, proved popular with the group, and we sat at various tables and benches to avail ourselves of refreshments. On such a fine day – not really too hot considering what we have been through recently – it was a bit of a surprise to me that there were so few other people around. It is often so busy – the tea hut being open 365 days a year, and very reasonably priced.

Trevor’s plan was to continue around more of the park, and then on to Wanstead Station, but my ankles were complaining a bit and to keep them quiet I left the group there to walk home – home being more that side of the park than Wanstead.

Thanks you Trevor, for leading the walk, and thanks to the rest of the walkers for the company.

Paul Ferris,  1st August 2026

River Roding and Wanstead Park

The first day of August 2026, and it’s a very local walk, from Redbridge Station to Wanstead. Arriving early, I sought shelter from the sun by waiting down on the platform, in the cool rather than in the sunshine outside. Having met with some of group on the platform we ventured outside into the light to meet the others.

There were 12 of us in all, and after applying sun-cream as needed, we headed off towards the roundabout, before turning down a road beside the A406 exit slip road and turning right down a track to meet up with the River Roding. We then turned left to walk along the river bank, with the river on our right and the trees providing some welcome shade.

After about a mile or so, we crossed over the river, pausing on the bridge for photos, before turning right to enter Wanstead Park. 

We then walked around two of the ponds in the park, stopping at one of them, where it is thought that there was once a Roman villa. Evidence of this seems to have been the discovery of relics including bits of Roman mosaic, pottery, ring pulls and coins dated 20 B.C. But to my mind the clincher is that it’s near to the tea hut, so Julius and his friends wouldn’t have to walk far for a tea and cakes (or teaus and cakeius as it would have been called in those days!).

Anyway, after walking around the two ponds, pausing at Shoulder of Mutton Pond - where Richard spotted a couple of herons - we arrived back at the tea hut, where we met Ian and had some much deserved refreshments. Afterwards, Paul headed off while we continued back to the River Roding and walked along the other bank of the river, following it round with the sad looking dried out Ornamental Water (or lack of) on our left. We passed the spots where you can access the river, when it’s not too high, before taking the slope up the hill to Warren Road, from where we followed the roads to Wanstead Station.

The walk had been about 5 miles long and mostly in the shade to avoid the most intense of the sun’s heat and we had kept fairly cool on another hot day. Well done to everyone for coming and making it an enjoyable wander.

Trev Eley, 3rd August 2026