A Refreshing Day on the Downs

Saturday 13th October:

05:25 - Woken by alarm - silenced it!

05:35 - Remembered that the neighbour had knocked last night whilst I was out and wanted to speak to me.

This was something I just didn’t need. The previous three days had seen delays with the scaffolding for my loft extension. They had arrived at 12:10 on Friday and were still working when I left at 3pm for voluntary work at my evening lunch club. It had been a difficult evening and I had not got to sleep till 01.00. But I knew the work that had gone into organising today's walk, and I didn’t want to miss out.

08:22 - Great relief at meeting up with Bernie (who got there at 08:00) and Sue. I was amazed at being early. The tube is magnificent.

08:30 - Ken, Trevor and Tina were soon joined by Fritz; the team all assembled on time. Got my Latté and settled down. Got a welcome ten minutes nap.

WHAT WAS I DOING HERE! my head screamed. I was already exhausted. It was going to rain. I would be sure to slip in the copious mud which overlay the chalk. I would be slower than the others and hold them back. All we would hear would be the drone of the M25. Whinge, whine and moan.

Contemplative lunch breakWell I was wrong. It was a great walk. The scenery was so varied and very different to the South Downs. I kept pace (well at least until the last two miles, when I really struggled). The fresh air was such a tonic for a struggling body and head. We met varied and cheerful walkers along the way. There were so many small local features as well as wide vistas.

The drink at the end was very welcome. The journey home was remarkably swift and comfortable. A relaxing bath, and - thanks to the exercise and fresh air - I enjoyed a great night’s sleep  that unhealthy tiredness had denied me the previous night.

The group was such good company, and were very understanding when my new boots slowed me down to a near limp at the end of the walk. Watching Fritz, who though 23 years my senior strode on with such confidence and was such an accomplished walker, meant that I did feel a bit inadequate though.

Joy sometimes comes from unexpected places.

Clive

A Roding Valley Walk - Saturday 8^th September 2012

Saturday's walk was arranged and led by Jill V. and Sue S. – relatively newer members of our group who took on what can be quite a daunting undertaking. They were road (or maybe footpath?) testing the new 'Tips for Walk leaders', recently produced by Committee member Pam, to see if they were helpful.

Fifteen of the Group met at Roding Valley Station, a venue and station that was new to me, and left promptly at 10am to walk up the road to Knighton Wood. This wood is part of Epping Forest, though separated from the bulk of it. It is a remnant of ancient woodland – which in Britain is woodland which has been used continuously since 1600 or before. I hadn't done my revision homework before the walk, so questions put to me about the history and ecology were embarrassing! I remembered the fact that the wood contains a substantial number of Wild Service trees - an ancient-woodland indicator species - and remembered that the rocks by the lake were man-made. I hadn't remembered the details, though: that they were made by Pulham & Son, a family of Victorian and Edwardian landscape artists who specialised in the construction of picturesque rock gardens and the like. Knighton Wood was enclosed in the 18th Century and remained in private ownership until 1930, when it was returned to the Forest and became a public open space. So, as well as the ancient trees, the wood – especially around the pond - still has some exotic plant species such as Royal Fern.

We crossed the ancient trackway of Monkhams Lane – which was the Anglo-Saxon boundary between the Manors of Chigwell and Woodford - into Lord's Bushes and took some toe-tripping animal tracks through the wood to emerge near Buckhurst Hill Station. It is a short walk through streets to reach the River Roding at Roding Lane, and from there a variety of footpaths and wide open spaces is available for walking or other recreation.

Some of the walkers enjoying a snack-breakThe day was particularly warm, with the sun beating down, and thankfully Jill and Sue had chosen to cross to the east bank of the Roding and walk alongside it in the shelter of trees. This area is part of the Roding Valley Nature Reserve, but is adjacent to the Roding Valley Recreation Ground and contiguous with the Roding Valley Park, which serves as a green corridor running from Redbridge Roundabout to Debden. After a short snack break by the side of a tree-sheltered pond, we continued our walk along the river. Nearing Debden, we crossed to the west bank by means of Charlie Moule's Bridge. During the 1950s Councillor Charles Moules lead a campaign to have this bridge built into the meadows that had recently been given to the council.

The walk back towards Buckhurst Hill was more exposed to the sun and some members may have been flagging; the group – by now joined by another two members - was extremely well spread out by the time we got back to Roding Lane! Again we had to pass through streets – albeit nice enough ones - to regain the Roding, and some of the group elected to leave us at this point. The remainder walked south along the river until we reached Ray Park at Woodford Bridge. This is a London Borough of Redbridge open space, with a convenient cafe in which – not surprisingly – those that had remained to complete the walk partook of refreshments.

After something of an energy intake and cool-down we made our various ways back home, some by way of Roding Valley Way Station, others by way of Woodford Station and maybe one or two by car.

The walk – in my case completed at Woodford Station – was just over 7 miles, somewhat over the estimated 4.5, but then we had elected to do an extension towards Debden earlier on. The weather had been lovely, albeit hot sunshine, but I'm not complaining about that. It had also been well planned and pre-walked by Jill and Sue, and competently led too, keeping the timing (if not quite the distance!) well in order.

Paul Ferris, 10 September 2012

Report on UKML 1 Day Navigational Skills Course

run for EFOG Members on Sunday, 12th August 2012

Leader:   Danny Crump  -   UKML Mountain Leader

EFOG Members participating:      Gill Light, Amina Ali, Val Shepherd, Lynne Edmond, Eileen Cullen, Louise Bloom, Pam Fleisch and Ken Kennedy

As the starting point was adjacent to the coffee stall it was inevitable that most of the group had a coffee during the assembly time.   By 9-50 a.m. we were ready to start.     After introductions Danny issued copies of the 1 : 25,000 Epping Forest & Lea Valley map 174 to everyone and a compass to those who needed one.    Each grid square on the map represented 1 km. on the ground.   4 cm. = 1 km.    He started with the basics assuming that we had little or no previous knowledge.    First he carefully indicated each of the main elements of the compass and explained its purpose and use.   He demonstrated how to orientate the map to the physical landscape by using the compass.    Group members were given individual assistance with the tasks where necessary.

In setting and using a compass bearing to assist navigation we were advised to remember the 3 D’s.   DIRECTION     DISTANCE   and   DESCRIPTION.

DIRECTION:  We were shown and practised setting a bearing to proceed from a given known point on the map to a further location.      Essentials here were :

1)  ensuring the direction of travel arrow was pointing from the current location to the one you wished to attain  
2)   keeping the base plate firm on the map whilst you turned the compass housing to align with magnetic north  
3) allowing for magnetic variation – currently + 2 degrees in S. E. England.   Again Danny was readily available to give individual help.

DISTANCE:   Being aware of one’s distance travelled along a route is important for estimating the overall time a walk is likely to take and for looking out for essential landmarks and turn-off points along the route.   This can be done in two ways:  by pacing and by timing.    We practised our average individual number of paces over 100 metres.   Danny paced off his (known) average and then we all did ours several times to get a reasonable average.   Mine is 72 double steps.    Also allowance should be made for ascents and descents where more steps will be needed.    Pacing is useful over short distances.  Estimating by timing is better for longer distances.   This can be done by following Naismith’s Rule  -  5 Km. per hour or an average of 20 minutes per mile.   Beyond this one needs to add roughly 10 minutes for each 100 m. of altitude (or descent)

DESCRIPTION:   This is about being aware of the physical and man-made features of the terrain over which you are travelling.   Some lines on the map may not be obvious or present.   Boundaries can change over time.   Features such as ponds, woods, roads, paths and field boundaries along a chosen route can be noted and ticked off as they are reached thus confirming that you are on the correct route.   Danny also dealt briefly with contours, contour intervals and contour patterns.   These also can confirm whether or not you are keeping to your chosen route.

The consensus among group members at the end of the day was that we had a much better understanding of map reading and navigation.    However, it was recognised that practising our new skills would be essential.    Plans are in hand for follow-up practise days.   We navigated our way over a  5 Km. circular route from High Beach via Tile Hill Farm, Wake Valley Pond, Great Monk Wood, the Lost Pond and Robin Hood roundabout.   At this point there was unanimous agreement that refreshments were necessary before making our way back to the car park.

Ken Kennedy, August 2012

From Piccadilly Circus, London to Catfish Row, Cape Town

On Saturday 14th July a select group of EFOGers assembled beneath Eros, to explore the secret world of “Gentlemen’s Clubs” and their environs. We found that the St. James area, after more than 300 years of building and re-building, is still undergoing change but retains lots of hidden passages, alleyways, courts and mews.

Most of these clubs maintain their anonymity, not by hiding in secret alleyways, but by existing in grand buildings which fit seamlessly into London’s varied architecture yet remain nameless. This makes it easy to pass them by unnoticed unless you are “in the know”.

Pausing - and posing - with Beau Brummell in Jermyn StreetMost began in the first half of the 19th century, but some much earlier. White’s, “the father of all clubs”, was founded in 1693. It moved to Jermyn Street in 1753. Its membership list still reads like Burke’s Peerage.

The clubs were places where ‘gentlemen’ could meet, eat, drink and gamble with “their own sort”. They initially served the aristocracy but developed to include clubs for men of different political persuasions. Charles James Fox claimed that a life of all night eating, drinking and gambling in Brook’s Club (founded in 1764) helped him to make his brilliant speeches in parliament in the 1770s.

The Carlton Club and The Reform Club represented those who were, respectively, either anti or pro the 1832 Reform Act which, when passed, helped reduce aristocratic influence in Parliament and thus increased democracy.

The clubs themselves were usually created by the servants of the men who founded them, or tradesmen who served them. White’s developed from a Chocolate House; William Pratt (Pratt’s Club) was the steward of the Duke of Beaufort; Edward Boodle (Boodle’s Club) was the son of a Shropshire innkeeper.

The Athenium, Waterloo PlaceMy favourite, and I think the grandest, The Atheneum in Waterloo Place, was founded by author and civil servant John William Croker, in 1824. It still has a reputation for elegance and as a meeting place for intellectuals. Anthony Trollope was fond of working there.

The East India Club, founded in 1849, was formed for ‘servants and officers’ of the East India Company. It has survived into the 21st century by amalgamating with other clubs: the Devonshire, Sports and Public Schools Club. Like others it also now serves as a prestigious meeting centre. Now, of course, membership is open to women as well as men.

Pall Mall hosts a number of clubs such as The United Oxford and Cambridge University Club, founded in 1830 and The RAC, formed in 1897, “for the protection, encouragement and development of “automobilism”. It has its own swimming pool and rifle range and a reputation as the most ‘open’ club.

When The Travellers Club was founded in 1819, you needed to have travelled at least 500 miles from London to be a member, now you need to have travelled abroad, and preferably have spent some time living abroad.

There were times on the walk when it was a trifle damp...The shops and services in the area still reflect the status of the clientele, from Berry Brother’s Wine Shop with its vast (and still growing) underground cellars, to Lock’s The Hatters and Lobb’s the Boot and Shoe Makers.  It was definitely only a window shopping area for most of us. Do fellas of a certain class still wear night shirts I wonder – or at £90 each are they simply used as an expensive giggle?

Our walk took us to some other places: St James’ Church (with a quick look at its market); Blue Ball Yard which retains  picturesque mews cottages (built as coach houses in 1741); Spencer House and Bridgewater House, backing on to Green Park; Selwyn House (where Maz once worked – but no plaque yet), St James’ Palace and Clarence House.

We ended up in Trafalgar Square, with most of us having something to eat in St Martin’s Crypt before going on to see a brilliant performance of Porgy and Bess at The London Coliseum. The show was performed by Cape Town Opera who had transferred Catfish Row to Cape Town.

The show was fantastic and the music still playing in some of our heads several days later ……. The weather was relatively kind if a trifle damp in parts ….. Thanks to all for making it such a nice day!

Pam, July 2012