efog-blog
Gate to Gate Walk - Sat 31st March, 2012
Morning
At an ungodly hour for a Saturday, about a dozen rather bleary Efoggers assembled at Epping Station for the start of Jim and Sue’s epic Gate to Gate walk. The title "Gate to Gate" was chosen as the idea was to walk the length of Epping Forest from the Forest Gate pub at Ivy Chimneys to the Golden Fleece pub near Forest Gate.
The sky was cloudy but the rain held off, the cool air provided a good walking temperature, and the recent spell of dry weather meant a distinct lack of mud. We set off at a brisk pace, to be stalled early on in the walk by the presence of a small creature that Paul identified as a vole, turning round and round in circles in the footpath, perhaps in some distress. 
Some of the Group ascend a Forest Ride. Some of the Group aren't ours!Paul managed to move it off the path and out of the way of tramping boots, where the poor thing continued to circle, reminding me of myself trying to follow a map. I hope it recovered from the trauma. We continued on our way, navigating the forest traffic which included a group of cyclists and a riding school; a little later on we became aware of a rhythmical noise steadily approaching, which I assumed was another clatter of horses’ hooves. The 'hooves' turned out to be poles, as we were quickly overtaken by an enthusiastic group of pole walkers (as opposed to dancers) who were powering through the forest on a keep fit mission, and showing an admirable grasp of right and left as they coordinated their walking poles with their footsteps, assuring us they hadn't lanced anyone yet. After just under two hours of walking, we were glad to come to the first stopping point, ahead of schedule; the green tea hut at High Beech.
Fortified with tea, coffee, bread pudding or other equally sturdy cakes, we strode on through the forest for another hour or so; scaling ups and downs of various gradients, none of them too steep excepting the final hill before we reached Butler’s Retreat, which, after a level stretch of footpath that had lulled us into a false sense of ease, came as rather a surprise, and made us feel we’d really earned our lunch stop. We were joined at the Butler’s Retreat by Lynne, Maz, Peter and Katie, and the weather was just warm enough for everyone to sit outside, enjoying meals, designer sandwiches or yet more cakes, before the group continued onwards and upwards, and Val and I left to go our separate ways after a very enjoyable morning’s walk.
Louise
Afternoon
At 1.10 sharp, after lunch - Val and Louise having left to catch the train from Chingford and Lynne, Maz and Peter plus the greyhound Katie having joined us - we left Butler's Retreat. It was still sunny but getting a bit cold. We had a pleasant walk through the forest arriving at Highams Park lake at about 2.10 where we stopped for a short drink and rest, then continued through the forest passing the back of Snaresbrook Crown Court to the Green Man roundabout. A couple of people caught the train from Leytonstone and the rest continued through a very pretty Browning Road, along Bush Wood and onto Wanstead Flats (where there are flats and it is very flat!). Loads of birds are said to like Wanstead Flats and they keep coming here; I'm not sure what the attraction is - must be the food. Apparently it is one of the best area for spotting migrating birds in the whole of London. Lots of men playing football who were spotting the ball and not the birds, but we did see a couple of guys with binoculars (I think they're called twitchers).
By this time my legs were aching as I haven't walked so far in a long time, but I speeded up a bit as I could see the Golden Fleece in the far distance - arrived at 4.15pm where we had a drink and some of the Group had dinner. It was an enjoyable walk and we were lucky with the weather.
Jill V.
Of the fifteen Group members who started or joined us on route, ten reached the Golden Fleece, and of these Clive, Fred, Jenny, Jill, Jim, Paul and Sue walked the whole 15 miles. The distances involved were:
Epping to Butlers Retreat 7.25 miles
Epping to Leytonstone 13 miles
Epping to the Golden Fleece 15 miles
April 2012
Bell-ringing at St. John’s Church, Epping
Seventeen EFOG members had a really interesting evening in the bell tower at St. John’s Church, Epping, on Monday, 26th March, 2012. The tower is 100 years old, and was built some years after the church, as an addition. I had arranged with Peter Milan, the bell-ringing captain, for us to visit, and I think the evening turned out to be even better than we had expected. Peter was explaining everything to us, and with his colleague, David, we were first shown how to bell-ring before we had a go ourselves. They gave us lighter bells, which was just as well, as when Peter demonstrated the largest bell which weighs over a ton, he actually had his feet off the floor to get it going, hanging on the bell-rope!
Bell-ringing is certainly much more complicated than I thought. When it is being done properly, the bell captain calls out numbers - not the numbers of the bells (they have 8 bells at St. John‘s), but the sequence numbers of the rounds. I couldn’t pretend to understand it, and you certainly need your wits about you! Being amateurs, we didn’t get to that stage, but we all had goes at ringing the bells with the help of Peter and David. It is quite tiring, and Peter and David were there with us, helping us to catch the bell-ropes by the sally - the furry bit on the rope!
Following on from that, we ascended the ladders to see the bells - not for those of a nervous disposition or with a fear of heights! The second ladder was completely vertical up the wall! As we had enjoyed a visit to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry last year, it was good to see to see the bells in situ, and Peter gave us some more information while we were perched on a narrow ledge, overlooking the bells. I think we were all grateful for the wooden railing along that bit! Peter had left one of the bells upside-down, which is where they are when they actually start to ring the bells, so we could see the positioning.
On the floor below the bells, is the complicated winding mechanism for the clock. There are three winding sections (for the time and the chimes), and they have to be wound every week to keep the clock going. Some of us had a go at the winding. As we were winding, we could see the huge weights moving up very slowly. That was hard work, and I am just relieved I don’t have to do it every week!
All in all, it was a really good evening, and we are very grateful to Peter and David for spending so much time with us, explaining it all. Peter and I live in Epping and we love to hear the bells ringing. I shall now listen with a great deal more admiration!
Maz. March, 2012.
The EFOG Spring Walks Campaign
The weather this year hasn't been the best for walking. Rain, mud, snow, mud, icy winds and mud. Lots and lots of mud. But it hasn't stopped us from getting about - would we be a proper walking group if we didn't own wellies or gaiters, and of course, good stout shoes?
A spare pair of socks...T
...and some cleaning waterhere have been plenty of opportunities to put them to good use, along with the waterproofs, scarves, mittens and a sense of humour about it all. After all, if you can't laugh at someone else with a muddy bottom, what can you do! Through the trees of Epping Forest to the open fields of Essex, we have been there - and you can guarantee there is always someone who has come prepared - with some water to clean off the muddy bits, a spare pair of socks or a plaster in case of the odd blister, and the sure and certain knowledge of where the loos are and the availability of a hot drink on the way or at the end.
Spring may be taking its time this year but we'll be ready for it!
Sue Ullesperger, 24th March 2013
Circumnavigating Mersea - Saturday 10th March
Which way should we go, Ken?As those of you who have been on one of Ken's walks before well know, he has a mysterious knack of providing good weather. So it was when Group members met for a bit of island hopping, over the causeway to Mersea Island recently. Even though it was the middle of March, the sun shone, coats were shed and more than a few faces were a shade pinker at the end than at the beginning!
We set off through the pretty village of West Mersea, past the houseboats, fishing boats and oyster farms, out on to the sea wall, travelling clockwise towards the seaward side of the island. Shortly after lunch though, we discovered that Ken is not quite perfect - he can order up the sunshine but he cannot hold back the tide!
The end of the walk by the pretty beach hutsCrossing a small beach wildlife area (where we were told to beware of snakes) the previously accessible strip of sand was flooded by the incoming tide. All was not lost, however, we had to circumnavigate a caravan park full of not so friendly natives (except for the brave few who sneaked through while the natives were on their mobile phones) and resumed the path on the far side.
The tide went out almost as fast as it came in and we were able to beach-comb back to town past the jolly coloured huts for a tea stop before making our way back to the mainland as the sun began to set on another lovely day.
Sue. March 2012
Rotherhithe Walk, 21st January 2012
A goodly crowd of 18 EFOGers met at Canada Water to walk around the once hectic dock-filled area of Rotherhithe. The object was to look for reminders of the area’s history in a very modern, urban landscape. We found the lives of the dockers and seafarers celebrated in shopping centre murals, information displays, statues, building and street names but, perhaps most effectively, in the seafaring paraphernalia embedded in the streets: cobbles, chains, capstans, parts of hydraulic machinery, swing bridges, cranes and metal tracks.
Walking by Greenland DockWe walked by Greenland Dock (still there) which was once one of the largest docks in the world and twice the size it is now. Before going on to Surrey Dock we passed The Moby Dick pub with its echoes of a time when industries which produced lighting, soap, corsets and umbrellas were supported by whaling.
We lunched in Surrey Dock Farm where there was a demonstration of a blacksmith’s skills as well as goats, pigs and turkeys. No one bought a ferret (but they could have done). Katie was allowed in on a lead and was her usual well behaved self. The food was a bit pricey but good. I still wish I’d succumbed to the temptation of the lemon cake! Peter stop gloating!
After lunch we carried on, passing more former shipyards, dock areas and warehouses, including one at Kings and Queens Wharf, built by French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars. We saw a tiny looking fire station, once one of London’s busiest (built 1903 and closed in 1965). Like most of the original “restored” buildings in the area, this has been converted into urban residential accommodation, set in a cityscape bordering The Thames.
We went on to explore the outside of the Pump House Museum and its nature reserve (one of quite a few on the walk). The Museum would be worth a visit, but has limited opening times. The nature reserves were good to see but would be more attractive perhaps when the warmer weather returns.
Most of us had walked the “other side” of the river so we experienced different views of places we already knew such as The Prospect of Whitby (or Devil’s Tavern), the Captain Kidd and, in Maz’s case, an area in which she worked.
Size MattersUnfortunately, the seal (Sophie?) I had seen on one of my planning trips did not appear but we did see cormorants and other birds - more than you might think. Apparently, although there are few nesting sites, there are a lot of visitors.
We took another break at The Brunel Museum which told the story of what was once hailed as “The 8th Wonder of the World”, the first tunnel under a navigable stretch of water. In the first 15 weeks after opening (in 1843) more than a million people paid 1 penny to walk through it to the other side (I didn’t find out whether that was single or return). This was at a time when the estimated population of London was 2 million. It took 18 years to build instead of the planned 3 and cost a lot more than expected – some things don’t change.
After looking round the museum we carried on to St. Mary’s Church where three of the owners of The Mayflower are buried as well as Prince Lee Boo, from the Pacific Island of Palau. He came here to learn about engineering but sadly died of smallpox after only 5 months.
Within the grounds of the churchyard was a playground. Some of us followed Amina’s lead in sneaking a go on the slide, big kids all. But, there were only two men with such courage and sense of fun. Can you guess who? Who was taking pictures?
Slides MatterOpposite the church is The Mayflower Pub, standing on the site where The Mayflower was kitted out before taking the Pilgrim Fathers to America in 1620, and where it was broken up at the end of its life. Nearby is the building that was St. Mary’s Free School, founded in 1613 to educate the sons of local seafarers.
The walk ended with a tour of King’s Stair Garden where we looked at the ruins of a 16th Century Manor House. Nearby was a bench on which a statue of Doctor Alfred Salter had sat before it was stolen. Ken had had his picture taken sat next to it on a previous EFOG walk. Finally, we looked at The Angel pub where Turner is said to have painted The Fighting Temeraire on her way to be dismantled. A brisk walk through Southwark Park brought us back to Canada Water.
Lessons. This was the first real-sized walk I have led and it took a lot of courage to attempt it, having so little sense of direction. I did learn some lessons, however, which others with similar concerns about leading might find useful. Next time I will lead “from the front” (I think this might have improved the pace of the walk). I think it would be good to have a named “rounder upper” to stop me worrying if everyone was still with us. It was essential to do the pre-walk planning trips but next time I will try harder to do this in a timely fashion so that I can have a pal to share this with me! Overall, it was fun though, and great to spend time with such a nice bunch of people. I would encourage others to give it a go – it’s nowhere near as scary as it might seem. Thanks to all those who helped and encouraged me.
Pam, February 2012