Hatch End to Elstree
Back out on the Hertfordshire - Greater London (Middlesex) boundary again for a 9-ish mile walk on what turned out to be a rather warm day. A mixed bag of suburban spaces, parkland, golf courses and fields. I got off the bus outside Hatch End Telephone Exchange and walked round to Grimsdyke Road, down the path between the houses to the field I’d finished Section 14 in back in June. Section 15 starts in this corner, can you spot it?
It wasn’t the last time today that I would curse the shockingly overgrown state of the paths on this section of the Loop. I made it over the stile and turned left through the brambles and undergrowth, it would have been easier to follow the field edge but the toilets at Rayners Lane are still “temporarily” closed and I needed some cover to offload my morning mug of tea.
For another half mile or so I wished I’d brought secateurs or something and then I found the path down the back of the houses in Derwent Avenue was completely impenetrable. This wasn’t the start I’d hoped for. I had no option at this point but to backtrack and divert via the parallel street to reach the wooded Sylvia Avenue Open Space and beyond that finally an open field!
On the other side of which lay Hertfordshire. Also the West Coast Main Line railway which I followed to Little Oxhey Lane and crossed via a rather grotty steel trough pedestrian bridge alongside the road bridge. For another half a mile I walked along the road with little of interest except a fading, undated notice from the London Borough of Harrow informing whoever had their horses on the borough’s land that if they weren’t moved they’d be sold. I didn’t see any horses. I managed to cross Oxhey Lane at the lights without being run over and on reaching the far side noted a pedestrian crossing push button in the hedge and a single traffic signal in the trees. Not sure what this is supposed to do? An actual pedestrian crossing would be nice.
Beyond the field gate here the path got brambly again but passable and I made it through the scrubland to Grim’s Dyke Golf Course without too many injuries. I’ve never really managed to work up any enthusiasm for golf, agreeing with the description often (but probably erroneously) attributed to Mark Twain of it as “a good walk spoiled”. There were a few people out today who seem to disagree though.
I was glad to reach the shade of the trees on the far side of the course though, the forecast scattered clouds having largely scattered and it being uphill most of the way. I left the course down Ass House Lane, which transatlantic readers will no doubt find amusing and reached Grim’s Dyke, which they might consider inappropriate. It’s a linear earthwork, a ditch believed to be at least 2000 years old and probably marking a boundary. The Saxons didn’t have archaeologists however so they ascribed its construction to the Devil, a.k.a. Grim. I turned left and walked through the woods along the bank alongside Grim’s Dyke which could still be made out on my right, if you looked closely enough.
Continuing through the woods of Harrow Weald Common I crossed Grim’s Dyke at a bridge and passed the Telecoms radio station with its tall steel lattice tower poking up above the trees to reach Gilbert’s Lake. The Gilbert for whom it is named is Sir William, of “and Sullivan” fame and the lake and surrounds were once his ornamental gardens. Sir William died here after going in to save a young lady who’d got into difficulties swimming in the lake, thereby achieving his wish to die “on a summers day in my garden”. On this summers day I sat on a rock by the lake and ate my picnic lunch.
Fortified by crisps and fish paste sandwiches I carried on across Harrow Weald Common to the Old Redding road and crossed over to the view point in the car park. There are good panoramic views over London from here and despite the heat haze I could see the top of the Wembley Arch glinting above the treetops and a scatter of tall buildings in North West London.
Leaving the car park I passed the pub called The Case Is Altered which was closed, probably just as well or further progress might have faltered. It might be permanently shut from what I can gather although it didn’t have the appearance of an ex-pub? Let’s hope it lives again.
I crossed back over the road and into the woods of Harrow Weald Common and followed wide and thankfully bramble-free paths past cottages built for workers at Grim’s Dyke House, over little bridges and along boardwalks to reach Common Road. Here I crossed to enter Bentley Priory Open Space. Behind the security fence and the trees I caught a glimpse of Bentley Priory itself, formerly the HQ of RAF Fighter Command and the place from where the Battle of Britain was directed in 1940. The open space has a good solid concrete path running across it that looks like it might be a wartime construction but I’ve no idea.
There’s a good view over open country to the right and the path is popular with dog walkers, eventually it exits Bentley Priory Open Space onto a track that leads to Priory Drive. This is the posh bit, massive houses, no footway, lots of notices making those passing through feel as unwelcome as a fart in a space suit, expensive cars on large drives, big gates. You get the idea. I left through the black steel security gates and crossed into Warren Lane ahead. Turning left through a car park I almost missed the Loop way marker in the corner which pointed to a path that looped around through the woods to emerge back on Warren Lane. Because sometimes the London Loop takes the long way round to get away from a short stretch of road even when it has a footway. I crossed the road to Stanmore Cricket Club where I rested for a while on a handy bench under the trees at the edge of the pitch and tried not to think about how much further I had to walk. It was a bit hot.
Fortunately I now headed through shady woodland again past the Brewery Ponds, reservoirs for a long defunct brew-pub and coaching inn, The Vine, nearby. Beyond the larger pond I headed across a grassy space and between a line of trees to a track and then through a gap to Little Common, where I claimed 2 points for spotting the stinkpipe 🙂
From Little Common I passed Ceasar’s Pond at came out on Wood Lane by the Husaini Shia Islamic Centre. It was quite busy and frequented by the sort of arsehole that thinks double yellow lines don’t count if you park on the footway next to them, completely blocking it so pedestrians have to walk in the road ðŸ˜
A little further on I turned right into an unnamed private road with a Loop sign, a sign showing it as Public Byway No.6, and of course two signs saying ‘Private’ and ’No Public Right Of Way’ because that’s how they roll in Stanmore. I took no more notice of this nonsense than did the fox crossing the road in front of me.
At the end of the private road I went down the narrow alleyway (more brambles but someone had been along with the weed-whacker to clear most of them) that runs between high fences through the grounds of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, stepping out at the end to join a broad, rough track and scaring the ‘good-for-the-roses' out of the hooded horse in the adjacent field. Literally.
Where the track turned right I branched left over a little bridge buried in a hedge and once again entered Hertfordshire. Here I had to climb up and over part of Caldecote Hill following a faint grassy track towards the M1 Motorway. Two walkers came the other way, fully kitted out with rucksacks and walking poles and it struck me that they were the first two hikers I’d met today.
On the far side of the hill by the gas pumping station I turned right onto Elstree Road under the motorway and followed it across the Watford Bypass until it became Watford Road which I crossed not without some difficulty to enter Aldenham Country Park by the huge Aldenham Reservoir. I paused for a rest by the dam that contains the reservoir and risked checking how much further I had to walk. About two miles, not too bad, about the same as to my local railway station and back. No problem, finished the contents of my water bottle and looked forward to the possibility of an ice cream in Elstree 😅
From the reservoir I crossed Aldenham Road and was surprised to see a group of old fashioned tents in the field to the left. I looked it up later, “Home Farm Glamping” apparently. Bell tents from £150/night, Yurts from £200/night, corporate events, weddings, and hen dos catered for. There seemed to be a large party of blue uniformed kids staying there, standing in a circle and cheering. I moved on through a large open area, part of Composers Park, through some young trees and eventually to Elstree Hill North which is also the Roman road Watling Street which I crossed, turning into Allum Lane. From here the Section 15 takes another big loop, three sides of a square, before returning to Allum Lane near the section end. Tempted as I was to just shortcut it I decided to follow the official route and plodded on up through the field to the north. At least I got to claim another 2 points.
Further up the hill just before reaching the golf course there was a passive-aggressive sign just begging for wilful misinterpretation. Horses in Elstree can read apparently 🙂
“Please keep to the Public Footpath” would have served just as well. I went through the broken gate in the hedge onto The Hertsmere Golf Course, following the track eastwards across the course braving some very inaccurate driving - I bet he had trouble finding that ball - and turning south through Allum Lane Spinney to reach Allum Lane again. The final stretch east along Allum Lane brought me at last to the end of Section 15 at Deacon’s Hill Road next to the ASDA petrol station. I was rather disappointed to discover they don’t sell ice creams so settled for a bottle of chilled water and an iced coffee.
I did get my ice cream at Elstree & Borehamwood Station though, then caught a Thameslink train to West Hampstead, the Overground to Gunnersbury, and the hellish mobile sauna known as the New Routemaster to Hounslow West and my nice air-conditioned car!
Not sure which bit to try next, Section 16 is over 11 miles so I might look at 5, 6, or 7 for something a bit easier.
