quote:

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Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:


We were wondering about a walk either next weekend - Saturday 16 January or Saturday 23 January or Sunday 24 January. After yesterday I know fields means wet feet and muddy trousers, so maybe a section of the Thames walk? Yangtze suggested starting at the Thames Barrier, heading back into London past Greenwich and maybe ending up in a pub in Wapping.

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Given the Ship theme, maybe the Prospect of Whitby or the Captain Kidd?


 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
I've been meaning to post something similar, ever since we've been doing walks a bit further up the Thames. I can't do the 16th, or any first Saturdays in the month, but other than that I'd be keen to join in.
 

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Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
That sounds like a rather good idea. Walked to Greenwich from Forest Hill yesterday, though some parts of that were muddy underfoot around Lewisham, which isn't very pedestrian-friendly.

Another choice walk for the inhabitants of east London city-dweller is along the Regent's canal from Limehouse to Angel, which is a very gently 4.5 miles on the flat.

Once the days get a bit longer and, hopefully, the ground less quagmire-ish, I'll be resuming the North Downs Way. Did Farnham -> Borough Green last summer and hope to finish the 2nd half, ending up at Canterbury cathedral tea shop. If anyone wants to join me for a leg (typically 10-15 miles), then you'll be welcome to do so.
 

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Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Sipech:
Once the days get a bit longer and, hopefully, the ground less quagmire-ish, I'll be resuming the North Downs Way. Did Farnham -> Borough Green last summer and hope to finish the 2nd half, ending up at Canterbury cathedral tea shop. If anyone wants to join me for a leg (typically 10-15 miles), then you'll be welcome to do so.

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• a chunk of the Hogsmill,
• in three sections, the River Lee / Lea from Ware to the Thames;
• the river Chess - which was very, very wet;
• several sections of the Thames walk - (I'm going to confuse which bits I've done with the Ship and on my own, because I've walked from Woolwich to Hampton and some other bits). moonlitdoor wanted to join us for some of the more rural sections, particularly Marlow to Windsor - which is a couple of sections further out that we've been as the Ship.
• sections of the London LOOP walk
• some of the Capital Ring walk
• some bits of the North Downs Way

Can we entice anybody else to come and play?
 

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Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
Sounds like you had a more fun day than I did. Having emailed the area manager of the National Trust to find out the ground conditions around Leith Hill, I was told it was firm underfoot with the occasional soft patch.

This turned out to be rather an understatement. Many of the fields were highly churned up, and were either boggy (over the ankles), downright flooded or where the ground was exposed but in shade, it was frozen solid. Some of the signage was pretty bad too, so finding the exit from a field was far from easy, especially as the fog reduced visibility to about 100 yards.

The worst came as I went up one sloped field that hot more and more boggy the higher up I got. The field was also home to three horses who looked at me with bemusement, as I traipsed my way up, the mud note mixed with manure and getting deeper with every step. It took me 10 minutes to go 100 yards, and by the top it was knee-deep. Then the farmer had cordoned off the public footpath with an electric fence which I had to crawl under.

After that, it was a steep scramble up Leith Hill, where the top was so foggy it felt otherworldly. I then spent a few hours wandering up the Greensand Way which was much more pleasant. Overall, I managed 10 miles in 5 hours, slowed down by the suction power of the mud.

Might wait for a dry, summer fortnight before going to that part of the world again.
 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
I like the idea of the Wendover walk, I too was wondering if it being so close to Cheqeurs would be a problem nowadays. I also fancy Thames walks further up the Thames than I've been (which is Hampton Court/East Molesey). Maybe more people will be interested when the weather's a bit better.

Thanks for the information on Alfie's lock - I had the horrible feeling it had been re-named as a small child had been drowned there!
 

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Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :
 
I'm trying to get a life and meet people this year, and I've fancied going to a Ship Meet for years but never got the guts to go. I could be up for a nice little walk - sounds nice.
Pity I missed this thread before, maybe next time I could tag along
 

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Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :
 
Go for it. I felt much the same way for a long time and withdrew from a couple of shipmeets years ago. However, I enjoy them and have met great Shipmates. I met Treebee in the middle of an intersection in Sydney as we glanced surreptitiously at each other. Pete.C and I went for a trip to Blue Mountins in ever thickening fog. Pizzas near the harbour. Mass at St Francis at Paddington to hear other Shipmates sing in choir. Similar at Christ Church St Laurence in Sydney.

Take things easy, an outside walk is probably a good place to start.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Glad to hear you had a good time yesterday.

quote:

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Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
... the river Chess - which was very, very wet ...

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Isn't that rather the point of a river?

I'll see myself out ...
 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
Sipech -Yuck to the mud and shame about the fog. I once spent a lovely spring evening wandering around Leith Hill admiring the view as a birthday treat. There are also some quite good pubs in the area, and at weekend there is a tea stall on the top of the hill.
Luvanddaises - Walks are a great way to meet shipmates, discover areas you haven't been to before and get fit, defiently recommended.
 

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Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
This was the view I had from the top.

Early forecasts aren't looking good for the weekend ahead. Was hoping to do the easternmost stretch of the South Downs Way (Southease to Eastbourne) but the Met Office are saying there'll be rain from Friday to Sunday.
 

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Posted by moonlitdoor (# 11707) on :
 
I may possibly join in a spring or summer walk but I am not sure. The last time I sent to a shipmeet everyone started talking about politics, and I found it very awkward.

Of course I am not complaining because people are entitled to talk about whatever they like, but politics is not at all my idea of a nice day out, so I became hesitant about going to another one.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Sipech:
This was the view I had from the top.

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For reasons I really can't explain, that picture makes me want to shout "Heathcliiiiiiifffffe!!!"


 

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Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on :
 
Moonlitdoor - it seems unlikely that the conversation for the duration of an entire walk was about politics and nothing else. It's also pretty easy to shift conversations into different topic areas that one does want to join in with. Especially when walking as different groups and pairs form.

Of course if ones modus operandi in conversations is not to contribute but mainly to listen then it's much harder to shift the direction of the conversation. Which I guess would have to lead to either withdrawing from the group or to choosing to be more proactive in talking.
 

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Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on :
 
Apols for double post.

Having said it's easy to shift conversations onto different topics I once sat on a train behind a group of men who talked solidly and non-stop for three hours about football. Nothing but football. I have no clue how they found enough to talk about. I suspect trying to shift them onto a different conversational topic would have been impossible.
 

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Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Piglet:

quote:

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Originally posted by Sipech:
This was the view I had from the top.

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For reasons I really can't explain, that picture makes me want to shout "Heathcliiiiiiifffffe!!!"

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Ah, but this is the proper place for doing that (Top Withens, Yorkshire).

[ 26. January 2016, 10:39: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
But I thought you had to do it in semaphore!
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
It's not even 11:00 a.m. here, and already we've descended into Monty Python ...
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I blinked at being told we'd talked politics for an entire walk too. If there was something political in the news we may have drifted into that for a while, but not for an entire walk and not for every little group on the walk.

Walking you tend to end up in changing threesomes and pairs, rather than in one big huddle, as narrow sections of path thin the party. I find walking with people, compared with going out for a meal or meeting in a pub, means you get to move around and meet more of the group.
 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
I agree with CK that a walk is a better way to meet a group of people, and you get the added bonus of a pub, or a cafe as well.
 

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Posted by moonlitdoor (# 11707) on :
 
I don't think I said either that it was a walk or that it was for the whole time, neither of which was the case, only that I didn't enjoy it and it put me off shipmeets a bit.

Because my name was referenced, I thought I would say why I had not come to any walks lately, but maybe it was a mistake to mention it.
 

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Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on :
 
Fair point - think I read into your saying it wasn't your idea of a fun day out that that's what everyone had talked about all day.

The rest of my comment wasn't about you per se and my apologies if that wasn't clear, but more about how to cope when people want to talk about things that one doesn't enjoy. Your response in this example was to withdraw and not come again to a Shipmeet. I was musing that there are other responses but it wasn't intended to be personal.

Anyway, this is all a tangent from organising Shipmeet Walks.
 

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Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
Looking at the weather forecast, I'm going to abandon my attempt at Southease->Eastbourne (over the Seven Sisters) as I'm not sure the ground will be safe/dry enough.

As it is, the plan is now to walk two laps around Richmond Park (~14 miles, almost entirely flat) on Saturday.
 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
I've cycled round Richmond Park and walked across it in various directions, but two laps sounds a bit beyond me!
The Beverley Brook walk I mentioned takes you across a corner of the park.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Sipech, you might have had a good day from Eastbourne yesterday - it was glorious in Brighton - I walked along the front to Shoreham harbour and back in blowy sunny conditions.

Today I walked this walk with quite a few diversions when I got lost or wanted to explore further. I got part way round in wet and miserable conditions until I gave up and went inside to dry out for a bit before resuming.

I'm up to 87.5 miles and on target to walk 1000 miles, even if 28 miles of that is the walk to and from the tube every day. The other nearly 60 miles is me deliberately getting out and walking.

Would anyone be around for a London-ish walk on either 20/21 February or 27/28 February?
 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
20/21 ans 27/28 are possibilities, with the Saturdays pehaps preferable to the Sundays due to transport sometimes being a bit unreliable on the later day.
Any suggestions as to walks?
 

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Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :
 
I could be too.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I can do either and would love to come out walking - the stormy weather and no leaves on the trees yet means that the ground still isn't nice underfoot and I don't fancy up to my ears in mud then back on public transport. How dry is the Beverly Brook walk, Sarasa?

If that one is wet I can lead reasonably dry Epping Forest walks (there are tracks through the Forest) but you were out towards north-east London last time. Or there's a long walk we did a few years ago from Putney across Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park to Richmond then back along the Thames. (It's what we used to do in winter when we wanted a decent walk when I lived there). Lots of places to jump off that one, or sidetrack ourselves to the Dove at Hammersmith.
 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
I quite fancy Wimbledon Common, it's an area I haven't really explored since moving to this area. Any walk where you can opt out easily would be good for me, I don't seem very good at walking very far at present! The Beverly Brook walk is great, and I don't think it would be too muddy if people prefer that.
 

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Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
Had hoped to go out this weekend, but Saturday is looking like a washout, so if I skip church on Sunday it'll still be boggy.

Looking towards Easter, I'm thinking about doing the Fen Rivers Way, which is 48 miles in 3 days on the flat along the rivers Cam and Great Ouse from Cambridge to Kings Lynn.

Anyone here done it? (I think Cambridge to Walsingham is a fairly common pilgrimage route)
 

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Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on :
 
I did a rather wet 10 miles today with friends around Ightham (Kent). Most of the paths were actually bridleways so there was a lot of churned up mud. But there's something nice about being warm & dry in waterproofs whilst being out in the elements. Good to be out. And some beautiful mossy woods.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Sorry, I'm not ignoring you, just failing to post from my phone. (I did try a couple of times but .. well, it's a long story.)

Wimbledon Common sounds good. Is the preference for next weekend (20th) or the one after (27th)? I've given the Saturday date as most people seem to prefer to walk on Saturdays.

I'm just back from a couple of days out of phone and internet access in the White Peak with my daughter. We took it gently as she'd had a bad enough asthma attack* to have paramedics called out a couple of nights before. We explored Buxton on Saturday, wandered 8½ miles on Sunday on the paths around Hartington, where we were staying, and another 5 miles today.

Sipech, that Cambridgeshire walk sounds fun, and a good way to use a long weekend. (Although I already have plans for that weekend.)

*allergic reaction to joss sticks her new flat mate was burning, against all the accommodation regulations.
 

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Posted by Jengie jon (# 273) on :
 
Half playing with this and will I think set up a separate thread if there is interest.

How do people feel about doing the walk from Sheffield to Grindleford or Hathersage, with the possibility of a meet at any of the three places? You can catch the train back from Grindleford or Hathersage to Sheffield (Manchester people could head in the opposite direction).

We can skip the first mile or so and start at Hunters Bar by getting a bus. From there it is parkland or open country most of the way. Food is available en route but it tends to be walkers cafe fair.

Jengie
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
There's also a Youth Hostel in Hathersage for those of us coming from further afield, and some other fun walks. I fancy doing Hathersage to Stanedge, sometime, and my daughter and I were chatting about another weekend in Castleton. We last stayed there years ago, but visited by walking over Mam Tor on Easter Sunday 2013, in the snow. That weekend we started in Hathersage on the Thursday night walked to Eyam for Good Friday and then to Edale for Saturday and Sunday nights.
 

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Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:

Wimbledon Common sounds good. Is the preference for next weekend (20th) or the one after (27th)? I've given the Saturday date as most people seem to prefer to walk on Saturdays.

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I can't do the 27th any more, (I'm going to be at the London Film & Comic Con then) but I could do 20th.
That's this Saturday, isn't it?
 

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Posted by Smudgie (# 2716) on :
 
I can't commit myself to anything for next weekend yet as I may have a different commitment. And I am, I admit, a fair weather walker and more of a slow ambler who would rather be sitting in the coffee shop, but if you do happen to be on Wimbledon Common, I may well wander along to join you for a pace or two.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Ooh - be lovely to see you Smudgie.

I did look to see if there were any walking routes on line and the walk we did isn't listed in any walking routes I can see: one half, the Thames from Richmond to Putney, exists. We used to walk across Putney Heath to Wimbledon Common, past the windmill, then cross to Richmond Park, through the Park past Pen Ponds to the Thames.
 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
I can't do the 27th, and I'm not sure that I can do the coming weekend. During March I know the weekends of the 5/6th an 19/20 are out, but the weekend in-between should be OK.
 

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Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on :
 
Well I can do 27th but not 20th so I'll bow out of this one.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
This looks as if it's going to possibly be luvanddaisies and me, with maybe Smudgie.

As the stinking cold of the beginning of the week (the current version of half-term-itis) is now a barking cough and no energy, I'm going to wimp out and try to get well for next week.
 

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Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :
 
It's pouring rain today anyway.
Another time perhaps.
 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
In the end we went for a stroll across Bushey Park, rather than what we said we were going to do. Managed to miss the worst of the rain.

I'm certainly up for a walk in March/April.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Sorry, that was a very nasty dose of flu which I'm only just bouncing back from (not helped by the latest work crises).

Is anyone up for a walk next weekend? I can't do Easter weekend, or any time soon.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Sorry, I just reread that and realised it was very unclear.

I can do next weekend 19/20 March, but can't do Easter weekend,

Then I can do every Saturday in April except 30 April, and every Sunday except 17 April, at the moment.
 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
I can't do next weekend 19/20 as I'm at a Wedding or the Saturday the weekend after Easter but I could probably do the Sunday (trains willing) and the two weekends after that (9/10, 16/17).

Hope you are making a good recovery from the flu and that the work crisis gets resolved.
 

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Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
Time to head into Battle.

Well, at least to find a pilgrimage route from Battle train station to Ashburnham Place. Am leading the church on a walk as part of a retreat next month, so am doing a scouting mission tomorrow.

Hopefully the ground is not as muddy as it has been in recent weeks.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
How about we make a plan for 9/10 April?

Any preferences for area?
 

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Posted by moonlitdoor (# 11707) on :
 
thank you for your information about Malham, CK. Setting off for the north early tomorrow morning. I hope the weather will be amenable to some walking.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Have fun in Malham, moonlitdoor. I want to go back, but we are exploring other places over the next few months.
 

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Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
9/10 April sound good to me for a walk. Happy to go anywhere as long as it isn't too long and their are opportunities for refreshment. Son did a wander in Epping Forest today that he appear to have enjoyed.
 

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Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
Went out on Saturday and resumed the North Downs Way. Went from Borough Green to Strood, which was a total distance of about 15 miles.

Which leads me to a question: Have you got any recommendations for brands of cushioned insoles?

My fitness levels are OK, but the thing that gets me is the wear on the bottom of my heels. After about 10 miles, they just start to ache and I have to stop for a sit down more frequently. There's quite a market for different insoles and I'm not sure where's best.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Suggestions for bluebell walks this weekend:

7.5 miles from Greenford to Osterley Park
or 4 and a bit miles from Boston Manor to Osterley because Osterley Park is supposed to have bluebells.
Or 9.9 miles from Sunningdale to Windsor because Runnymede is supposed to have bluebells. (Or there's Kew, but they don't reckon their bluebells are out yet.)
 

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