A moderately sunny day after yet more days in a heat wave. The journey was simply enough from Sydney to Canada Water to Green Park to Uxbridge but it does take quite a long time. It feels quite impressive that I’ve managed to walk all the way up to Uxbridge from much further south than Sydenham as it seems absolutely miles on the train.
The section of the canal from Uxbridge going north it’s nice though there’s a small section where boats seem to go to die. Picturesque if rather shambolic. After that, it’s a very peaceful, very leafy, very green section as it runs through the Colne Valley Park. Maybe it was helped by it being a lovely sunny day. It’s generally a rather nice section. Odd really, because I’d been gritting my teeth about walking this bit, anticipating endless miles of uninteresting tow-path. It’s actually very pleasant.
The tow-path just north of where the old railway crosses the canal on a huge viaduct is getting a bit overgrown. It needs someone to go down there with a hedge trimmer and chop off the brambles and nettles before they get too much more. It makes it difficult to stay on the path and keep your balance, for me at least.
Worth a mention I suppose that today I felt I would be far more comfortable walking with a hiking pole on the tow-paths just to keep my balance good. That seems to be an increasingly common thing. I guess I don’t mind too much. It’s not such a big deal and it still helps me get out and about safely. But it would be nice to find out why my balance is so screwed up.
The trip was very flat until leaving the canal and then there is really quite a long and steep pull up through a woodland. I got passed by a young woman with a baby strapped to her chest, talking on the phone and walking her dog; and she didn’t even get out of breath talking on her phone. But I still had to have a rest or two on my way up. This getting older thing….
It’s also worth noting that the section heading for Northwood has still got many stiles to clamber over which is unwelcome.
This leg of the walk is very much a walk of two halves. The first half is one hundred percent canals, which is nice enough. But the second half is one hundred percent fields and small patches of Woodlands which is also nice, just very different. And the second half is much more hilly than the first!
By the way, I think the path just where it turns into Parkwood was previously one of the most awfully wet and muddy parts of the whole trip last time I did it. But this time after all the hot weather you’d never know it. Plain sailing all the way. As was the path right through the woods. The bench where I sat to have lunch in the woods on that prior trip is still there and is just as good. There’s a picture on the roll.
The last few hundred metres of the path where it runs between the power pylons on the top of White Hill and the one east of Batchworth Heath Farm (somewhat parallel to the White Hill Road as it approaches the London Road junction) is truly overgrown with bracken. To such an extent that it is not clear that there’s a path there at all. You really do have to push your way through and just hope you’re on the right track. I’m hoping there were no ticks in there that would have attached themselves to me.
Crossing the London Road between the White Hill Road and the Prince of Wales pub opposite the Batchworth Lane is probably one of the hardest roads you will have to cross on the London Loop. Especially at rush-hour. It’s very dangerous, so take your time and take care.
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