walkerSOUTH EAST No. 94 June 2016 Dover gains ‘Walkers are Welcome’ status over has become the are maintained, improved house proprietors and members of second town in Kent and well-signposted and can the White Cliffs Walking Festival Dto get Walkers are contribute to local tourism plans organising group. More than Welcome status. The honour and regeneration strategies; 1,200 signatures were collected on was awarded on 12 April by the promote the health benefits of a petition to support the bid. national Walkers are Welcome walking; and encourage the use Cllr Brivio said ‘This is really body. It means Dover has joined of public transport. Businesses good news and I am grateful to neighbouring Deal, which can demonstrate their support by the various groups who helped. gained the status in 2009. displaying Walkers are Welcome The evidence we got from around There are now more than 100 stickers. Dover to support did look very Walkers are Welcome towns and The campaign to secure the impressive. Dover is at the heart villages in Britain. They have status was spearheaded by a of walking’. all demonstrated that they are an steering group led by former This year the third White Cliffs attractive destination for walkers Dover mayor Pam Brivio, who Walking Festival, which has been with good information on local is also a member of White Cliffs supported by Dover Town Council walks; offer local people and Ramblers, and ex-town councillor with a £500 grant, takes place from visitors walking opportunities Pat Sherratt, a keen walker. The 25 - 31 August (see page 4). Walkers on Dover waterfront. within the area; ensure footpaths group also includes hotel and guest Robert Peel Thames Path at 20 Campaigning success he 20th anniversary ceasing of river ferries linking the revived interest in the Thames for Love London, of the opening of the two banks at key points deterred Path concept which in turn led TThames Path national the plans from moving forward. to the Countryside Commission Walk London trail will be celebrated in July Both the Ramblers and the (now part of Natural England) with a baton relay walk along the River Thames Society had been commissioning a study into the he London 184 mile/294 km route from the determined not to let the plan feasibility and potential value of mayoral river’s source in the Cotswolds fade away and worked together to developing a Thames Path. The Telections took to Thames Barrier in east further the idea. study was conducted by Leigh place on 5 May and, London. The two week event is A turning point came in 1977 Hatts and concluded in 1984 for the first time, The being organised by the Ramblers when the Ramblers published that not only was a route feasible Ramblers in Inner in conjunction with the Thames a modest guidebook to ‘The but was likely to have a high London Area and Path Partnership. Thames Walk’ by David Sharp. recreational value. the Greater London The idea of a path beside the This followed David’s determined Government approval to go Forum worked Thames was discussed in the 1930s efforts to find the best possible ahead with the creation of the together to ensure though it was not until 1949 that route available at the time for Thames Path was given in 1989 that walking formed Parliament provided the means following the Thames on foot and by the time of the opening part of the election for achieving this. However, the from Putney to the source. in 1996, 16 miles of new riverside debate. practical problems caused by the This proved very popular and path were created and three new With the help of over 1,000 in March, when a panel of four of bridges built. Many more sections of you, we made a real impact. the main candidates - Sian Berry, of riverside path have since been Mayoral and Assembly candidates Zac Goldsmith, Sadiq Khan and added to the route particularly in met us for discussions, walked with Caroline Pidgeon - all talked in London. us and tweeted their support; their depth about their plans for walking. On page 8 Leigh Hatts, author researchers got in touch with us for What’s more, each party made of the Cicerone guidebook to information, and we made contacts commitments to improve walking the Thames Path (and of the and allies with friends groups for conditions and help more people Countryside Commission study local parks, the Greater London enjoy the benefits of walking: with which led the way to the Thames National Park City campaign, Labour pledging to bring in a Path being formally adopted Living Streets and more. Local pedestrian champion and improve and later a national trail), updates groups and individuals in London the London LOOP and Capital us on his new edition of the route Ring, and the Conservatives guidebook also made a real difference by getting in touch with their local pledging to open up more of the We also look at the media Thames Path. coverage of the opening and the candidates and making contacts. The Thames Path was officially opened at the Thames Barrier on 24 July 1996 Previously I often met people plan for the relay baton walk in Our success was illustrated at when a cake was cut by the Mayor of Greenwich and the Chairman of who were surprised Ramblers Cotswold District Council, representing the two ends of the path. July. the Greener London hustings organised by the Green Alliance continued on page 3 2 South East Walker June 2016 New London wetland Croxley Great Barn his grade-II listed 01923 727333 or www.trmt.org. threshing barn to the uk. The barn also features on reserve opens Teast of Rickmansworth, the route of the Croxley Green Hertfordshire, (grid ref TQ Boundary Walk, a varied circular oodberry Wetlands, ceased to be operational there were for a nearby boiler house and 069945) dates back to 1397 route of 6.3 miles, waymarked an 11-hectare wildlife proposals to build housing on both as a kitchen for the New River and is open to the public on in the clockwise direction. The W reserve at Stoke the west reservoir (now a water Company directors' dining hall. tours arranged by Three Rivers walk is an initiative of the Croxley Newington east reservoir in sports centre) and east reservoir. London Wildlife Trust is Museum. Residents Association and a north east London, was opened A large-scale redevelopment of the also creating a wetland wildlife Coming dates are Saturdays detailed map of the route can be by Sir David Attenborough on nearby Woodberry Down housing reserve about a mile away 25 June, 30 July, 27 August, downloaded from their website at 30 April. Run by the London estate has helped fund the new at Walthamstow Reservoirs which 24 September and 29 October www.croxleyresidentsassociation. Wildlife Trust, the reserve is wetland reserve together with will become one of the largest and more details found via co.uk/boundary-walk.html. adjacent to the routes of the funding from the Heritage Lottery urban wetland nature reserves in Capital Ring and New River Fund. Now visitors can walk Europe. This is expected to open Path, and now open to the around most of the east reservoir during 2017 and will be linked public free of charge from 8am and look out for kingfishers, reed to Woodberry Wetlands by a to 5pm daily. warblers and possibly bitterns. ‘green corridor’, the Wetlands to The reservoir was built by the A restored 19th century coal Wetlands Greenway. New River Company in 1833 house now functions as public café The west entrance to Woodberry but never accessible to the public and visitor centre. The grade-II Wetlands is off Lordship Road, (though parts could be viewed listed building was built shortly N16, about 10 minutes walk from from nearby roads). When the site after the reservoir as a coal store Manor House tube station. Gray’s landscape toke Poges in Buckinghamshire is Smarking the 300th anniversary of the birth of poet Thomas Gray who is believed to have written his ‘Elergy in a Country Churchyard’ here. Helped by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant the landscape around the Gray Monument (grid ref SU 978828) has been improved and the Gray family tomb in the churchyard restored. A celebration at Gray’s Monument will be held on Saturday 9 July from noon with teas available in the memorial gardens. More details at www.thomasgray2016. org. To download a copy of the local Heritage Walk go to www.stokepark. com/assets/heritage-walk.pdf. Gad’s Hill Place harles Dickens and his family lived here at Higham, CKent, from 1857 to 1870 but is said to have first seen the house as a child when on a walk with his father. As a boy he would often walk from Chatham to see the house which is now part of a school though the ground floor of the house and gardens can be seen by the public on one weekend a month (next are 11-12 June, 9-10 July, 13- 14 August, 10 - 11 September, 8 - 9 October). Pre-booked tours cost £9.50 including cream tea. Bookings must be made in advance on 01474 337600 The house is about a mile and a half from Higham station. South East Walker June 2016 3 walkerSOUTH EAST Distributed quarterly to members Obstruction removed of the Ramblers in Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and West Middlesex, Essex, Inner London, Kent, Oxfordshire and Surrey Areas. after 70 years THE RAMBLERS erserverence, they say, is stile and proceed along an unofficial Address: 2nd Floor, Camelford a virtue.