magazine summer2012 magazine summer2012 Southern England Southern England Dartmoor, Devon River Lea, East London 11/05/2012 16:05 Route 09 Route 10 master G Distance 18km/11 miles G Time 6hrs G Type Moor and valley master G Distance 15km/9 miles G Time 4hrs G Type Canal, river NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL feature p62 Plan your walk Plan your walk SEE Luton G Braintree Exmoor G G G Bideford Chelmsford G DEVON RIVER LEA EAST DARTMOOR G LONDON Wembley Plymouth G G Croydon Maidestone G WHERE: Circular walk from WHERE: Linear riverside Hexworthy via Dartmeet, walk from Tottenham to Newbridge and Holne. the River Thames. PHOTOGRAPHY: FIONA BARLTROP PHOTOGRAPHY: START/END: Hexworthy START: Tottenham Hale ALAMY PHOTOGRAPHY: Bridge car park (SX659729). Dartmoor is the largest and 1. START From the car park tube station (TQ345895). The Lee Valley is proof that 1. START Leaving Tottenham TERRAIN: Paths and tracks wildest area of open country (SX659729), head up the lane END: Limehouse Basin and wildlife and nature can fl ourish Hale tube station (TQ345895), over high moorland, along in southern England, rising in past Huccaby’s St Raphael’s Docklands Light Railway in what might seem the most turn L up Ferry Lane along the river valleys and through parts to over 600m/2,000ft and Church. Turn R along a track just station (TQ362811). unpromising of landscapes. A503. Cross the traffi c-light fi elds (can be muddy), characterised by its distinctive past Huccaby Farm on the L, then TERRAIN: Paved towpath Stepping out of Tottenham Hale junction at Mill Mead Road and with short stretches along granite tors. It takes its name fork L on a footpath signposted and fi eld edges. tube station to begin this walk, Jarrow Road, go down the steps country lanes. Final section from the River Dart, which starts Dartmeet, going through a gate MAPS: OS Explorer 174 and you’d be forgiven for heading onto the riverside path and turn over featureless moorland as the East Dart and West Dart and continuing directly ahead 162; Landranger 177. straight back down the escalator. R under the road, signposted for requires good navigational and becomes a single river at through a churned-up fi eld. GETTING THERE: But keep the faith: beneath the Walthamstow Marshes. The river skills – avoid in poor visibility. Dartmeet. The moor was used Things improve once you reach Tottenham Hale is on fl yovers, traffi c jams and retail views soon open up, with willow MAPS: OS Explorer OL28; for the fi lming of the recent an area of scrub, and the path the Victoria Line of the parks lies a doughty waterway trees dipping their branches in Landranger 191 and 202. Spielberg fi lm, War Horse; in becomes more clearly defi ned. London Underground that has tenaciously withstood the Lea, houseboats puffi ng out GETTING THERE: Nearest fact two of the locations, Bear R to continue down an and is served by Greater everything the growth of London smoke from welcoming wooden bus stops at Postbridge and Hexworthy Bridge and enclosed path, then down an Anglia overground trains; has thrown at it. Even during the stoves, and gantries and cranes Princetown (Transmoor Link Combestone Tor and area, are open fi eld. When you reach the Limehouse is on the Great Plague of 1665, the ferrying – leftover echoes from the river’s service 82, every Sunday included in this route. This is house on your L, turn L through Docklands Light Railway of goods up and down the River converted wharves. from 2 June to 22 a varied walk combining all the gate to the road and R down (✆ 0843 222 1234, Lea kept London from starvation. September), Widecombe-in- the classic Dartmoor features: to Dartmeet Bridge, where you www.tfl .gov.uk). The river runs for 112km/70 miles 2. Just past Lea Rowing Club, the-Moor (Haytor Hoppa, photogenic tors, wooded valleys can see the remains of the old EATING & DRINKING: or so from Bedfordshire to the cross Horseshoe Bridge to the service 271, every Saturday and open moorland. The last clapper bridge just above it. This Miller’s House Café at The Thames, and this walk follows east bank of the river (TQ348876) from 7 April to 27 October). section of the walk over Holne is a popular place, which can be House Mill, a Grade I-listed most of those fi nal miles. If the to enter the unworldly Nearest train station at Moor requires careful navigation: very busy in summer. former mill at Tide Mill, river were a fairytale character, it Walthamstow Marshes. Further Newton Abbot (✆ 0871 200 this is high, featureless moorland makes good sandwiches would be Cinderella, and this year on, as you pass under a modest 2233, www.traveline.info). – well worth experiencing both 2. Continue up beside the road (✆ 020 8980 4626, the Lea fi nally gets to go to the train bridge, nod your head to EATING & DRINKING: for the views and sense of space, to an upright stone; follow the www.housemill.org.uk). ball, thanks to Olympic-related the ghost of Alliott Verdon Roe, The Forest Inn, Hexworthy but not recommended in poor path from here that cuts off a SLEEPING: The best funding that has given it a facelift, who used the bridge arches as L (✆ 01364 631211, visibility (when an alternative loop in the road, rejoining it at options are to the north L with improvements to paths, a launch pad for his visionary byroad from Holne is best). the top. Ahead and to your R signposts and nature reserves. triplane, managing to fl y 900ft ▼ ▼ 59-60 WALK35 routemaster SOUTHERN.indd 1 59-60 WALK35 routemasterSOUTHERN.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymap Ordnance Surveymap START Continued... 1 Continued... of Tottenham, in the Lee www.theforestinn.co.uk); Valley Park. See the ‘Where Badgers Holt, Dartmeet ping ©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 to stay and short breaks’ ping ©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 (✆ 01364 631213, www. section of the Visit Lee badgersholtdartmoor.co.uk); 2 START 2 Valley website below. Church House Inn, Holne FINISH VISITOR INFORMATION: (✆ 01364 631208, 3 Lee Valley Regional Park www.churchhouseinn 1 Information Service, 3 dartmoor.co.uk). Myddelton House, Bulls Cross, SLEEPING: B&B at The Forest Enfield (✆ 0845 6770600, Inn and Church House Inn www.visitleevalley.org.uk). 4 (see above); Toad Hall 6 GUIDEBOOKS: Hadleigh to Cottages has a selection of Stratford Legacy Walk by self-catering cottages in the Essex Ramblers is available area (✆ 01548 853089, www. 4 for £3.34 (including p&p) toadhallcottages.co.uk). from www.essexarea 5 VISITOR INFORMATION: ramblers.co.uk, or by Ivybridge TIC, Leonards emailing normanberryuk@ Road (✆ 01752 897035, yahoo.co.uk. www.visitdevon.co.uk). LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUPS: GUIDEBOOKS: Walking on Havering & East London 6 Dartmoor by John Earle 5 Ramblers (✆ 01708 375559, (£12.95, Cicerone, ISBN www.haveringeastlondon 978 1852843601); South ramblers.btck.co.uk); Inner Devon and Dartmoor London Ramblers (www. Map not to scale. Walks – Pathfinder Guide innerlondonramblers.org. Representation of OS Landranger MAP 177 (£11.99, Crimson, ISBN uk); Capital Walkers (www. 1:50,000 FINISH 978 0711708518). capitalwalkers.org.uk). www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: Map not to scale. Representation of Moorland Ramblers OS Landranger MAP (✆ 01647 221260, www. 191 1:50,000 (and live to tell the tale). Follow diversion. You may spot some of the path threads through Old moorlandramblers.org.uk). www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk the path past Leyton Marshes the 2,000 newts relocated from Ford Island to reach Mill Meads and the new, temporary Olympic the site of the Olympic Park to and the newly restored Three basketball training centre to the nature reserve as part of the Mills Lock, with its distinctive you can see Sharp Tor. Continue down through the bracken to of old tin workings. Venford the ice rink. Games’ environmental legacy. Clock House mill. alongside the road a bit further, the valley road. Turn R and, Reservoir can be seen to the then turn off R for Sharp Tor. just before the junction, go north. After 1.5km/1 mile or 3. Cross the A104 and drop 4. Leave the filter beds to the 6. The Lee/Lea heads south, It’s an easy climb to the top and L along a path to Newbridge so you need to head north- down to the west side of the south. The river splits here, and but tracking it to its mouth worth it for the splendid views. – another very popular spot. northwest and then north, Lea by the Princess of Wales we take the canalised western involves a dreary trudge along gently descending a broad ridge pub. After 400m, turn L over branch. A 1766 Act of Parliament the Blackwall Tunnel approach 3. Descend east to a lane and 4. Cross the bridge and towards Combestone Tor – a the narrow bridge to the east provided for the construction of road. A better ending is to bear L, soon turning off R continue on the riverside key landmark. (Note: if the mist side of the navigation and 15 new cuts to straighten the follow the Lea south from along a track beside a wall, path; fork L (signposted Holne), descends, heading N at any enter the Middlesex Filter Lea, eliminating loops and aiding Tide Mill for 400m and then which becomes an enclosed then go up through fields time should lead you down Beds through the black iron navigation. The resulting canalised at Bow Locks (TQ383824) take track for a short distance. to the road. Turn L, then to the road.) gates.