Wow, haven't blogged for years. Let's see if I remember how to do it. Just getting my photos off my iphone and onto the google drive has taken me ages...some things are still as clunky as I remember.
Why did I decide on the London Loop? Well I need a challenge. I need public transport to get my there and back. I need to get out and about.
All sections are doable in a day and it looks like a route of weirdly isolated and peaceful pockets in highly urban areas.
The route basically follows tracks around the area of the M25. Yesterday I barely heard a sound of cars or humans. Just the wind and birds (along with the occasional dirt bike and digger.)
So off I headed to London Bridge Station yesterday morning. Got my first photo of the Shard. That thing just kinda shocks me every time I see it.
London Bridge is all kind of swanky now. But still had to wait half hour for a delayed train out to Erith.
Arrived and oh god, what a dump Erith was. A true picture of a place time has forgotten about. OK , maybe I'm being cruel but it looked and felt deeply depressing. I think poverty bites deep out here.
The start of the walk, behind this sign ,was barricaded off.
I also found this random sign. A tribute to Robinson Crusoe, who sailed back into England and disembarked here in Erith. One, I never knew he was real, two, I never knew he was Scottish, three, I never knew he was castaway in Chile.
I wandered around and entered a Londis which was probably the most depressing corner shop I have ever been in. Got chatting to a group of women outside, all in mobility scooters. They were really helpful and got me back on track a bit further down the estuary. They even scootered down with me to assist.
I was quite happy to leave the depressing feel of Erith behind me. The sun came out and all was beautiful!
I loved it...it was all so weird as on the right were massive scrap merchant and metal recycling companies. Lots of lorries moving stuff around. It was one big metal fest to my right. A great contrast to the beauty on my left.
Queen Elizabeth Bridge was ahead (M25 over the Thames.) it looked great and I couldn't hear a single car. I then veered away from the Thames. Goodbye to the Thames Path (yep, it's the end here.) I started to follow the River Darent.
From 1885-1903 there were 3 massive boats docked here which were floating hospitals for small pox victims. There was a massive outbreak in London so they were literally shipped here to end it all in isolation.
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Smallpox-Hospital-Ships/
There was also the most isolated pub in North Kent. Renowned for its quality of bare knuckle fighters. (It was destroyed in the floods of 1953.)
https://www.remotelondon.com/long-reach-tavern-dartford-marshes/
Honestly, you could feel all the ghosts of these lives all around you. No wonder so many people find this kind of walk so creepy.
The Darent river had silted up sides (A sign of a good natural salt marsh!) but was still very beautiful with all the bird life plus the noise of the scrap merchants was well behind. I passed the Darent Creek Barrier. A small guillotine looking thing which protects the nearby towns from flooding. I then moved on to follow the path of the river Cray.
I then walked into Crayford. Can't comment on Crayford much apart from the teashop had closed down and I had a pint in the Bear and Ragged Staff pub, which was a well needed break.
Had to walk through the parks of Crayford to get back onto the River and this all seemed lovely. Lots of green spaces and a beautiful part of the walk.
Then suddenly I had my most freaky part of the walk. I had to walk alongside the A2 for a few minutes and then under the A2, alongside the railway. This was a rather grim underpass in the middle of nowhere. I hate going under bridges even when there are people around. I had to do some deep breathing to get through this!! Luckily I kept it together and didn't meet any trolls. As much as grim bridges freak me out I still like the feeling of lots of different kinds of transport routes all linking together and me hunting them out!
