On the 24th May 2024 (Bank Holiday Monday) I arrive at Hainault Forest by bus and wait for my friend Ian to join me.
Ian arrives and we discuss a route and we set off through Hainault Country Park passing the petting zoo and the Woodlands Trust Café further down. I can feel my ankle twinging a little, I had pain on my last walk in Norfolk, hoping it won’t be too bad. We pass some houses then turn left and up a muddy path.
This ancient woodland is home to a wealth of wildlife and plant species, and was once a royal hunting forest. An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 ancient hornbeam pollards survive, which support a myriad of species including owls, woodpeckers, bats and whole communities of specialised insects, lichens, mosses and fungi.
The path becomes very muddy and we are trying to find firm ground to make our way across. Should be dry be this time of year, but we have had a lot of rain.
I miss a path that would have took us diagonally across, but no matter we will take a slightly longer path and skirt around the outside.
We emerge from the trees and turn left alongside a field and uphill towards Crabtree Hill.
At the top by a gate, we turn left and walk along passing a marker for the LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL BOUNDARY.
So this means we must now officially be in Essex. We turn up a path and follow this up to Manor Road.
We cross the road and enter Gallmans End Farm and take a footpath from here.
This path is very muddy indeed and very slippery in places and deep water in others.
We reach a point where the path was so flooded so was no way across other than wading. I remember seeing a bit earlier where we could get out onto a farm field, so I walk back to check this out. There was indeed so we walk of the path and along the field.
A little further on we re-joined the path and cut across to another path that passes a view across to Bishops Hall.
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| Bishops Hall |
Designed by former president of the Royal Horticultural Society, Lord Lambourne, the Abridge country estate has three lakes, mature trees, formal lawns and two houses. The main home Bishops Hall is a palatial six-bedroom residence, which replaced the original Victorian house after it was destroyed in the 1900s. The current mansion is smaller than the original, but still boasts six reception rooms, domestic offices and an attic.
As we approach the church, My ankle is really giving me a lot of pain. We have no other options but to continue.
We reach the Church of St Marys and All Saints in Lambourne.
Like much of the neighbouring area, Lambourne was thickly wooded in the Middle Ages with forest gradually being cleared for agriculture. A few remnants of the historic Hainault Forest are found in the southern fringe of the parish, and now form part of a country park.
Its population was 505 in 1801 rising to 904 by 1841, remaining at about that level for the next century.
The church was built about the middle of the 12th century, but in the 13th century the chancel was almost entirely rebuilt. Early in the 16th century the bell turret was added. In the middle of the 18th century both the chancel and the nave were largely remodelled, most of the windows being renewed and the north and south doorways of the nave reset. During the removal of defective plaster in 1951 on the north wall of the nave there was disclosed the stone jamb, part of the head, and deep splay of one of the original Norman Lights. This has been preserved. The walls are of flint rubble, covered with cement; the dressings are of limestone and brick; the roofs are tiled, the bell turret and west gable are weather boarded and the spire is covered with lead.
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| Lambourne Hall |
Opposite the church is Lambourne Hall.
In 1050, the manor of Lambourne belonged to Leffi, a Saxon, but at the Conquest, it was given to Eustace, Earl of Boulogne. It was afterwards held by the Lambourne, Lampet, Hatfield, Barfoot, Aland, and Fortescue families. In 1782, it was purchased of the latter by the Rev. Edward Lockwood, and it now belongs to Wm. Joseph Lockwood, Esq., who has a pleasant seat here, called Bishop's Hall, but part of the parish belongs to Sir Charles C. Smith, Bart., Mr. Samuel Crane, Mr. John Jones, and a few smaller freeholders.
Lambourne Hall is an old farmhouse, which has been a large mansion, and near it was a handsome house, built by the first Lord Fortescue, but it was pulled down many years ago.
We walk up the road a bit and take a footpath near to the grounds of Lambourne Hall and head towards Abridge, still following the Three Forests Way.
We walk through a field of ponies before another field of Alpacas and out onto New Farm Drive.
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| New Farm Drive |
At the end of New Farm Drive I turn left onto Ongar Road and walk into Abridge.
It takes its name from the brick bridge over the River Roding, which is situated just to the north of the modern centre, on the road to Theydon Bois.
Abridge lies on the historically important stagecoach route between London and Chipping Ongar and has been an important crossing point of the River Roding for many centuries. The boundary of the Conservation Area includes the historic core of the village which is evident on the Chapman and Andre Map of 1777. Originally in the parish of Lambourne, Holy Trinity Church was built in 1836; before this, parishioners had to walk three miles to Lambourne Church by a footpath. A Wesleyan chapel was built in Abridge in 1833; it became Congregational in 1844. The hymn tune "Abridge" by Isaac Smith 1734–1805 was named after the village.
Listed buildings include the Blue Boar Inn (early 19th century), now renamed the New Boar Inn, the group of medieval buildings that form the Roding Restaurant, the 18th-century house immediately northeast of the restaurant, Roding House (late medieval), River Cottage in Ongar Road, and the Maltsters Arms (18th century).To the east of the village is Stapleford Aerodrome formerly RAF Stapleford Tawney of 11 Group east sector.
We walk to the Maltsters Arms, been a pub I haven’t drunk in yet and was a closed last time and bugger me closed again this time!
So we walk back to what is now called The New Boar Inn a have a pint of Madri.
I ponder whether to walk on to Deben Station like last time or across to Stapleford Abbotts to The Rabbits Pub where I haven’t drunk before either. My foot feels a little better with rest, So I decide we’d walk to The Rabbits PH.
We walk back up through the village back up New Farm Road and take a different path alongside some houses.
This takes out onto a field of horses that trotted over to say hello.
We walk through Apes Grove and follow a path to Church Road that we cross.
Another path takes us pass Stapleford Aerodrome and we can see many light aircraft on the field. We pass an old pillbox that I assume was placed there during WWII to defend the airfield.
In the field below us were a few Hares, boy can they run fast!
We somehow missed our path, there were no signs. Bugger it we’ll follow the farm track and hope (1) no angry farmer comes running out and (2) there no gate or fence to stop us reaching the road.
Well with luck we passed the farmhouse sharpish and no angry farmer and we were able to walk out onto Stapleford Road and up to The Rabbits pub.
I check the bus stops for the next bus. Bugger!!! No buses on Sundays or Bank Holidays.
So I have a pint of Cruzcampo and order a cab back to Collier Row. No way could I walk any further on this ankle.
8 miles in all, I really hope this ankle problem I’ve had for a few weeks isn’t the end of my walking days!! How much is an off road mobility scooter anyone?