Collier Row to Debden via Hainault, Lambourne End and Abridge 2nd September 2022

On the 2nd September 2022 I left home in Collier Row with no destination in mind other I didn't want to drive anywhere today. So I walk on towards Collier Row and down Lodge Lane and onto the track down the bottom pass the stables. Here I pass the place where I gather my wild hops each year for my beer making. They're not ready yet!

I take a path that follows The London Loop path towards Hainault Forest.

Looking back to Collier Row, I practise my map reading and compass skills.

I walk through Hainault Forest towards The Miller and Carter Pub (Formerly called The Camelot).

I reach the pub which isn't open yet, so I decide on a destination Abridge where there are two pubs I've often drove by and think to myself never been in there. So I check the map for a route with limited road walking. I set off up Manor Road towards Lambourne End. I turn right down Crabtree Hill a track that leads down to a property. I follow this for a distance that skirts alongside the forest and then take a left turn onto the Three Forest Way.

As I follow the Three Forests Way I pass the edge of Lambourne End Centre for Outdoor Learning.

I follow the path back out onto Manor Road further up, turn left and almost immediately opposite onto a path  by Gallman's End Farm in Lambourne End.

 I follow the path pass farmland and fields of corn that had been recently harvested, it seems I am below then flight path from Stapleford Airfield as many light aircraft fly low above my head.

I reach Church of St Marys and All Saints in Lambourne, but this time it is sadly covered in Scaffolding.

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.

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.

I walk up the road a bit and take a footpath next to the grounds of Lambourne Hall and head towards Abridge, still following the Three Forests Way.

I walk through a field of Alpacas and out onto 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), 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.

I pop into the Blue Boar one of the pubs I've always meant to visit. 

The Blue Boar Public House was built in the early 19th Century and is now a listed building. W. Krailing's, Brighty's Tea Rooms and the White Hart Inn are also shown on this postcard. Cattle were once traded in the market place. A slaughter house stood behind the butcher's shop.

I had a refreshing pint of lager in the beer garden before leaving to visit The Maltsters Arms around the corner.

I found the Maltsters Arms wasn't open yet! I'll have to pop back another time!

Grade II listed, timber-framed, weather boarded 18th century pub with beamed interior, leaded lights, large open fireplace and decorative plates displayed on some of the walls.

Now I make a decision on the best way back home. A look at the map says if I make my way to Debden I can catch the tube and bus back home.

I leave Abridge cross the Roding by the bridge and pass the old White Hart Pub sadly long been flats.

I walk up Abridge Road and take a footpath by Piggotts Farmhouse and follow this crossing the M25 further up.

The path follows the M25 for a short way before I enter a small woodland.

I exit out of the woodland onto Langston Road by the Bank of England site.

In 1954, the Bank of England began construction of its new banknote Printing Works in Debden, Essex.

This is where all the English notes get printed, heavy fortified there must be a few quid in there eh?

I continue up the road pass a shopping centre, turn right onto Chigwell Lane and walk to Debden Tube Station on the Central Line.

I have to get the tube back to Leytonstone change and get the Central Line back to Newbury Park, where I get the 66 bus back to Romford.

A nice walk of just under 9 miles!

Pen Y Ghent, Yorkshire Dales 25th August 2022

 GPX File Here

On Thursday the 25th August 2022 we left camp to drive to the Cadets Campsite in Horton in Ribblesdale. Here we met the cadets. Mike, Kacey and I set off to reach the first checkpoint of the day, the summit of Pen Y Ghent before the cadets do.

We set off up the road and turn right into Horton Scar Lane, a gravel track that leads towards Pen Y Ghent.

The path rises steadily up.

Pen Y Ghent is the lowest of Yorkshire's Three Peaks at 2,277 feet (694 m).

In the Cumbric language, exactly as in today's Welsh, pen meant 'top' or 'head', and y is most likely the definite article (the), exactly as in Modern Welsh y (compare Pen-y-berth 'end of the hedge/copse', or Pen-y-ffordd 'head of the road/way', etc.). The element ghent is more obscure, it could be taken to be 'edge' or 'border'. The name Pen-y-ghent could therefore mean 'Hill on the border' (compare Kent). Or else, the final element may be gïnt, meaning "a heathen, a gentile" (< Latin gentis; c.f. Welsh gynt), presumably in reference to Scandinavian pagans.

We continue along the path towards Pen Y Ghent ahead.

Pen-y-Ghent is made up of a millstone grit top upon a bed of carboniferous limestone.

Looking back on our path with Ingleborough beyond.

The path climbs a lot steeper now as we approach the summit, still no sign of the cadets in the distance.

We reach the summit at 2277Ft (694m) and take our photos here. We are getting bitten to death by midges, so we retire to the other side of the wall to wait for the cadets.

The summit acts as a watershed with water flowing east into the River Skirfare and on through to the Humber Estuary, and water flowing west dropping into the River Ribble, to ultimately flow into the Irish Sea. The distinctive rakes that adorn the hillside (particularly on the western edge of Pen-y-Ghent) were revealed during a great storm in July 1881. The ferocity of the water cascading down the hillside removed the topsoil and revealed the rakes beneath.

Sitting on the other side of the wall was free of midges but you could see why, it was very windy. A Eurofighter jet flew through the valley below as we waited.

Eventually group one appeared and made themselves food and drinks before setting off. We didn't have to wait too long for the next group to arrive.

We set off from the summit towards Plover Hill.

Plover Hill is an area of moorland lying to the north of Pen-y-Ghent in the Yorkshire Dales and connected to it by an unbroken area of high ground. Whilst the whole area is now "open access land", the main right-of-way footpaths come directly from the north off Foxup Road and directly from the south from the summit of Pen-y-Ghent.

The ground became very boggy and we had to weave our way across as we climb towards Plover Hill.

From the top of Plover Hill we walk along until we reach a steep climb down a crag by the means of steps. 

The photo above is the lead up to the steps that then go sharply down with a drop near one point. So Kacey and I wait down below and Mike climbs back up to wait for the cadets to offer help.

It was quite a long wait so Kacey and I decided to get comfortable and have a deserved rest.

The cadets arrive and made their way down. They set off and we waited for group two. Group two arrived and they stopped for a rest where we were, so we set off again down into Foxup Moor where we turn right down a path at the bottom of the hill.

We the path along heading towards Foxup bridge where the minibus was waiting for us.

Looking down to Foxup Bridge and we can see the minibus down below.

We arrive at Foxup Bridge and meet the rest of the leaders and group one. We have a rest whike we waited for group two to arrive.

Group two arrive after some time and they have a rest before they are told that to complete they need to plan a new route to complete the time they missed off yesterday by taking the shorter route. I thought was walking but there's more to do as we need to make a checkpoint on this new route. The minibus takes group one back to camp and the rest of us all set off on a path alongside Halton Gill Beck whist the cadets head off back uphill.

Soon we are climbing back uphill ourselves and sharply up Silverdale Road. Somehow the cadets had pushed themselves and got ahead of us. We catch up with them, they are broken and totally wiped out. They had really pushed themselves trying to prove themselves to us, we cut the route slightly short and make the final walk to Pen Y Ghent House and Mike walked on to meet the minibus to get them down to pick us all up as e had no signal to contact them.

The route below is what us staff took, on the extra walk.

A great walk and total respect to all the cadets. All three Yorkshire Peaks completed and DofE Silver achieved!

Back to camp for a much needed rest!