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| Welsh Harp Reservoir is named after a pub (no longer there) |
It has been a long time since I have walked a section of the Capital Ring, but finally my friend and I had a date we could both make and the weather was good, if rather cloudy. We met at South Kenton tube station and got as far as some local shops when we popped into Costa for a hot chocolate! I'd already spent an hour and half travelling to get there, so it was allowed (that's my excuse). Next we stopped at Preston Road tube (just after Preston Park) because that would be the last loo stop before three quarters of the way through the walk (and a short diversion).
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| Preston Park |
Finally, we set off, walking down through several roads until we reached Fryent Country Park. I have to admit we missed one turning and ended up on Barn Hill from a different direction, but we were where we needed to be (by the viewing point next to the pond), so no worries. From here you can see Wembley stadium arch and across London. We carried on to Gotfords Hill from where there is another view. This hill is known locally as Telly Tubby Hill because of the rounded grassy top. To get here we had to cross the main road (Fryers Way) into the second part of the country park.
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| Little did I realise we were walking up that hill! |
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| Nice views |
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| Wembly Arch from Barn Hill |
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| Barn Hil Pond |
It was after this view that we came a bit unstuck. We followed the waymarkers (and maps) and gaily carried on to near where we saw a lady sitting on a bench in front of the woods. It didn't seem right, so we doubled back, only to confuse ourselves. I tried using Google Maps to pick up the path and get us in the right direction. It eventually led us back almost the same way we had come, only this time the lady (still on the bench) was to our right. My friend hollered over asking about the road we needed and she pointed right (our left). We thanked her and headed that way. We had been almost in the right place the first time, and should have asked her then and there. We escaped the country park!
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| Telly Tubby Hill |
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| Wembley arch again with Capital Ring waymarker |
There was then a section of road walking until we came to St Andrew's New Church and around the corner was St Andrew's Old Church, now a Romanian Church. Unfortunately, it wasn't open, but the exterior was fascinating, and there was also the old churchyard. We spent a while here taking photos.
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| St Andrew's New Church |
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| St Andrew's Old Church |
We decided to use the loos at the garden centre. There was a cafe there too, but when we arrived, the cafe was closed, but at least the loos were open. We walked back to the path and entered Welsh Harp Reservoir, now called Grand Junction Canal/Brent Reservoir. This was a lovely stretch to walk with views and birdlife. At the end, we crossed a bridge over the water and into Hendon. We found a cafe in the busy Broadway and had our cup of tea. We then went our separate ways. My friend used another station to get home and, I carried on to the end of the walk, a long, long road called Park Road, which took me over the railway line and into Hendon Park to reach Hendon Central tube station. From there I caught the Northern Line tube all the way back to Waterloo to catch my local train.
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| Crossing the bridge to enter Hendon |
The walk is marked at 7 miles, but I had walked our dog earlier, and with the slight lostness in the country park, my Fitbit told me I had walked 12 miles that day. Section 10 is the most rural walk, according to the book, and as always, I was amazed this was still London. We have so many green spaces in our city. Truly, we are lucky. My friend knew some of the places on this route as she lives much nearer to it than I do. It was all new to me.
We now have five sections of the Capital Ring left to walk. Hopefully, we can do the next section soon, as this walk was a long time coming. Sometimes, though, life gets in the way of walking, and you just have to wait, something I'm not good at!
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