Sunday, November 14, 2021

Erith to Bostall Woods


I walked another segment of the Green Chain in South London yesterday, about four miles. Once again I started at the river, but this time in Erith, southeast of where I was last week in Thamesmead. The Erith area is somewhat industrial, as shown by this old crane and the broken-down wharves.


The Thames is supposedly much cleaner than it used to be, but there are still a distressing number of shopping carts, bicycles and other items visible in the soft mud beneath the riverside walkway. There are signs all over warning people not to try to walk on the mud -- apparently it's really soft.


The ducks like it. They were shoveling their faces right in there, scooping up who knows what. Clams, maybe? Shrimp?


At nearby St. John the Baptist's Church, a commemorative plaque dated the church wall to 1887. I checked out the cemetery there before continuing on.


Here's a short residential street in the Belvedere area. That's a "resource recovery" plant (incinerator) in the background along the Thames. Some of the houses in this area have quite dramatic views over the Thames Valley.


I found myself back in Lesnes Abbey Woods, where you may remember last week I visited the ruins of the abbey. This time I spent more of my walk in the forest. The area above is called the "tumulus," or earthen mound. (I couldn't readily see a mound but I think that's because I was basically on top of it.) That guy in the photo was walking his 16-year-old staffy, who isn't in the picture because she was waddling beside me.


I stopped at the abbey ruins for lunch, a cheese panini and coffee from the cafe. Some kids from the The Hundred Club -- a local creative club for 7- to 11-year-olds -- were giving away a colorful free newspaper, and that kept me busy during my meal. The club uses "arts and play to explore social justice issues," and I got a kick out of their artwork and writing on ecology and other matters.

I continued on through the woods and around a pond with a weeping willow growing in the middle (above).


In Bostall Woods, where my walk ended, I found a tangle of feral nasturtiums, probably escaped from someone's garden. They were quite well-established and had a lot of flowers.

I had hoped to continue on and do another segment, but by this time it was 2 p.m. and the light was already beginning to wane. The days don't last long at this time of year! So I caught a train in Plumstead and headed home, where I had just enough time to take Olga to the cemetery before darkness fell.

47 comments:

  1. Glad to discover that you did not walk on the soft mud Steve because your faithful readers are keen to read more accounts of your Green Chain walks. It looked rather grey down in the metropolis yesterday. It was really nice up here.

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    1. Yeah, it's been cloudy all weekend. The clouds seemed especially thick on Saturday. I think that's why the day seemed so dark.

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  2. A long and interesting walk. The second last photo is lovely. Teasels will be mentioned in a post by me soon.

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    1. Oooooh, my favorite subject! I look forward to it! :)

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  3. I understand that sometimes the clean-looking mud hides clumps plastic of wet-wipes.

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  4. I had to take a look at a map to get an idea of where you were. Pretty far from home, I'd say. I love all the photos from the walk. The woods look very fall-like.

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    1. Yeah, it's a schlep to get out there. Things are quite autumnal now!

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  5. Oh dear! Avoid the Thames. The news breathlessly reported a couple days ago that you've got venomous sharks there.

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  6. PS: The above? Tongue in cheek, although it was an interesting article on how the Thames, once designated as a dead river, in 1957, is coming back to life, with the sharks, eels, and seahorses among other things I suppose. Very interesting.

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    1. Ha! Well, I'm not sure it's venomous, but yeah, we do have lots of wildlife in the Thames these days. I've seen seals down by Erith, though not on my most recent walk there.

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    2. You actually DO have venomous sharks. https://www.travelawaits.com/2709623/london-thames-river-dangerous-sharks/ but I'm sure they won't attack good natured ramblers taking pictures. You're probably good. Plus I do think they're not nearly so dangerous as the breathless headlines make out.

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  7. Sounds like a lot of walking! But a nice variety of photos. I loved the sweet yellow flower - really pretty!

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    1. Wasn't it pretty? I couldn't resist a photo of that one.

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  8. The se green chain walks are a great idea. Last year I walked out of Cardiff, north to the mountains on its outskirts, and in doing so I discovered a little known canal that I had once been near to my office and yet I'd never known it was there.

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    1. It's amazing what we discover when we get out and walk around! I see so much on my walks.

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  9. What a nice long walk you had there. Love the photos and especially the forest, the pond, and the muddy Thames and the ducks. Beautiful there.

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    1. I saw quite a few ducks. I was trying to figure out what kind they are. At first I thought maybe blue-wing teals, but they might just be mallards.

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  10. I'm impressed that you do these walks and I love the pictures that illustrate them. And that London even has them. Is this something unique to London or do other European cities have them?

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    1. England has LOTS of public walking paths, many hundreds of years old. The ones in London were preserved for public use during the development of the city, and Transport for London (the agency that runs our tube and buses) has mapped out these walks.

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  11. "Feral nasturtiums" That's a new one for me!

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  12. That is an extensive walk, full of interesting sights and observations! You're finding many small things to appreciate along the way.

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  13. That second to last image reminds me of a photographic rendering of an impressionist painting. Beautiful.

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    1. Thanks! Willows often give that feeling, I think, because of the texture of their foliage. They look like something from Van Gogh.

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  14. The Green Chain sounds like it’s turning into a real adventure. I’d watch out for those feral nasturtiums. I’ve heard they can be quite vicious when cornered. The one in the photo is stunning, but check out those teeth.

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  15. The Thames mud looks like quicksand.

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    1. Yeah, given how many signs I saw I'm sure it truly is treacherous. And yet I saw footprints in some of it. People are so stupid!

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  16. What a great walk; the woods are fabulous.

    It doesn't surprise me that you must post signs to keep people from walking into the muddy parts of the Thames. People; ugh.

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    1. And that they throw SHOPPING CARTS into the river. Ugh indeed!

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  17. Outstanding Photos And Good On You For Walking About The Land - Stay Strong Brother Reed

    Cheers

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    1. Trying to stay healthy during these long wintry months!

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  18. Something about that fallen shopping cart struck me as so sad, but it cheered me up when you mentioned the ancient Staffy accompanying you. :) That reflective photo of the willow is gorgeous!

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    1. She was a sweet dog. I was surprised at how far ahead of her the guy was walking. I was like, "Dude, wait for your dog!"

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  19. I love the photos of your walk - especially the area where the mound was. So serene looking. Today would have been a gorgeous day for a walk. Instead I came home and crocheted. Ha!

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  20. It's strange how you should be taking photos of Thames mud when I just read a book in which Thames mud was included. Mudlarking it was called. I always enjoy your photos.

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    1. Mudlarking is fascinating! Do you know blogger Sarah, of "Circles of Rain"? She's a licensed mudlarker. (She's linked in my blog sidebar.)

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  21. Keep off the mud! We don't want to lose you.

    Love,
    Janie

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  22. I love seeing your walks. If ever you decided to do another of your photo books, this might be a good theme.

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    1. Yeah, who knows? I've gotten away from making books -- I'm living pretty much in the digital realm these days -- but maybe I should consider another one.

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  23. This new walking project is going to be quite the adventure.

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  24. I love the nasturtium. The photo showing the reflections on the water is rather nice. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

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  25. Okay, the man walking his dog who was walking with you and Olga made me laugh out loud.

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