Sunday, March 13, 2022

Mottingham to Beckenham


Yesterday I tackled the eighth segment of the Green Chain walk, a 6.3-mile route from Mottingham to Beckenham Place Park. It was a sunny and relatively warm day, good for walking. In fact although I wore a jacket, I had to take it off and tie it around my waist, the temperatures were so comfortable.

Before I started, I had coffee at a Mem's Cafe in Mottingham, across the street from the derelict Porcupine pub. I don't know if I was just jonesing at that point or what, but it seemed like really good coffee.

A bunch of guys in Harley Davidson vests and jackets and patches came in as I was leaving. It's not a look I see all that often in London, and I was perplexed until I saw that there's a Harley shop around the corner.


I got walking along this narrow fenced path between some woods and sports fields, and eventually came alongside the River Quaggy, a tributary of the Ravensbourne and eventually the Thames.


I found this curious graffiti on the pavement beside the river: "Boris is related to the royals, he won't leave till they say." (Apparently the relationship is real, though it's a very distant.)


The Quaggy is channelized through this area, and blooming daffodils brightened up the scene.


I detoured to do the so-called Chinbrook Link, a spur off the main path which took me through a neatly manicured public park and then along a wooded track past some allotments and the railroad. There were several trees down or broken, probably evidence of Storm Eunice a couple of weeks ago.

When I got to the end of the Chinbrook Link I had to retrace my steps along that muddy, slippery route to rejoin the main path. I'm not sure what the point of that side trip is, to be honest.


I passed through some neighborhoods with good views of Canary Wharf in the distance, and I began to recognize where I was. That's because this part of the walk is shared by the Capital Ring, the inner loop walk around London, which I did several years ago. I retraced my steps along the Downham Woodland Walk -- the teacups are still there.


This sign was a new feature, though. So many questions.


I ended up in Beckenham Place Park, near the 18th Century Beckenham Place Mansion. I was amused when I looked back at that post from three years ago to read that I was confused by the paths in the park, because they're still confusing. I eventually found my way but the directions are not entirely clear.

One flaw I have noticed in the walk maps (which I download from the TFL site) is that they often fail to give a sense of distance between points. For example, the map will say, "...after a while, turn left down a footpath." Well, what the heck is "a while"? Is it a meter or a mile?

Similarly, in Beckenham Place Park, the map said to cross the River Ravensbourne by a footbridge and "turn sharp left to take the path leading over the railway line." Well, there's an immediate left after the bridge and I almost took that, but something told me it wasn't correct, and I eventually realized that the intended path was actually a couple hundred yards farther along. You'd think they could SAY that.

Anyway, I figured it out, and then caught a train from the Beckenham Hill stop going back toward London. A good day out in the sun and fresh air!

25 comments:

  1. Looks like a mostly beautiful walk. The rotting meat and bones sign is especially odd. I wonder: Can I leave FRESH meat and bones? The directions sound like Grandma’s baking instructions. How much flour, grandma? Just enough. Not too much.

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  2. The River Quaggy sounds like it should be in Australia! As for the picture of Beckenham Place Mansion - may we suppose that there has been a landslip or did eighteenth century builders prefer to erect mansions at a jaunty angle? (... Hee-hee! I think this is called bitchiness!)

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    1. Believe it or not, Mr. Persnickety, my photo editing software said that picture was level. But I think you're right -- it was still a bit off. I rotated it a smidge more. Better now?

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    2. Dear Mr R,
      Yes. Better. I can see that if you adjusted it a little more it would slice off the feet of the approaching people on the left. If you require further photographic advice you only have to ask.
      Regards,
      Mr P

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  3. Sounds like someone else has a trash/dumping problem. Nice shots.

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  4. At first I wondered who this Boris was,. and then it hit me.

    That posted note has me perplexed as to what's going on there.

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  5. There's a state park near to us that gives out the absolute worst map for hikers. I find it so frustrating, as there are any number of choices on could make along any number of paths. I think a truly gifted mapmaker would care a little more, and try to imagine what directions someone who had never been there before might need.

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  6. I would be so anxious trying to guess just which sharp left I should be taking. I need clear instructions. But I can't read maps anyway so even the best maps and instructions would probably confuse me.
    Looks like you figured it out and had a nice walk, though.

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  7. I would definitely need a companion with a sense of direction to do this walk. It's lovely and I'd be out there still looking for my sharp left. Thanks so much for taking us with you.

    I had to laugh at the biker boys out doing their shopping.

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  8. Nice walk. It’s funny how I tend to think that Harley think with the pack, with the vests, the beards, as being uniquely American. They make me a little uneasy and I steer clear. Probably because the former President of the club, George Christi, was born and lived in our little town of Ventura. They were a force better left alone.

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  9. You should rewrite the maps properly and sell them. How old are the directions anyway? Places change...
    Glad you found your way and enjoyed it!

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  10. You describe exactly why I stopped hiking in the Sierras on long trails with lots of choices to make and no clear directions. I'm not an explorer, I just want a nice safe well-mapped hike. Six miles is a quite a nice long walk. I'm glad you didn't get lost.

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  11. Looks like another good walk. The sign stapled to the tree...I guess people were discarding the remains of their fast food fried chicken dinner.

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  12. Sounds like a very nice walk with some very nice weather. I'm sure those directions would have confused me. Boris related to the royals? I'd love to see that in some of the family photos given that he generally looks like an unmade bed.

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  13. A good walk in decent weather

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  14. Mountain bike trail maps are like that - no sense of how far, unmentioned intersections with other trails....
    Beckenham looks quite lovely, and level.

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  15. I'm quite drawn to the narrow path between the fences. Something about it is very appealing!

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  16. You're killing two birds with one stone. You get great outdoor exercise and learn lots about the area.

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  17. Sounds like a lovely walk and yes, I hate instructions like that. I want specifics.

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  18. I look forward to better walking weather -- although I think your feet are a lot better (and go a lot farther in one haul) than mine!

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  19. I have not been to Beckenham Place Park- totally new to me; I like it when I discover new places to visit via blogs. When I next visit my son perhaps I could try some of the Green Chain walk too.

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  20. I agree they need to put specific distances on the maps. I think now I should google and see if there is a walking map of my city. Probably not as scenic as your country rambles though, but more challenging than my daily to-the-shop-and-back. I had to go back and see those 'teacups' and now I want to go back and read all your old posts.

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  21. Ugh, people leave rotting meat? That's a nasty thought. I love seeing the spring flowers up. So far no tulips here but daffodils and hyacinths.

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