London LOOP Section 3 – Petts Wood to West Wickham 13th February 2011

Once again we elect to drive via the Dartford Crossing to south London.  This is becoming an increasingly challenging aspect of the LOOP, since the journeys to the other side of London are becoming increasingly long, delaying our start time significantly.  By the time we have parked up at Petts Wood Station it has turned 2 pm.  This is not a good time to start a 10 mile walk in March, especially if it is likely to be dark by 6pm, with rain due in late afternoon.  Still you have to take risks once in a while!

As we arrive at the start of this section of our walk at Jubilee Country Park we pass 3 other folk apparently finishing section 2.  I wonder if they guess we are only just starting out?  Doubtless they would think us totally barmy!  By the end of the day we will be inclined to agree with them.

The start of the walk is promising, crossing the former golf course that is now Jubilee Park.  The LOOP passes through numerous of golf courses as we circumnavigate London, so I wonder what led to this one being converted into a country park, when golf courses elsewhere are being added all the time.

The route then follows a mile or so through suburbia, before diving into woodland for the next section.  This is the embodiment of the LOOP of course – country park, suburban streets, woodland – rarely does one get more than a mile or two of one before it changes to a different landscape.  I love this continuous journey of unravelling surprises.

Crofton Woods is a local nature reserve dominated by oak.  The paths are wide with the prospect of bluebells early in the year.  Woodland flowers appear early, their leaves soaking up the spring sunshine before the oak canopy comes into leaf, casting a dense shade on the woodland floor.  The ground here, underlain by London Clay, can be muddy underfoot, especially as you reach the lower slopes near the Kyd Brooke.  Here the soil is so waterlogged that oak gives way to alder alongside the stream.

The route threads it’s way through a thin tongue of woodland, alongside the stream before crossing the A232.  Once again we are in an area of housing, picking our way between back gardens and onto a suburban street before yet again plunging into woodland, followed by further parkland.  At the other end of the park we have to negotiate one of the numerous arterial roads carrying traffic into London.  Every section of the Loop seems to have at least one.  However, once this is crossed we have many miles of quiet countryside to look forward to.

It is fortunate that the A21 bypasses Farnborough here, as the village of Farnborough is a real gem. At the top of Gladstone Road we encounter an interesting remnant of the past, a forgotten almost agricultural building squeezed onto a corner plot.  The tiny first floor doorway hangs above the street begging questions about its function and the purpose of this building in Farnborough’s past.

The tiny first floor doorway hangs above the street

We choose the quite village centre for our mid-afternoon lunch break before availing ourselves of the well-kept public toilets.  Then it is down through fields and woodland to High Elms Country Park and a well-earned cup of tea and ‘homemade’ flapjack.

The visitor centre is an interesting example of sustainable building, with it’s straw bale walls and green roof.  The food isn’t bad either.  It is a popular haunt for young families, but has a peaceful rural feel nonetheless.  The centre is surrounded by a walled garden and a large pond, which add to the interest for young and old alike.

Take care following the Loop instructions through High Elms, it is easy to miss the route, with one or two ambiguities in the direction giving.  Beyond the ubiquitous London fringe golf course, we emerge into open countryside dominated by fields and rolling woodland capped hillside.

We can hear light to medium-sized aircraft taking off and landing at nearby Biggin Hill Airport.  It remains a tantalising presence for the next few miles, but keeps elusively out of sight all the while.

The section from Shire Lane up to Keston Common is one of the more demanding climbs on the LOOP, rising some 50 metres from valley bottom to ridge top after one of the longer sections you will have to walk.  The soil at Keston Common is freely drained, which is just as well for us, as by this time the rain was closing in.  Weather notwithstanding, this is an idyllic place to walk, with a mix of  ponds, woodland, heathland and bog.  London and its busy Borough of Bromley is but a few miles north of here, but Keston and West Wickham Commons could be miles away in Hampshire.

After passing the collection of man-made ponds the LOOP takes you  through the village of Keston and across the busy B265 before gaining the tranquillity of the countryside again.  If you are a late afternoon walker of the Loop beware of fading light.  We nearly get ourselves into a bit of a pickle at this point as the rain starts to pour down from the night sky.  It is fortuitous that we have a small torch with us, to help us spot the London LOOP way-markers, otherwise we might have ended up on the M25.

Rain and darkness but lights twinkle

Despite the rain and dark, our spirits are high.  I can only imagine what the view is like from here on a sunny day.  Doubtless you can see for miles.  However, even at night the sleepy dwellings below us could be a Twenty-First Century Bethlehem, as lights twinkle from each dwelling.

When we finally make the end of the section, Betty is so excited by the achievement that she comes close to being run over by one of the many cars speeding down the A232 Croydon Road.  One does well to remember that the LOOP carries more dangers from road traffic than any other walk I have ever done.

The official route to Hayes Station is not recommended at night.  It is a little tortuous.  Perhaps by daylight it is a breeze?  By the time we arrive at the station we realise we have a few minutes to spare and make use of the toilets of the Harvester pub opposite.  Sorry we didn’t have time to buy a drink.

However, in typical Loop style, our adventure is still far from over, as we make our way by train back to Petts Wood station, via Lewisham.  Even after completing our walk on a cold rainy evening in March, we still have a further 1 hour drive back to Romford. 

The moral is – if you are going to do one of the longer sections of the LOOP, on the other side of London, try getting up in the morning.   Mind you, the joy of the LOOP is that you can even do it in the dark!