Walking With The Boys #Wandletrail

Posted on May 6, 2022 by TanGental

I mentioned this a week or so ago and planned it for after my little procedure as a sort of test of… well,. everything. Yesterday was the day, the weather threatened rain but it held off and was pleasantly cool. My former colleagues, aggregate age somewhere nearer 200 and a fair bit and I walked the Wandle Trail. The map I printed off the interwebby suggested 12.5 miles but by the time we reached the Thames at Wandsworth where the river pours into that magnificent watercourse we’d done about 15, some 35,000 steps if my Fitbit is worth what I paid for it.

As one of my companions said, it’s strange to follow on the map as it flows south to north which looks uphill for all the world. The thing about it is you walk through bits of London and its suburbs that we all know well from speeding past in our cars (or often as not, stewing in a slow moving jam). What you often fails to realise is (a) how much green space and nature there is (one statistic has it that London is 45% green what with the British obsession with back gardens and the plethora of parks) and (b) how many rivers there are wending hither and yon, sometimes submerging under a Victorian industrial complex before bubbling up, these days full of fish and pondweeds. There was even some mistletoe, growing in a suburban back garden,

Following the line of one such reminds us how lucky we are and how we need to step away from our obsession with rushing about and spend time, if not smelling the coffee then at least sniffing the horse chestnut blossoms.

This gallery – which takes you from the rather murky start as the culverted streams come together to surface outside of Croydon, past some lakes and ponds created for both leisure and to support industry and the remnants of that heritage, taking in some of the bird life until the Reach at Wandsworth where the now wide and deep river pours into the Thames – shows you something of its growth, its beauty and its compelling story. Once upon a time it ground corn, supported industry and washed away sewerage. Now it provides a haven for fish, fowl and fauna of all sorts, allows the locals to breathe in the greenery on its banks and provides some solace against the modern world.

Dog can’t really do the mileage these days, but he was there, in the garden today, still expecting a walk…

Me? I just wanted to put my feet up…

About TanGental

My name is Geoff Le Pard. Once I was a lawyer; now I am a writer. I've published several books: a four book series following Harry Spittle as he grows from hapless student to hapless partner in a London law firm; four others in different genres; a book of poetry; four anthologies of short fiction; and a memoir of my mother. I have several more in the pipeline. I have been blogging regularly since 2014, on topic as diverse as: poetry based on famous poems; memories from my life; my garden; my dog; a whole variety of short fiction; my attempts at baking and food; travel and the consequent disasters; theatre, film and book reviews; and the occasional thought piece. Mostly it is whatever takes my fancy. I avoid politics, mostly, and religion, always. I don't mean to upset anyone but if I do, well, sorry and I suggest you go elsewhere. These are my thoughts and no one else is to blame. If you want to nab anything I post, please acknowledge where it came from.
This entry was posted in Friends, miscellany, walking and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

21 Responses to Walking With The Boys #Wandletrail

  1. Darlene says:
    May 6, 2022 at 10:15 am

    You certainly do find some lovely spots while out walking.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Derrick Knight says:
    May 6, 2022 at 10:35 am

    You will know what memories this brings for me. Thanks for them

    Liked by 1 person

  3. noelleg44 says:
    May 6, 2022 at 2:02 pm

    Thanks for taking us on this lovely walk. I would have only made 2 of those miles, to greet you when you returned., Loved the water wheel and the mill. We have one here locally in a river park and another in Plymouth, the original built in 1634, to grind corn.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Ritu says:
    May 6, 2022 at 5:05 pm

    A beautiful walk, His Geoffleship!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Peter's pondering says:
    May 6, 2022 at 9:49 pm

    We are so fortunate. None of us have to go very far to find green spaces and wildlife. We just have to get out and look!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. John W. Howell says:
    May 6, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    Lovely photos, Geoff. I’ll bet it was a terrific walk

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Jennie says:
    May 7, 2022 at 12:56 am

    Lovely walk and photos, Geoff. Tell me about the tree that looks like it full of nests instead of foliage.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. V.M.Sang says:
    May 7, 2022 at 1:45 pm

    Lovely pics, Geoff. It shows just exactly how much open countryside London has.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. M. L. Kappa says:
    May 9, 2022 at 7:31 am

    Actually it is amazing how many things there are to be discovered very near us—even when we have lived in a place for years!

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.