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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Saturday 5 November 2016

Saturday Third Walk: You Want Leaf Colour and a short journey ?

SWC Walk 168 – Broxbourne Circular

Length: 24.3 km (15.1 mi) [for a shorter walk see below]
Ascent/Descent:  329 m; Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ½ hours
Toughness:  6 out of 10 

Take the 09.40 Stansted Express from Liverpool Street (09.53 Seven Sisters), arriving Broxbourne at 10.10. This train is on diversion today, and therefore not going via Tottenham Hale… Broxbourne Station is ‘oysterable’, but if a Network RC user, a paper return ticket should be cheaperReturn trains: up to five per hour.  

This walk has not been posted on a Saturday for 2 ½ years and should be perfect for the season:
"After winding its way out of Broxbourne along a canal and through a park, this strenuous walk ascends through the Spital Brook valley into Broxbourne Woods National Nature Reserve, an assortment of varied, ancient and wild woods, serrated by a plethora of streams. A circuitous route linking up separate woods follows age old trails, paths and green lanes through a magnificent and diverse woodland setting. While broadly following a well signposted trail through the Nature Reserve, the walk often diverts from it to take more interesting directions. Most of the distance and the ascent are covered before lunch, but the lunch pub serves food all afternoon, so a leisurely pace is entirely possible. There are plenty of signed and unsigned paths in the woods, thus following the detailed written directions is essential, and a map and a compass are recommended."

A shorter walk (18.8 km/11.7 mi, 4/10), finishing in Bayford, is possible (caution: different train line and operator, trains go to Kings Cross or Moorgate, a separate single paper ticket will be required, as Bayford is outside the Oyster Pay-As-You-Go area).

Lunch will be at The Woodman & Olive in Wormley West End (14.5 km/9.0 mi, food all afternoon).
Tea: there are two pubs en-route, a few minutes from the station: The Bull and The White Bear.

For walk directions, map, photos, height profile, and gpx/kml files click here.
T=3.168

7 comments:

Marc Ricketts said...

Now I might do the Walk on Saturday. But I can't Guarantee I will.

Marc Ricketts said...

If I do make it. I will take 2 Buses instead of the train for my convenience. But I will take the Train on the way back as further than Enfield Chase. Then I don't have far to go Home.

Karen said...

n=17 w=cloudy-with-sun-breaking-through

15 off the train at Broxbourne, 1 at the station, and one late joiner on the next train who caught up with the group. Set off along the New River for a stretch and soon into Broxbourne Woods. A wonderful display of autumn colour with plenty of foliage still on the trees and yet, somehow, the ground completely carpeted with golden leaves. Leaf flurries added to the atmosphere. For mushroom enthusiasts, lots of interesting specimans to be seen; we were lucky to have our resident mycologist in attendance.

11 dined at The Woodman and Olive where the food was good and a change from the usual pub fare. Sandwichers joined for a drink, then 4 went on ahead and the remaining 13 followed not too long after. Broke into two groups, the slightly faster group aided by the fact the walk author was amongst them and so no stopping to check directions was required.

The faster group reached The Bull at 16:00 with time for a drink, joined by the rest 15 minuts later who also had refreshments, and all made their way to the station to catch the 17:09 train back to London.

A surprisingly lovely walk for this time of the year in such close proximity to the city. And though a long one for the shorter days, the short train journey and thus early-ish start to the walk helped get us back long before darkness fell

Anonymous said...

Lovely,lovely walk for the time of the year. A delightful palette of autumn colours and with the sun filtering through the trees in the afternoon sun, it was magical.

A huge thanks to Thomas!

Marc Ricketts said...

According to yesterdays Walk. As we started from Broxbourne there and back. It was good we started along the River. We stopped at a Greek Pub Restaurant at the Woodman and Olive. Now I never been to a Greek Pub Restaurant before. They are also doing food for Christmas day as well. Later on we continued with our walk. And while we were walking. Thomas said to me. Do you want to do a longer walk or a shorter walk. While I said to him. I don't care what one I do. I am enjoying it as long as I can. And on the way back. We stopped at the Bull Pub in Broxbourne for a Drink and a chat. But it was a shame that we couldn't end it in Bayford because it would get dark early now as the Clocks went back one Hour last week. Now you all went by Train. While I took 2 Buses because it's more convenient for me. It was very nice meeting up and doing the Walk. And I was Home at 18:15. Thank you very much!

Marc Ricketts said...

Another thing. What I meant to say. Thomas said to me. Do you want to do the long walk or the short walk. While I said to him. I don't care which one I do. I am enjoying it as long as I can. Then Thomas said to me. That's it that's the sprit.

Marc Ricketts said...

Finally. I took Quite a lot of pictures on my Mobile phone. And put it on Facebook as well.