The outing is aimed at those of you who have an interest in travelling on this inaugural date or who would simply like to partake in a short weekday walk.
Getting there
These new trains intersect tube lines at Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel (which is also served by the overground). Make sure you catch an eastbound train to Abbey Wood. Aim to arrive about 11:00 am
Those of you travelling in from the west of Paddington will need to change there for the time being.
Those of you travelling from Stratford and beyond will need to travel westbound to Liverpool Street (surface line) and change to the underground section to catch an eastbound train to Abbey Wood.
TFL has a route Map for this new line HERE and Abbey Wood Station is in Zone 4.
You can view a short video on the construction and layout of the new Abbey Wood Station HERE
Rendezvous point
As these new trains are advertised as being frequent, the meeting Point will be at the Abbey Café about 100 metres to the south of Abbey Wood station at 183 Abbey Wood Road SE2 9DZ. Here walkers can relax with a drink and/or a bite while waiting for others. Departure time from the cafe will be at 11:30 am.
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6 comments:
Brollies and Cash
Apparently the Abbey Cafe only takes cash, so pop a fiver or so in your pocket if you're going to buy a drink or eat there.
The Beeb are promising showers after 2 pm so I suggest you bring a light waterpoof and/or brolly to make sure you're covered (pardon the pun)
Intend coming despite the weather
183 Abbey Wood Rd
6 arrived at the Abbey cafe at the start after an amusing journey on the new Elizabeth line observing all the train spotters elderly nerds and younger train enthusiasts taking photos and selfies of themselves on this inaugural day. Having traveled from Ealing Broadway I was less than excited at the late arrival of the TFL train and even less impressed with the lack of signage to the Elizabeth line connecting train platform at Paddington which is a good 10 mins away across the concourse and down 2 escalators or lifts one of which was out of order. What is impressive is just how spacious and airy the new stations are. Stark in their space age modernity but frequent fast trains every 5 mins auger well for future journeys to Farringdon, Excel and Canary wharf at a quicker and more comfortable experience than hitherto.
The walk itself was #warm-and-sunny at the beginning where the Lesnes Abbey ruins and gardens can be enjoyed but the weather soon turned to showers and one experienced walker was soon soaked through as he’d forgotten his umbrella and needed to go home. Two more had no picnic lunch so left with our walk guide to go to the pub at the station as the walk didn’t go near any pubs on route and we’d missed the opportunity to detour even with sat nav.
That left 3 to have a picnic lunch standing up in the showers( so thankful for my Páramo jacket and regatta shower proof trousers and leather boots ) we did the Borstall woods and found it more enjoyable with more variety of scenery but even with sat nav it was easy to get on the wrong path. It’s not only humans who have a tendency to get lost in woods. We were approached by a pit bull staffie 3 times running frantically around the woods at breakneck speed with no owner in attendance. A couple with 3 dogs said they thought they had had seen the dog and owner on a previous occasion and offered to take him away on a makeshift lead from a leather belt. The dog was really happy to be led away back to the car park where it was reunited with its elderly owner who said it ran off after being frightened by the thunder hours previously. It was an old dog but my goodness it could have been a greyhound the speed it was running through the woods. Wish I had that level of fitness!!
We returned to the station via the cafe in the park which does a salad or panini or jacket spud lunches but the cakes were not good and were declined by others in addition to us.
The terrain is undulating hilly and deserves a higher rating that 1 or 2 out 10. My knees have suggested a 3 for the full walk which is still quite a stretch even at only 6 miles.
Thanks to Mike for posting and leading us. More shorter easier walks please. We’re not all capable of scrambling up Munros!!
Sorry I meant 2 of us completed the longer walk not 3. Visions of the long Antarctic walk back to South Georgia by Shackleton where he felt that a third person was with the two of them guiding them to safety. Must have included the dog!
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