22.5.2018 Section 13
Possible ?
Yes, only 4 more segments are in front of me. So without further ado: let’s start.
Tuesday May 22, 2018 Weather: fantastic, blue sky and sunshine. What else does one need.
The 7:15 at Sidcup Station to London Bridge is on time and by 9:05 I reached Cockfoster Station
( the name by the way could be a corruption of “forester” as the old Royal hunting grounds of
Enfield Chase are around the corner ).
The Loop starts virtually around the corner from Cockfoster Station and begins ( like almost all of the walk ) very green.
Walking peacefully alongside the local cemetery the entry to the Trent Country Park is quickly reached
and one is also greeted by one the (in)famous London Loop markers confirming to the walking that one is on the right path.
The country park is a part of the Enfield Chase, an ancient royal hunting ground. Passing through dense woodland
and open fields the path
gives splendid views of Enfield Chase and has even some ancient hidden remains of former settlements like Camlet Moat
where only the old moat can still be seen.
Following the path it goes slowly downhill into the gentle valley of Salmon’s Brook just to climb on the other site giving
the walker a nice view of the valley.
The London Loop Guide Book promises ( at the least in edition I use ) a nice pub, The Rose & Crown, for some refreshments.
That unfortunately is history. The establishment has closed.
From here on the path goes around some open meadows where cows and horses are peacefully grazing
and the trees are shielding from the sun.
Alongside the fishing ponds of Forty Hall, an once fashionable address in Elizabethan times ( build in the 1630s ),
with rhododendrons in bloom the end of this green and peaceful walk is quickly reached.
The rural bliss is gone and the walk is now alongside the Enfield Crematorium with its cemetery provided at least a bit of green.
Through streets aligned with houses one reaches the end of todays walk, Enfield Lock Station. No lock can be seen.
That is, as a peak into the next segments description reveals to me in segment no. 14.
Fortunately Enfield Lock Station has very frequent services into London Liverpool Street.
Some more pictures of this section can be found here and a map with todays waypoints can be found here
This concludes the 13.section: 8 1/2 miles, 46 1/4 miles still to go.