Thames Walk

Saturday, 10th November
7.46 Km (4 1/2 Miles) - 1hr 26m

 

So, the rugby season is upon us and, more importantly the QBE Autumn Internationals means that for four weekends I will be spending the weekend at Twickenham.  One of the problems (!) with these weekends is how to fill the void between breakfast and lunch !  Thankfully, walkit.com provided this walk at some point during the last season. Sadly I didn't record the walk then but am happy to share it now.

Luckily, we are able to stay in the Marriott Hotel which is part of the South Stand  at Twickenham so this is where the walk starts from.  The route is quite straightforward and mixes the urban with the river Thames

 and some rural views both down and across the river.  Start by going up the road, past the East Stand to the roundabout next to the Tesco supermarket.  Continue along Mogden Lane until you reach a main road.  Cross this to pick up Northcote Avenue until, once more a major road is encountered. Again, you cross this road and take a slight right to dogleg down another road (sorry, I've forgotten the name).  This street is followed until, almost by magic, the river appears next to Richmond footbridge.

From this point onwards the route is pretty straightforward as the path sticks close to the river, although it is at one point hidden from view behind houseboats.  The only difficult stretch is where the route crosses Richmond Road.  Here you need to pick up Cambridge Road before veering sharp left to pick up the river path once more.

At this point the vistas open out to reveal Ham Hill on the far side of the river and shortly afterwards Marble Hill House on the path side of the river. Not much further on the route diverts away from the river before emerging at a seating area next to the river at Twickenham itself.  Here we turn away from the river to the very busy Twickenham town centre and wander up to the Station where the stadium, and the walk end, comes into view.

This is a nice walk, and just the right length to "waste" an hour or so away from rugby!  I was lucky on the day that I walked as it had been raining quite heavily earlier in the day.  However, I was able to complete the walk without getting wet.   Some photographs of the walk give a flavour of the surroundings ! 

Oh ! and for the record England beat Fiji in the international that followed !

Calder & Hebble Canal

Sunday, 4th November 2012
6 miles (9.78 km) - 2hrs 15min
MAP : OL21 South Pennines

A dry but very cold day.  When I left home the temperature stayed a 0c and the fog was thick and cloying. However, the mist did lift slightly by the time I got to the starting point, as did the temperature.
This walk was taken from Country Walking Magazine and downloaded from their companion website Trailzilla. I have to say that finding walks/activities on Trailzilla is not the easiest, or most intuitive but at least once found the GPS downloads are first rate.
The most difficult part of this walk was finding the start position (GR SE 095223) since the car park is not well marked. However, I did find it and immediately started walking in the wrong direction !!  I put it down to the slightly confusing directions, I'm sure the author would disagree !  Anyway, thanks to some helpful cyclists I eventually got myself on the right tracks and have to say that the rest of the walk is simplicity itself. Put simply, once on the towpath, stay on the towpath !!

The colours at this time of the year were spectacular and the walking easy and flat.  I was quite surprised at how many people, both walkers and cyclists, there were out and about on what was a bitterly cold morning. It is good to see that many more people these days take the opportunity to get outdoors.

As I say the route is straightforward, along the towpath until you encounter Sowerby Bridge marina (opposite  GR SE065236) where quite a few canal boats are moored. Just past the marina you cross the canal and double back upon yourself until meeting the Navigation Inn (GR SE067237).  Here you leave the canal and cross the bridge to a road that leads through some pretty ugly industrial estates until the River Calder is encountered (GR SE070236) and you escape the industrialisation for a path running alongside the river. 
One of the features of this first part of the walk is the proximity of houses and roads which, whilst close do not intrude on the walk itself.  The second part of the walk escapes into a more rural aspect, although the views remind you of where you actually are.
After following the river the route then cuts off and under a railway bridge (Hollas Bridge GR SE076231). Here I picked my one and only cache of the day, nicely hidden by a fence post close to the bridge. From the bridge the route then cuts quite sharply uphill giving some good views down and across the valley to the Wainhouse Tower, a famous folly that dominates the skyline. Sadly, the mist was still hanging around and I'm sure the photographs don't do the views justice.  After climbing the side of the valley you then descend sharply ending up alongside Old Rishworthians Rugby Club (GR SE084223).  A short stride takes you back under the railway bridge to rejoin the canal and back to the start point.
A I mentioned the walk started in thick, freezing fog but I'm glad to say it had lifted slightly by the end of the walk.  Most spectacular at this time of the year were the autumn colours and the fact that the walk leads through some fairly built up areas which are unobstrusive and do not spoil the walk at all.
Well,  I'm off to Twickenham during the next month.  I may get some walking done prior to the matches kicking off and will try and post some of them up here.