Hillingdon Trail North

Having slept well, I woke to no pain, no discomfort and another beautiful day. What could I do but walk. This time I headed north along the Grand Union, deciding to do the northern half of the Hillingdon Trail. Again I had to walk a long way just to pick it up but the canal walk had its rewards. Coots, mallard, swan, geese, heron, tufted duck, cormorant, black headed gull and mergansers were the easily spotted water fowl. I heard the cuckoo, the green and (saw a) great spotted woodpeckers. Swallows appeared today, I saw none yesterday. The hedgerows were alive with chaffinches, robins, dunnocks, wrens and blackbirds all calling and singing. Chiffchaffs and tits added a wonderful counterpoint.

Unperturbed by a lack of a map yesterday, today I carried nothing - I decided that house keys and money were the only things the iPhone couldn't replace. The GPS on the phone played havoc with battery so I couldn't really use it. But I used the money to buy myself soup and a rib-eye streak at the Coy Carp on the canal, in competition with Little Britain-like hordes; tattoo's were obviously big at Christmas and many were getting shown for the first time. And sorry, I think builders bum has become the new cleavage; no gender discrimination perhaps? Feeling re-energised and re-hydrated, I headed back down to the ANZAC cemetery across from where I used to live in Harefield, passing just below Edwinns where Lia and I had lunch recently. Then climbed up to Ruislip Common which includes Mad Bess Wood and the famous Ruislip Lido. I enjoyed a 99 there along with thousands of families who thronged the banks and beaches.

At this stage I was feeling a little tired. My legs were a bit sore but to get back to the flat, the trail was still the best option. Except I got lost. I was more tired than I realised and I confused the drainage ditch with a small river and missed the River Pinn. I had been slightly lost back near Breakspear House because the signs were knicked but I didn't mind the detour. Now the signs were missing again but I was low on stamina. Fortunately a couple out walking their dog sorted me out. It took a few minutes because he kept telling me that all I had to do was follow the path to his allotment. I politely asked where the allotment was and his wife perked up, saying he was right, all I had to do was turn at his allotment. Fortunately again, he mentioned the peculiar passing under the railway and my memory kicked in and his allotment wasn't needed any more (at least not by me). This lead me back to Ickenham and the spot where I bailed yesterday. With a great sense of fulfilment, I walked the last five kilometres back to the flat, a bit more slowly as my feet felt decidedly weary on the hard pavements.

The warm bath, about a gallon of tea and a feed of pasta restored me after today's 32 kilometres. I think the tea may be why I'm typing this short email.

Yes, there were some bad things (none worse than the image of the Pope crying for a handful of abused Maltese, the coward). The water quality in some of the canals is terrible. The signage is unreliable due to vandals (some with large calibre guns). One rastafarian narrow boater had his music so loud that it killed any idea that life on the canals can be quaint. People on bicycles are not consistently considerate. Dog walking is becoming a euphemism for dog evacuation. Like politics, it's easy to be negative but these walks were fantastic examples of why public walk ways should not just be preserved but actively expanded.

So I'm getting in shape again and shouldn't fear (too much) walking 100 km in one go in 30 hours (or less) given that I covered 60 km in two consecutive walks in 14 hours (elapsed).


Thank you Megan & Hector!!