After a lazy start, we (Tina, Gemma, Paddy and Lucy) walked and bused around a number of studios and houses in the Open Studios scheme. We looked at a wide variety of art and craft, and had some interesting conversations. Not much opportunity for photos, though, because it seemed inappropriate to photograph artists or their work.
We bought some, though!
Finally got a chance to get out for a day, so it was off in the car to Standen, a National Trust property we last visited with the girls and Jesse in 2005.
After a morning coffee, Rocco was rather full of energy, so I took him for a walk in the woods while Tina explored the house:
Rocco managed to find a muddy stream, so I had to wait a while throwing sticks for him in the long grass while he cleaned himself up (next time, put a towel in the car!):
Then a short wait in the shade while Tina finished in the house:
The house is in “Arts & Crafts” style, but much more homely than similar properties we’ve visited:
We then explored the upper garden:
By then it was time for lunch. Unfortunately, there was no shade in the picnic area so we got a bit hot.
After lunch, we explored the other gardens:
Then the lawn by the house and the quarry garden:
By then, Rocco was desperate for a run-around, so we followed an estate walk through Hollybush Wood. Unfortunately, there is a lot of problems with Ash dieback in these woods, so many paths were closed and the walk was much shorter than advertised, the last bit going through a field of cows:
Just for reference, this is a photo taken on our last visit in 2005:
After a couple of false starts, we finally got to Barking Riverside today. The trip we did can really only be done at a weekend as the riverboat doesn’t run to Barking Riverside during the week (apart from rush hour).
As with most of our London journeys, it started with a fast train to London Bridge. From there it was a brisk walk through all the new developments to London Bridge Pier. After negotiating a confusing ticket machine, we we waited a few minutes for our boat:
After loading, we set off past the Tower of London and under Tower Bridge:
Finally, we got up to speed and headed past Docklands to Greenwich:
Then onto the O2 Dome and North Greenwich, tracing the route we walked the other day!
By this time, most of the tourists had got off and we were left with an almost empty boat:
Next, we went through the Thames Barrier:
And past the (non-operational today) Woolwich Ferry:
An hour after leaving London Bridge, we got to Barking Riverside Pier, as far east as the boat goes. By this time, there were only us and one other passenger on the boat!
From here, it was a short walk along deserted streets to Barking Riverside station:
We had a bit of an explore – I’m sure it’ll all look different when fully developed and the area is full of people!
It was quite windy, so we soon headed back to the station and caught the next train:
The track and the station, was only opened last year, so it’s all very new. A viaduct takes the tracks over the existing railway and then we join the main line and head to Barking:
We got the train to Wanstead Park station (we were here last year!) and walked to nearby Forest Gate station past an interesting display made of bottle tops:
Luckily, there was a pub by the station, so we stopped for a quick drink:
Then on to Forest Gate station and an Elizabeth Line train to Shenfield:
Time for a second beer at Shenfield:
And then back home via Stratford and London Bridge. A good day out!
We had short day out today as we had various other things to do, so caught the 61 bus to Chislehurst:
Rocco is more used to the bus now and he could look out of the window as well.
Once in Chislehurst, we visited the memorial at St Nicholas Church, where Tina’s parents are remembered:
By which time Rocco needed to let off steam, so we walked to one of the many Chislehurst commons and let him run around:
We then had lunch in the Crown, just off the common:
Rocco did well; the head chef visited him several times with treats (and cheese). After lunch, the weather was looking a bit unpredictable so we headed back across the commons to the bus stop:
And it started raining just as we got home. Bonus!
Finally, time to complete another section of the Jubilee Greenway walk, which we started in 2018! We caught the slow train from Orpington to Lewisham, then a second train to Woolwich Arsenal station.
Nearby is the Elizabeth Line station and the Dial Arch Open Space where Rocco could burn off some energy:
Time for a coffee in a nice comfy chair:
We then headed through new housing developments to the River Thames – a nice attractive space and so much better than walking along busy roads:
This is the river bus pier in the background:
Finally on the Thames Path, we headed east:
And watched the (new) Woolwich Ferry dock:
Further on, the path goes through an industrial estate past the old Siemens factory, with information on past activities. I had a client many years ago whose factory was in this estate!
Soon we came to the Thames Barrier and views across the river to Docklands:
We saw some umbrellas and tables by the path, and only just noticed an open pub beside them. So a good opportunity to get out of the wind for a while and have a beer:
Further on, we passed through an aggregates site at Angerstein Wharf; rather noisy and dusty:
Things got quieter again, and we found somewhere to have our sandwiches:
Yet more new housing as we approach North Greenwich, which is the southern terminus of the cable cars:
The path now goes around the Greenwich Peninsular (and O2 dome), with odd bits of artwork dotted around:
We had to wait for an excavator loading gravel before being able to continue on this bit:
Further on, the area becomes a lot more industrial (as I remember Blackwall before it got redeveloped and renamed Greenwich Peninsular):
A bonus further on was another pub (also dog friendly):
It turned out that this was on the site of the Greenwich STC factory (another of my clients); remembered with a bit of art and a sign:
Further on was a decorated wall and the rather garish Trafalgar Tavern:
And not far away, the Cutty Sark and the nearby DLR station:
From here, it was a DLR train to Lewisham, and after a short wait on a windy platform, the slow train back to Orpington, with a tired Rocco:
Today was a much more interesting walk than we’d expected!
The second visit today was to Sissinghurst Castle & Gardens, not far from Scotney.
Lovely gardens:
Including a new Mediterranean Garden added in 2019:
I climbed the tower:
Lovely views from the top:
And on the way back, it started to rain! Perfect timing…
We visited Scotney Castle today; a short drive down the A21. We couldn’t decide if we’d been there before until we talked to one of the staff, who told us the house only opened to visitors in 2007. So we obviously hadn’t!
There was a long queue for the house when we arrived, so we started with the grounds:
The stone cat was fun:
Then on to the gardens:
And then on to the (largely ruined) castle:
After a coffee break, we toured the house. Interesting in it’s own way…
Then after a break for lunch, we looked at the walled garden:
And that was Scotney!
A lovely day today, so we caught the 358 bus to Farnborough village:
This is a fairly modern bus, and had a nice area for wheelchairs/buggies/dogs and helped us keep Rocco out of everyone’s way.
The roads were fairly quiet, so we were soon in Farnborough Fields enjoying the sunshine (though with a stiff breeze in places):
After a rather overgrown footpath, we were back in fields, then a short walk into the village:
I’d not been to the Queens Head for many years (decades) and it’s a lovely quirky pub with a good range of beer and nice lunches:
After lunch, it was a short walk to Downe Recreation Ground, and then footpaths through High Elms to Green St Green:
From there, we caught a R11 bus back to Orpington. A nice day out, helped by a perfect temperature for walking.
We had planned to go to Barking Riverside and Shenfield today, but the weather forecast was a bit varied, so we opted for a more “indoor” visit to the British Library.
It’s located a stones throw from St Pancras International station, so caught our usual fast train to London Bridge and a Thameslink train to St Pancras – the latter train was very busy with holidaymakers travelling from Gatwick.
We finally escaped onto the relative quiet of Midland Road by the side of the station, and a short walk to the library itself:
By now, it was time for our morning coffee:
We then had a quick tour of the library itself – much more a working environment than a tourist attraction!
We visited the “Treasures of the British Library Exhibition”, a collection of some of the more significant works in the library. I was impressed that it also included modern culture; as well as some Beatles memorabilia, this is the original script for Monty Pythons’ Spanish Inquisition sketch:
Artifacts from around the world were also included:
It was quite dark in the exhibition space, so after a while we had a break and some fresh air, just in time to see a very heavy downpour – luckily there was plenty of shelter!
Then back to see the rest of the exhibition, including a Magna Carta:
The rain had now (mostly) stopped, so we explored the Plaza a bit more:
These are the towers of St Pancras peeking above the library:
We then tried to find a beer, but the only pub at St Pancras was VERY busy, so we gave up and caught a train to Blackfriars and had a beer in the Black Friar pub nearby – noted for its interior and external decorations:
Then back home for a cup of tea!
Nice weather today so we visited a local tourist attraction, Eltham Palace:
Behind the gates in the background of this photo you can just see a fingerpost which marks the route of the Capital Ring Walk – you can see the photo that I took in 2017 when walking past this spot here: Capital Ring Walk 1 & 2 – Woolwich to Grove Park
We crossed a bridge over the moat to get to the palace:
and inside, greeted by a stunning circular reception room in Art Deco style:
Most of the rooms are more reminiscent of a hotel than a home:
Then on to the Great Hall, renovated from part of the original building on the site:
After a coffee break, we explored the gardens (with views across to London):
and then under the bridge we walked over earlier:
Looking over to docklands:
A lovely morning out!