Friday 3 March 2017

capital ring 6

   
     March already and signs of spring on this blustery, cloud scudding day as we traverse the leafy south western suburbs.  Lots of prosperous-looking Edwardian houses with Range Rovers in the bricked over front gardens, but also lots of green spaces.
    This is an area of commons. The Tooting commons, rather cut up by railway lines but still well wooded with mature trees and the world's smallest Italian ice cream van, which brought back memories of school cornets with a 99 and raspberry sauce.  Wandsworth, rather municipalised but with a nice row of local shops facing on to it on Bellevue Road.  Then to Wimbledon Park, once the grand estate of Earl Spencer, landscaped by Capability Brown, but now given over to sporting activities.  There is a wide boating lake, choppy today and with a huge number of preening swans.  Across the water are the buildings of the All-England Lawn Tennis Club, where Court No 1 is undergoing a major rebuild at the moment, ready for this year's grand slam tournament.  In the park there are many public tennis courts, a running track, football and cricket pitches, bowls, crazy golf – you name it, you can probably do it here.
     From there we climbed up to Wimbledon Common, and this was a surprise: a huge area of wild open heath and woods, bigger than Hampstead Heath, very beautiful in the spring sunshine.  We followed muddy rides through the trees and came across a windmill and a sparkling little lake, and were greeted by a horse-riding ranger.  No sign of Wombles though.  Definitely worth a return visit in the summer.
     Some other landmarks on the way: Balham High Road with one of London's finest art deco residential buildings, Du Cane Court, popular with showbiz people and of course featured in the Poirot TV series; and an unusual parish church with a strange domed space at its entrance.  And we crossed the River Wandle, London's fastest river. This has its own long distance footpath from the Thames to Croydon, which may be worth exploring at a later date.
     It's been good to get back into the walks after a bit of a hiatus.  For the first time the green sign posts are indicating familiar territory ahead (Highgate, 31½ miles) so we can say we are on the homeward stretch.  As always, good company with Ian and Gail – who is starting to contemplate the much longer London Loop, a walk through London's green belt. 

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