Saturday, 11 April 2015

The London Loop

Kingston → Hayes

bushy-park.jpg Distance: 13.75 miles
Ascent: 81 metres
Duration: 4 hours 19 minutes

Kingston, Richmond, Hounslow, Hillingdon
« Not walked | Not walked »

The contrast between this walk and last week's was plain from the very start. Once over Kingston Bridge we were in glorious Bushy Park with its wise old trees providing cover for dozens of deer.

Hounslow Heath came next, and rising behind the bushes I could see the shape of Heathland School where Dad taught in the late 1970s. As head of the Maths department he'd bring home the school computer for the holidays and so, in 1978, my life-long fascination with this game called software engineering began on a Research Machines 380Z.

(Before we set out on our walk this morning we nipped into the Apple Store in Kingston and I showed Emma the Apple Watch. She was hooked, but now I'm just struck in awe comparing that tiny device with the huge metal beast that we used to hide in the wardrobe whenever we left the house, lest any tech-savvy burglar of the '70s know what to do with it.)

hounslow-heath.jpgWe touched the edge of the Heathrow complex and followed the river Crane up to Cranford Countryside Park. The beautiful stable block and church by the car park stand stoically defiant in the face of the aircraft above and the motorway thundering alongside.

Posted by pab at 17:13 | Comments will be back one day. Please email me instead!