The London Loop

Enfield Lock → Harold Wood

Distance: 20.77 miles
Ascent: 458 metres
Duration: 6 hours 51 minutes

Enfield, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Havering
« Not walked | Not walked »

After yesterday's 20 mile walk it seemed foolish to do another 20 today, but we wanted to set ourselves up with just one leg left on the LOOP. It's been a tiring day, with multiple failures from my gadgets — the recorded distance may turn out to be an underestimate. Losing the path as we tried to leave Hainult Forest Country Park didn't help.

Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge in Epping Forest was the surprise highlight. It felt as though it would've been more at home in the New Forest than here within striking distance of the M25. Climbing its creaking wooden staircase takes you to a marvellous room: a grandstand of sorts, from which guests of royalty could enjoy the thrill of the hunt without the hassle of actually participating.

We saw deer ourselves too, but much later and absolutely unexpectedly. Right in the middle of a housing estate on Harold Hill a herd of them gathered nonchalantly on a patch of grass between rows of houses. I expect they're semi-tame and have learnt where they can persuade people to leave scraps, but they also served a reminder that despite the dense estates, the countryside isn't far away.