Situated on a south-facing slope between Woodford Bridge and Fulwell Cross, Claybury Woods is London’s newest Country Park. We only explored a small section of woodland, which already held plenty of variation. To visit you can take the 169 bus from Ilford/Barkingside to Fullwell Avenue (The bus stops close to side roads on Wedmore Avenue and Calne Avenue to lead onto Ravensbourne Gardens gates), or the…
Hainault Forest was once a royal hunting ground, providing venison for the king’s table. Together with the land owned by the London Borough of Redbridge, it makes up the larger whole known as Hainault Forest Country Park. I especially enjoyed the wooden carvings scattered throughout, and the carved wood henge. We visited on an early winter evening; I imagine summer day provides a prettier wander. To…
The naturist beach at Fairlight Glen lies on the coast between Hastings (about two miles to the west) and Rye to the east. Access is from the cliff-top path through Hastings County Park. The official path down to the beach was destroyed some years ago by a landslip, and hasn't been replaced. Not to worry! Just duck under the fence by the warning sign (at your…
Don't expect a village of ruins, the only building left standing is the church. The rest of the village can be found with a row of stones marking the walls of the various other buildings. We parked nearby (54°04'38.8"N 0°41'28.7"W) and only realized later that there is a car park much closer (54°04'07.3"N 0°40'36.6"W).
A pretty little cove with a small waterfall and woodland walk to get there. Park at the green just of Hodgeson Hill (54°21'23.1"N 0°27'16.0"W), not at the inn. The walk is straight down the road, follow the sign for the inn, walk past it and continue through the woodland down to the cove.
The grey day suited the desolate feel of this walk and cove. Once at the beach, we headed straight for the cliff edge in search of fossils (with not much luck) while the rest of the group enjoyed the sand. On the way back we walked past the cathedral and nearby church, viewing the boats come into the harbour - a brief stop to say hi…
Goathland is a tiny village where you're more likely to meet sheep on the street than people. It is also the starting point for a couple walks to waterfalls, and the nearest village to where we were camped. The first walk we did was Beck Hole. A lovely waterfall where you can take a dip too. The second walk I did solo while the rest of…
After a wander around Horsey Gap, we stopped at the nearby Somerton Church ruins; a tiny site just off a back road (literally), but beautifully overgrown and well worth the stop if you're in the area. To visit, there is a tiny amount of parking (maybe 2 or 3 cars) just by the ruins (52°43'06.2"N 1°40'21.2"E)
What a great surprise, seals on the coast of England. Yes, they live there, but we didn't know that when we did our little trip to collect some van seats so we can finally carry passengers in the back. So when we decided to spend the night on the coast and came across this place, it was pure magic. To get here, park at horsey gap…
The Falls of Clyde is the collective name of four linn (Scottish for waterfalls) on the River Clyde near New Lanark. Starting from the visitor centre you can see the first falls, then follow the signposted riverside walk. There is plenty of parking near the visitor centre (55°39'48.2"N 3°46'49.5"W), or an overflow car park further above (55°39'50.9"N 3°46'41.8"W).
On my way up to Scotland, I stopped for dinner with Long Meg and her daughters. ;) Reputed to be one of the finest stone circles in the north of England (William Wordsworth even wrote about it), the stone circle has a diameter of about 350 feet – the second biggest in the country. Long Meg is the tallest of the 69 stones, about 12 feet…
The tale goes that nine ladies and a fiddler were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath. The nine ladies are a rather cute stone circle in a pretty clearing surrounded by mossy grass, heather and trees. Well worth a visit. I've been twice now! Also nearby is Earl Grey Tower. This was a shooting tower erected by William Pole Thornhill of Stanton Hall to…