03 Jubilee Country Park to West Wickham Common

1st September 2009

Section four of the Loop is a meandering trail across the borough of Bromley, linking country parks, old woods and commons, country estates, genuine countryside and some pretty villages. The farm shown here is right in the heart of the borough. Bromley is London's biggest, greenest borough, roughly the same size as Andorra and probably just as wealthy. It stretches from Crystal Palace south to Westerham Heights, at 245m/804ft the highest part of Greater London. There were quite a few climbs on this leg. The day started and ended in pleasant, warm sunshine with the odd inconvenient shower around lunchtime.

However before I could start section 4 I had to finish off the bit of section 3 I avoided in my rush to catch the train. This added about a mile to the route, including a missed turn when I failed to spot a railway bridge. The Loop crosses three railway bridges and follows a series of gloomy alleyways (that I would not fancy at night) to official start at Jubilee Country Park, an area of wildflower meadows and ancient woodlands, extremely popular with dog walkers and cyclists.

On the way to Farnborough Village, the Loop passes through two ancient woods, Crofton Wood and Darrick Wood. Crofton Wood was quite dense and the guide posts are absolutely necessary to navigate your way through. The Loop goes through the churchyard of St Giles the Abbot, a pretty church with a small tower built from flint and red brick. Apparently, the “legendary” Gypsy Lee is buried in the churchyard. I mistook this for Gypsy Rose Lee and searched in vain for grave where everything was ‘coming up roses’. There were lots of horrible Victorian fallen angels.

A short amble down the hill from the church is High Elms County Park, the former home of Sir John Lubbock. Only the stables remain from the main house, but the gardens are extensive, including some very big redwoods (I don’t where the elms were). This was my lunch stop and I found the picnic area absolutely heaving with every nursery schoolchild in Orpington, the noise level was off the scale. I just unpacked the picnic when the heavens unloaded on me. Sometimes you just can’t win.

From High Elms, the loop passes through pleasant open countryside along the wonderful Bogey Lane with the odd light aircraft buzzing overhead on its way to Biggin Hill. One of the features of this walk were the weird road names; Bogey Lane, Tent Peg Lane, and Pole Cat Alley.

Holwood House, the former home of Sir William Pitt the younger, is visible on the top of a hill. It is now owned by property developers and was securely locked away from prying eyes. Holwood House is famous for the meeting between Pitt and William Wilberforce, when Wilberforce decided to oppose slavery in Parliament. The meeting took place under an oak tree, a victim of the 1987 hurricane. There is a memorial seat, also securely locked away. There is a great view over the Vale of Keston from the ordinary seat.

This leg was significant for me as it was the first time I met other Loopers. I stopped for a chat with them at the Wilberforce Oak, Several members of the group had made more than one circuit.

The only water feature on this leg is Caesar’s well, the source of the river Ravensbourne which flows into the Thames in Wandsworth. It feeds Keston Ponds, located either side of Fishponds Roads. I stopped for an ice cream, another first for the Loop. The final part of the day took me through Keston, once the home of Margaret Thatcher and finished at West Wickham Common. This common is one of the many areas purchased by the Corporation of London in the nineteenth century, to preserve the countryside for people like me.


Time for leg 5hr 10m Distance 10 miles Time for Trip 8hrs 50m
Walk Log
Fares this leg £11.20

Section 03 Essentials
Section Map
Directions

Distance and time 9 miles 5 hours

Walking conditions: Mostly level with a few longish, steep slopes. Stiles and gates and some small flights of steps. Some sections are suitable for the less mobile and pushchairs: From Petts Wood station to High Elms Country Park; from Keston Ponds to Hayes Station.