3 out tonight for this in dry weather with no mud worth mentioning. All had walked the route before, meaning no stopping at info panels and following memory without consulting text or map, ie: being quick.

Plenty of anemones were still very present in the fenced parts of the woods, but they were already closed for the night. What was dominant therefore was the blue of the bells: Bluebells in good shape and large numbers, carpet-like in places despite only about 2/3 of them being out. Plenty of birdsong could be heard as well, plus some of the squadrons of parakeets that are now ubiqitous in SE London.

We got back to the station just before 20.00 and had a meal at The Abbey Arms.

The London Bridge train arrived about 10 mins delayed, and just 3 met beyond the gates in rainy weather. Off into the Abbey Grounds. 1 had not been here before, so we took time to study the info panels and the CGIs. In the woods then, loads of daffodils and almost as many wood anenomes, in the large fenced areas set aside for them. There was enough urban glow that we only neeeded headtorches for those info panels and to shine into the undergrowth to study the dense carpets of the flowers.

Mud there was some, but we were mainly on gravel paths, so it wasn't too bad. A 4th walker had been much delayed due to an office bash and reverse-walked the route until bumping into us, so 4 in total. By now, the rain had subsided, although there was occasional spittle in the air.

More daffs and anenomes on the descent and then there was another rare nature spectacle awaiting us: dozens of frogs and even more rainworms crossing the tarmac path out of the Abbey Grounds. Headtorches certainly came in very handy here, just to avoid stepping on the wee things!

Off to the Abbey Arms for Sourdough Pizza and drinks. It was Open Mic night (despite Ingerland playing and being on the tellie, w/o sound), but sadly none of us were tempted...

rainy start then largely dry

Brollies and Cash

Apparently the Abbey Cafe only takes cash, so pop a fiver or so in your pocket if you're going to buy a drink or eat there.

The Beeb are promising showers after 2 pm so I suggest you bring a light waterpoof and/or brolly to make sure you're covered (pardon the pun)

Intend coming despite the weather

183 Abbey Wood Rd

6 arrived at the Abbey cafe at the start after an amusing journey on the new Elizabeth line observing all the train spotters elderly nerds and younger train enthusiasts taking photos and selfies of themselves on this inaugural day. Having traveled from Ealing Broadway I was less than excited at the late arrival of the TFL train and even less impressed with the lack of signage to the Elizabeth line connecting train platform at Paddington which is a good 10 mins away across the concourse and down 2 escalators or lifts one of which was out of order. What is impressive is just how spacious and airy the new stations are. Stark in their space age modernity but frequent fast trains every 5 mins auger well for future journeys to Farringdon, Excel and Canary wharf at a quicker and more comfortable experience than hitherto.

The walk itself was warm and sunny at the beginning where the Lesnes Abbey ruins and gardens can be enjoyed but the weather soon turned to showers and one experienced walker was soon soaked through as he’d forgotten his umbrella and needed to go home. Two more had no picnic lunch so left with our walk guide to go to the pub at the station as the walk didn’t go near any pubs on route and we’d missed the opportunity to detour even with sat nav.

That left 3 to have a picnic lunch standing up in the showers( so thankful for my Páramo jacket and regatta shower proof trousers and leather boots ) we did the Borstall woods and found it more enjoyable with more variety of scenery but even with sat nav it was easy to get on the wrong path. It’s not only humans who have a tendency to get lost in woods. We were approached by a pit bull staffie 3 times running frantically around the woods at breakneck speed with no owner in attendance. A couple with 3 dogs said they thought they had had seen the dog and owner on a previous occasion and offered to take him away on a makeshift lead from a leather belt. The dog was really happy to be led away back to the car park where it was reunited with its elderly owner who said it ran off after being frightened by the thunder hours previously. It was an old dog but my goodness it could have been a greyhound the speed it was running through the woods. Wish I had that level of fitness!!

We returned to the station via the cafe in the park which does a salad or panini or jacket spud lunches but the cakes were not good and were declined by others in addition to us.

The terrain is undulating hilly and deserves a higher rating that 1 or 2 out 10. My knees have suggested a 3 for the full walk which is still quite a stretch even at only 6 miles.

Thanks to Mike for posting and leading us. More shorter easier walks please. We’re not all capable of scrambling up Munros!!

Sorry I meant 2 of us completed the longer walk not 3. Visions of the long Antarctic walk back to South Georgia by Shackleton where he felt that a third person was with the two of them guiding them to safety. Must have included the dog!

6 rainy

And the daffs were out, as out as they can be really. Some crocusses (crocussi?) and plenty of wood anemones could be spotted as well, the latter a little droopy on account of the grey and wet day. Bluebells aplenty, but still all green growth only w/o any blue-ish bells, of course. And parakeets there were, and quite a few of them at that. 5 walkers only though, 1 of whom was an evening walk-first timer. All 3 evening walk posters were in attendance, which is a first for some years! No rain though, which had stopped the very moment I left my flat (with full waterproofs on) and didn't get going again until we left The Abbey Arms after the walk. I felt a little overdressed, shall we say?

At the pub (4 of us went), we had a pizza and a couple of drinks each, and were also met by one additional walker who came out after work, just for the apres-walk entertainment.

5 plus 1 walker who just came out after work to the after-walk pub, in grey but dry weather. 20.38 train.

And then there were Crossrail trains. One every 5 minutes. Destination Paddington (via Canary Wharf). Driver training only, for the time being...

7 off the train with 1 running late, so 4 dashed ahead, en route booking 2 tables for later at The Abbey Arms, while 3 waited for walker #8.

The woods are famous for wild native daffodils (of which there were plenty, if mostly already wilted) and for bluebells (of which there were plenty and quite a few already fully out), but it also has enormous amounts of wood anemones. Personally, I have not seen that many on a single walk. In places they combined to a very scenic kind of tricolore, with white being very dominant.

Else: undulating route through interesting woods, with some heathland thrown in, a couple of ponds and those abbey ruins (and a fossil pit).

Pizza and drinks in the back garden of The Abbey Arms. Staggered departure depending on progress with food and drinks.

8 sunny but cold

Compared to the morning walk, there were 10 new faces but most of the Greenwich - Woolwich group had gone home, just 2 'survivors', i.e. 12 at the start (2 car drivers amongst them).So we set off in 2 groups that never met again, although I understand the first group bumped into a 13th walker that then followed them at distance. Almost everyone had never been to the area, so the Abbey ruins found plenty of interest, as did the undulating route through the woods. Everyone in my group walked the longer version and we got back to the station just after 5. The earlier group had departed on the 17.06, but half of my group paid a courtesy visit To The Abbey Arms' large garden.

Plenty of leaf colour, although far from its peak, but also already plenty of leaves on the ground.

13 lightly overcast and warm for the season