After last week's panic walk I was fortunate to be on a course on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (BCS Specialist Certificate in Change Management) so would be able to get in an early start as once I had completed the exam on Friday I would be able to leave. The exam started at 14:00 and I was away by 15:40 but not until I had suffered at the examiners cruel sense of humour. We had done the mock the day before, the lecturer told us if you had scored 14/15 you were doing very well. I scored 16 (sufficient to gain a pass) and very much out of character I felt pretty confident, so much so I did not even bother doing any revision.
Oh dear the exam was extremely difficult, the questions themselves where a struggle just to read all being over a page long. I manfully struggle through the paper and got to ten minutes to go and still had five questions to answer, 25 in total, and I had not transposed my answers to the answer sheet. I rushed through the last five without too much thought, most probably a good thing and transposed my answers and left. I don't hold out much hope of a pass to be honest, and what's more my job will be in a right two and eight when I get back on Monday!
But at least I was out early, I ended up catching the 16:07 from Liverpool Street Station arriving at Harold Wood at 17:47. It was extremely hot, with heat bouncing off the pavement, but this week I had wisely brought along a bottle of orange juice to quench my thirst. As it happened I quite enjoyed this walk, it started off going through Harold Wood Park and then into Pages Wood where 110,000 trees were planted in 2001, they are now quite big, should be good when fully grown. The Ingrebourne River was never far away either being on my right or left.
After Pages Wood it was a stomp along a busy road into a small housing estate and then a skirt around a large field of wheat which backed onto a School. This took me into Upminster Bridge, part of Hornchurch and further walking through housing. I took a short diversion to visit Upminster Mill 97, this is a Windmill in case your wondering. Since the guide book was written its been re-stored and very impressive it is too!After the Windmill the route took me past Hornchurch Football Club, the last time I was here was during the 2007 - 2008 Football Season a time when AFC Wimbledon were getting out of Ryman Premier Division. I remember seeing the sign and thinking if I come back here next season I will tie in part of the Loop. Shows how long I've been doing this walk.
Soon I was entering Ingrebourne Valley, Hackton Parkway a nice stretch of greenery along side the river. Lots of people here, mainly dog walkers but there was also a number of play areas for children. This lead on to Hornchurch Country Park which is on the site of the old RFC Hornchurch aerodrome which saw much action during both the First and Second World Wars. There were a number of Pill boxes and a number of Tobruk's which I last encountered in Normandy.The walk ended with a trip up Inglebourne Hill, all of 50 feet at the most, but as your close to the Thames you do get a remarkably good view! And then it was onto Rainham, the approach to the village was not very encouraging, duel carriage ways, flaming grill pubs, Tesco superstore and huge roundabouts. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the Village, whilst not boasting very much in the way of shops it did have some remarkable good buildings and a number of pubs, with Essex man occupying the entrances. The two best buildings a rare example of a complete late-Norman church (St Helen and St Giles) and Rainham Hall were unfortunately under wraps undergoing major repairs.
From Rainham I caught the 19:32 back home via Limehouse and Lewisham and then forget to get off at my own stop - durr!
Short video of the walk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkSQb6JNW90
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