I’m Still Standing

Posted bynickletjogPosted inPreparation

LETJOG PEAK No 30: Bushey Heath, Middlesex (155 metres)

Walk Date: Monday 26 June 2023

A rainbow of hope in Wealdstone

Still standing, and still walking! A low level jaunt today, but a significant milestone reached with the thirtieth County Top of my LETJOG Peaks challenge now bagged. Of course Middlesex was never going to match the majesty of my two Lakeland expeditions of last week, but there is a lot more fascination to be had in a suburban ramble than might be expected, and the variety of interest in the built environment, along with the surprise of discovering hidden corners of nature even within our larger English conurbations, never ceases to amaze me.

Starting out from Harrow & Wealdstone Station my (almost literal) circular walk took me up Wealdstone High Street and then northwards over Belmont hill to Stanmore, continuing in an anti-clockwise direction to the County Top at Bushey Heath, before a return via the viewpoint at Old Redding and passing through parts of South Oxhey, Hatch End, Pinner and Harrow

I have explained previously that Middlesex is not actually a Ceremonial County. Most of this historic shire was incorporated into the new Greater London upon the latter’s creation in 1965 and the remainder into its neighbouring counties, but Middlesex retains its identity to this day, and not least through its cricket club. I have included the county (as well as Westmorland) in my venture despite its current lack of ‘Ceremonial’ status, not only as a reflection of historical standing but also to bring my total County Tops to a nice round fifty! When I was very young I had a wooden jigsaw with the pieces comprising the then English counties, and these two shires were certainly represented: as with all the others I can recall their shapes and boundaries as if I had last completed the puzzle just yesterday.

The wonderful diversity in all things in Wealdstone is reflected in the range of shops, and right down to this colourful array of fresh produce on show in the High Street

Much of my 13-mile walk today traversed pavements of slab and tarmac, but a surprising percentage found paths through woodland, grassland and meadow that included two or three short climbs – each one causing me to draw some deeper breaths if only for a few minutes. Here are a few of the pictures I have taken to share the experience of my day’s walk.

A street scene, here in Wealdstone, typical of nearly all of the suburban districts that my route passed through today: inter-war semi-detached houses with parking lot front gardens
A short but steep climb took me out of the houses and across Stanmore Golf Course, where Belmont trig point, at 105 metres of elevation, sits alongside the 3rd tee . . .
. . . and the view eastwards from the hilltop at Belmont
After passing through Stanmore, my path entered the Bentley Priory Nature Reserve, an SSRI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) where the protected fauna includes nuthatches and deer
The lake in Heriot’s Wood, concealed within the dense forest, took some navigational expertise to find
Willow herb flourishing in a glade
Climbing now, out of the woodland, the view southward includes the faint semi-circular outline of the arch of Wembley Stadium – Bentley Priory, behind me and hidden from view, is an 18th to 19th century stately home, used in wartime as RAF Fighter Command and more recently converted to luxury apartments (along with an RAF museum)
And here I am on an inauspicious crossroads on the southern edge of Bushey, where Middlesex reaches its high point of 155 metres on an upward slope into neighbouring Hertfordshire – there are no great views from here, but . . .
. . . after turning back southwards on a pleasant path along the Harrow Weald Common Nature Trail . . .
. . . I reached the viewpoint at Old Redding, with some super distant views to the south over Harrow on the Hill, and even as far as the North Downs in Surrey: here I took my lunch break watching the faraway planes gliding across the horizon into Heathrow
This is certainly one of those hidden gems that I referred to above – the small pond in Levels Wood
I have referred to Grim’s Dyke in an earlier Blog (‘Green Green Grass’ on 17 March 2023) – here the remnants of the ancient earthwork are hidden in the brambles on either side of the path, before running across the edge of Grim’s Dyke Golf Course in an area out of bounds to walkers and golfers alike
After skirting South Oxhey, my path took me over a rise into Hatch End . . .
. . . and eventually back into the fields near Pinner Park Farm . . .
. . . ahead of a brief stream-side stroll along the River Pinn
The stile back into Harrow, before my return along the roads to my start-point at Harrow & Wealdstone Station

Given that this walk falls, as the crow flies, within 15 miles or so of my home, and takes little more than as many minutes on the train from Berkhamsted, it is perhaps notable that I have never before set eyes on any of the above landmarks (aside from those in the far distance), nor a foot on any of the paths that I trod today. It has been a quite unexpected pleasure to do so, and to get to know the townscape and landscape of some neighbouring parts of the country. An unusual and enjoyable day well spent on the latest leg of my LETJOG Peaks quest!

The middle part of my walk today followed a section of the London Loop footpath, the 150-mile ‘M25 for walkers’ that was opened in 2001

My walk today took me through Pinner, so I had little internal discussion in choosing Sir Elton John as the music artist behind my Blog heading for the day. One of the country’s most successful and enduring songwriters, singers and performers, Elton was born in Middlesex and raised in Pinner as Reginald Dwight, before taking on his better-known soubriquet on the way to global stardom. ‘I’m Still Standing’ is one of Elton’s many greatest hits, and the song appears on his 1983 album ‘Too Low For Zero’. As with many of his numbers the lyrics were penned by his long-term writing collaborator Bernie Taupin, to which Elton added the music. Energetic it is, and the music video, set in Nice and Cannes, includes a dancing troupe choreographed by Arlene Philips and featuring a young Bruno Tonioli – so worth a watch on You Tube for any ‘Strictly’ fans. Elton of course delivered his final UK concert at Glastonbury last night, so the heading seems doubly appropriate today. So much talent on our doorstep!

Still standing!

2 thoughts on “I’m Still Standing”

  1. Lovely walk, Nick. Thanks for bringing the county jigsaw to mind, N and I did it countless times and I, too, remember the various shapes……especially Rutland, the tiddler. I wonder where it is now.

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  2. You passed lots of familiar landmarks to me on this walk. I was born in Bushey and raised in Stanmore. My grandparents had a house which backed onto Bentley Priory so lots of walks there at weekends. Lots of dog walking too at Old Redding. My first flat was in Wealdstone, just down from the high street. My dad has been a long time member of Stanmore Golf Club and his companion who lives in Hatch End has a beautiful garden with the River Pinn running through the end of it. Lovely to see all your photos 😊

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