urban green walk - new river and regent's canal

     We never finished the Capital Ring (maybe soon) but we had another good walk in central London, finding plenty of green spaces on the way. Joined by good local friends Lyn, Judy, Jeremy and Gabi, we set off on another sparklingly clear day (with just enough of a cool breeze to make it ideal for walking). 

     First through Finsbury Park to the wide open skies of Woodberry Wetlands: such a good local asset now, and this time of year full of interest, with nesting swans and ducklings and goslings galore. Here we picked up the line of the New River ('neither new nor a river') built in the 17^th century to bring fresh water from Hertfordshire to the City. The line continues through Canonbury past allotments and grand tree lined terraces. Further on it has been converted to shady gardens with an ornamental stream (more ducklings and coot chicks - cootlings?) that take you all the way to Islington, where we stopped for a drink in a nice hipsterish place in Camden Passage with a cool (both senses) garden. 

     Then on through old haunts in Barnsbury, to pick up the Regents Canal just west of the Islington tunnel, passing many canal boat homes, through Kings Cross and eventually to Regents Park, where we sunned ourselves in the Rose Graden to the spectacular sights and sounds of a huge Ethiopian wedding.

     Good company and the feeling of summer in the air, all the trees suddenly new and fresh leafed, the grass brilliantly green, the sky a clear, deep blue, the splashes of colour and the smells of blossom and flowers: that May feeling when suddenly all seems right with the world.  

sussex and essex forays

     A couple of day trips out of London recently, and quite a contrast.

     First, to Camber Sands and Rye in East Sussex, on one of the first hot days of the year in late April. The Sands are a wide, gently sloping swathe, stretching for miles, fronting the sheep-filled salt marshes towards Dungeness. This is probably the best beach easily reachable from London. Camber barely exists, a number of rather ramshackle single storey wooden houses and a couple of fish and chip shops, with a Pontins just down the road. The beach is backed by dunes in one direction, and a vast new sea wall in the other that cuts off a line of houses from their former view. The sea was sparkly and calm and the sky a solid china blue, as Ian, Gail and I wandered along and made the most of this rare day. Very few people there on a week day, once you got away from the car park.

     Then we took the bus back to Rye, one of the ancient Cinque Ports but now almost cut off from the sea. Its steep streets are full of vernacular houses, warm red brick and flint walls, with some half timbered inns. O yes, full of twee tea shops too, and we had lunch in one of them just by the magnificent church. The house had once been the vicarage, and the home of Shakespeare's collaborator, John Fletcher. Here we had the best rarebit I've ever had.

     A week later we were off to Colchester, 'England's first town', to see a new musical, Pieces of String, which turned out to be very good and will I'm sure turn up in London pretty soon. Colchester itself has a fascinating history, being the original Roman capital until it was burnt down by Boudicca. There is a vast Norman keep built on the vaults of the Roman temple that was dedicated to Claudius, the English conqueror. It is now a museum with many well preserved Roman artefacts, but full to the battlements on this day with primary school kids, apparently re-enacting the slaughter of the Roman garrison by the Britons, judging by the noise levels. 

     The town itself is a big contrast from the well polished cottages of Rye's Mapp and Lucia style bourgeoisie. The centre, though it has many good features – including the Roman walls, a Saxon church tower and a proud Victorian park – is crammed with the worst kind of fast food outlets, betting shops and a young population all in regulation skin tight jeans, the boys all with Hitler youth haircuts and the girls all with bobs and made up like an Egyptian sarcophagus; and all shovelling down those chicken wings and chips. Bieber and Kardashian have a lot to answer for.