London: Great Tree Walk

A cold Sunday in November was ideal for a walk in London with Redbridge Ramblers, advertised as 'Great Tree Walk'. I was expecting a pleasant stroll through London parks, certainly preferable to slogging through wet clay fields in Essex.  So we headed to St Pancras station, along with over a dozen others, to meet our leader, Chris who soon corrected my assumptions on the theme of the walk.

19th Century Cycle Routes

19th century Navigation for Cyclists

How did cyclists find their way around Great Britain in the early days of the Cyclists’ Touring Club, which was founded in 1878?

One-inch to the mile Ordnance Survey maps became available in 1891, but long distance cyclists would need to carry a lot of these and the more practical Bartholomew’s half-inch maps hadn’t been invented yet.

The discerning cycle tourist wanted to know much more.

• Which is the best route between two towns? 
• What are the roads like? 
• Where are the hostelries along the way (including the local CTC Hotel)?

Wapping Walking Tour

The walk and the open day at the River Police Museum were both part of the Wapping Summer Shindig, organised for the community by the Turks Head Charity.

Marshland until drained in the 16th century, Wapping takes its name from a Saxon chief, Waeppa. Centre of London’s docks, crime associated with pressed sailors, poorly paid dockers and rich cargoes made it the natural home of the River Police.

Tour route