Perhaps put off by the heat (it was the hottest day of the year so far) and perhaps by the fear of foreign places (Kent) only five people turned up for this. I gather there was some sort of sporting event or other taking place that afternoon too - perhaps some people wanted to watch that instead. Oh well, takes all sorts....
The journey was uneneventful and arrived at Otford on time. In the fierce heat we walked through the village and avoided the temptations of an antiques shop before joining the Darent Valley Way footpath to Shoreham village. By now it was time for a well deserved drink at the nearest pub. I must say my first pint didn't touch the side of my throat. After lunch we lost Catherine and Karl who caught the train home from Shoreham, pleading sundry aches and pains - leaving just Sarah, Clive and myself to plod on through the afternoon heat. Actually some of the walk was in the shade beside the River Darent and it wasn't so oppressive there. In Shoreham we were able to admire the former home of Samuel Palmer the famous painter who often painted this valley. After a while we came to Lullingstone Castle. Though not usually open to the public the gardens were - for a price. By now the thought of further refreshment was more attractive so we pressed on to Lullingstone roman villa. Though a famous Roman site it is hidden inside a featureless shed - but refreshments were available in the shop. By now the thought of walking further to see the famous village of Eynsford was becoming less attractive due to the heat  - so we just took a shortcut to Eynsford station for our train home.

The Darent Valley is a lovely place for a walk and is easily accessible by train - but next time it would be nice to go on a cooler day!

Takers for our foray into the Hertfordshire countryside near Hitchin on 22 May, led by Caroline Wall, were treated to a day of scorching sunshine. We reached a creditable head count of 17 including two first-timers! After crossing Walsworth Common, we picked up a path along the banks of the River Purwell. The vegetation was lush and the stinging nettles along a section of this path were no exception – a somewhat tingling experience for the shorts-clad folk among us! Our route met the Icknield Way path on the approach to the pretty village of Ickleford, emerging opposite the church.

After an ice cream stop at the village store, we headed through the village and then reached the Oughtonhead Common Nature Reserve. We picked up another riverside path heading to the Oughtonhead Springs with a particularly pretty wooded bit looking down on the stream towards its head. We paused to observe tadpole behaviour and, after reaching the springs, had a well deserved rest. We then returned to Ickleford and adjourned to the Old George Pub for some well deserved refreshment before retracing our steps back to Hitchin.

Our walk on 25th April was not quite as energetic as the London Marathon - while others were pounding the streets of the city, 10 walkers from the Bowes Park Walking Group enjoyed a warm and pleasant afternoon's walk through some of the green spaces of Enfield.

A 10 minute train ride took the group to Gordon Hill and a short walk from the station led us to the rolling greens of the aptly named Hilly Fields.

From Hilly Fields, the woodland bridle path of Flash Lane took us to into the Whitewebbs estate past the remains of an early 19th century aqueduct.

After Whitewebbs, a footpath alongside fields, Turkey Brook and fishing ponds led us to Forty Hall and a welcome tea & toilet break. After a short walk from Forty Hall we reached another part of the Whitewebbs estate and indulged in a second refreshment stop at the 'Rose and Crown'.

The final leg of the walk across the edge of Hilly Fields led us back to Gordon Hill station well in time for the train to Bowes Park station where we arrived just as the rain clouds were gathering overhead - perfect timing, at the end of a perfect afternoon walk!