please empty your brain below

A third of the way through the month and no sign of "Tube Line of the month?" (Unless the New River has been designated a tube line?)

Can we assume you've nothing much to say about this month's line - in which case I'd put my money on it being the "Drain".
"This is the first point along the walk where I got lost."

Erm, don't you have a smartphone? Enable GPS, open the satellite map and you don't need to guess the way.
Oh I used that. But what a smartphone won't tell you is where the public right of way is, hence I ended up trying to walk through a back garden and a scout hut.
a "bog-standard" estate...is that meant to be better than a standard estate or worse? ...who came-up with the term "bog-standard"?...never seen it used in advertising. If I reside in a "bog-standard" estate...would I be a "bog-standard" dweller...


p.s i know "bog" is sometimes used as slang for 'toilet'
I think "bog-standard" originated as a mis-hearing of "box-standard": i.e as the product was delivered from the manufacturer, without any customisation.
I was once told (although I am sceptical) that it meant 'British Or German' standard, and was thus a good thing.
OpenStreetMap is sometimes pretty good at detailing routes like this - I think it correctly shows the route of the New River Path near Wormley: http://www.openstreetmap.org/?relation=1970762#map=15/51.7364/-0.0228

Full route: http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/relation/1970762
OED says "Differing theories of the origin of bog-standard have been proposed, but none proven. ... The most commonly held view is that the transition from box to bog resulted from a mishearing or misunderstanding of box-standard"
Great stuff, DG - am enjoying this series. I have done this walk a few times but have learned quite a lot from your account and hope to learn more as you get closer to my house...










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