please empty your brain below

I lived in Hounslow for 10 years and loved watching the planes pass overhead. You could set your watch by Concorde's arrivals at 6pm and 10pm daily. The distinctive hum of the distant engines and then spotting it hanging in the sky like a bird of prey! Perfect!

Sorry to be dense, but how can a 'loop' only cross the Thames once?

dg writes: Because it isn't a true loop. There's an unavoidable pedestrian gap across the Thames between Purfleet and Erith.

There is a market square in Kingston, and also on Mondays another market opens on a site which during the week is a car park. When I was a lad the Monday Market was Kingston Cattle market and I used to go and watch the pigs and cows etc. being auctioned. Of course in those days I think Kingston was the County town for Surrey.

When I grew up in Twickenham in the 1950's, Bushy Park contained a large USAF camp. I sometimes would go there when they were open to the public,as the camp had a ten-pin bowling alley, which in the 1950's you would not find in UK towns. There also served Coke drinks with crushed ice for 10c or 6d.

One of the 'lakes' in Bushy Park used to have paddle boats for hire. Probably ended in the late 1960's.

The 27 bus had a longer route than today, and used to run from Archway to Hampton Court Palace on Sundays and the bus would go from Teddington to Hampton Court through Bushy Park. (During the week the 27 used to terminate at Teddington Station.)

I worked in Hampton Hill in the 1970's and the building backed onto Bushy Park, nice views from the upper floors. Like much of Hampton Hill High Street today the lower floors of that building are now a charity shop.

The Concorde you saw does get moved around from time to time within BA's maintenance area.

The Picadilly Line comes out of its "cut and cover" tunnel just before Hatton Cross station and then goes back into the tunnel again, the station being below ground. It rises to the surface just to cross the River Crane, cheaper at the time of constructing the line than tunnelling under the river.

At 11 months son(in backpack) was fascinated by the planes, when we first walked the Loop. Less so, last year, now walking it himself. Loves the walk but less enthusiastic about the planes.

Like John I also remember the large US camp at Bushy park in the 1950's.
I have always loved those modern houses, back in the drab 1950's they looked so alien.

And that explains Monday's post about Crane Valley Park. Now if you could just let on what you were doing at Birkbeck...

That's a new one - the link to the Modernist house in the main body of the text is completely non-existent. Unless it was some kind of statement? Ah, no, I can see what happened, and it's a real corker this time:

<a target="_blank" http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhref="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6929654031/"></a>
Time to switch browsers?

the link in the text to the modernist house did work at about 6.30 this morning, but not now.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6929654031/in/photostream/ will get you to the picture, until the link is sorted.
Interesting place, maybe go an take a look this afternoon...

The link is fixed, ta. (sigh, the bloody www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif error, sigh)

Lovely report. Bushy Park is certainly special. Although I wasn't based there, a company I used to work for had an office in Teddington (since closed). If I had to go there first thing for a meeting I used to get the train to Hampton Court and arrive early enough I could start the day by walking through Bushy Park to Teddington. A lovely way to start the day.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the Crane Park and the shot tower, a surprisingly lovely green corridor. However the biggest surprise for me was Hounslow Heath. I didn't expect to find this beautiful and unspoilt heath exists so close to Heathrow, it's an odd feeling to walk accross it with the planes taking off just in front of you. Not sure I'd want to be there after dark though! It's a shame you have to end with a long trudge along the A30 to Hatton Cross. The River Crane continues the other side of the A30, but it's the Picadilly Line that stops you from being able to cross there.

I'm glad NLW asked about how a loop could only cross the Thames once because I was wondering exactly that as I read the post.

Thanks from all of us for taking that informative stroll DG. I grew up there and remember the paddle boats on the lake at Bushey Park. Even today I can hear the cry of the attendant on the waters edge shouting "come in number four, your time's up".

Am I right in thinking that the typeface in the Danger Swamp sign is good old BR Rail Alphabet?? An official Railway Swamp!

and @NLW, Barry: see also London's 'Orbital' Motorway which only crosses the Thames once...

@Aakash You are correct the M25 does only cross the Thames once with the Dartford crossing being classed as the A282. I believe it has this designation just so road users that are not allowed on motorways i.e. learners can use the crossing but I think most people accept it as a complete loop.



@Surreyguy, your comment about the paddle boats reminds me of an old joke.

Two guys are working at a boating lake.

The first guy shouts out "Come in number 61 your time is up".

The second guy says "We don't have a 61".

The first guy shouts " Number 19 are you in trouble?".











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