please empty your brain below

I remember doing many of the walks from various editions of these books. I think the writing was on the wall though when doing one I found myself walking down the yet to be opened carriageway of the M25.
I used to love these books when I was a child, I gave my copies away many years ago and have regretted it ever since, I may just source them out again.
Walk 13 being through Parks and commons should not have changed much, although the entire walk takes place within London so is it a "Country Walk"?.
Now I have a good excuse to finally go and see what's at the end of the lane with the sign proclaiming "MOGADOR" on Brighton Rd. I wasn't sure if I should expect orcs or not.
Chz, not sure about the orcs, but I can recommend The Sportsman at the very end of the lane for its kangaroo steaks - the reason my family go there every now and again (along with walking on the adjacent Walton Heath).
I guess that when these were produced, ordinary fares or point-to-point singles were the only fare types, so encouraging people to travel to (far-flung) new destinations at weekends generated extra revenue. The rise of the travelcard and in particular the bus add-on if you have rail validity make it less worth doing now. A shame.
I wonder how close the Essex Spires walk gets to the Kelvedon Hatch nuclear bunker? Would you have been dodging squaddies and very carefully not looking in particular directions?
During a recent visit to the TfL Museum bookshop I encountered a bemused assistant being asked which shelf these books were on. I was able to explain to the assistant what the books were and that they hadn't been published since her mother was a child. The enquirer was quite upset that they still weren't available as she had lent hers to a friend who had died before returning it.

My last walk was from Ongar, discovering the wonderful Greenstead church, before crossing fields to catch the Central Line from North Weald in the days of its 36 min timetable.
"if anyone at TfL's ever interested in putting together a collection of 21st Century Country Walks . . ."

You angling for a commission DG?
Yes. I remember this series of guides with much affection. The instructions were very accurate as well. In a fit of nostalgia, I attempted to do walk 9 - Caterham and the North Downs - in the mid 90s and got completely lost in a maze of road developments. However, I think many of the other walks should still be possible - especially, with the aid of an OS Explorer map.
I doubt if DG is "angling for a commission" (though he might be well-placed if he were).

In fact I conjecture that DG has never been paid for a piece of writing in his life, which, if it is true, is simultaneously a crying shame and a possible source of special pride.
Eric Ravilious made beautiful larger colour prints too, worth a look for those who might be interested. I chanced upon his blue plaque a couple of weeks ago. It's in Weltje Road, Hammersmith (river end). I hadn't realised he had died so young. It transpires he went missing in action during the war (in Iceland) whilst apparently on a search for someone also missing.
It wasn't just London Transport that published country walk guides. The old Southern Railway also offered a selection of walks within 20-30 miles of London, in a book by SPB Mais, who was a prolific journalist. Wikipedia tells me that he also wrote similar books for the GWR and LMS. There's a list here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petre_Mais
I was brought up on these books in the 60s and 70s. My mother was a keen walker, and had been a member of the Civil Service Rambling Club in the 1950s. She had a sizeable collection of walk books - not only the LT ones, but also the Fieldfare books (unfortunately most of them got lost (or thrown out) in a house move).
Our main walking areas were along the Metropolitan Line or the line out of Euston. I remember a walk we did regularly from Watford to Chorleywood, with a picnic stop at Croxley Green.
I completed a Yeading Brook walk from Harrow to Isleworth last year so Walk 2 sounds like something I should also do.
Lorenzo thx for mentioning the color work of Eric Ravilious. A quick google-images search turns up quite a few beautiful landscapes.
I've also got one of P.B. Mais' books of rambles from the 1930s. There's an interesting walk from Oxted to Westerham but the station there now having closed, it unfortunately makes getting home too difficult for the walk to be attempted.
I remember buying these books from the ticket office at Oakwood Station in the 1960's. There was a similar LT book at the time with the title something like 'More walks with the Green Line'
All of these may well be lurking somewhere in the house.
Maybe someone can find a way for these maps to appear as a "app" on a smartphone? Then more of us "can jolly well source our own".
DG. why don't you try and self publish the 21st Century Country Walks as booklets yourself ?

I'm sure you'd find plenty of buyers.
Teddy's Trails, which can be found at http://www.elstreeborehamwood-tc.gov.uk/index.php/yourtown/teddy-s-trails, are in some ways a modest 21st century equivalent, based on bus routes radiating from Elstree & Borehamwood station.
There are several more modern equivalents to these books:

Discovering Country Walks in North London by Merry Lundow, Shire publications. Out of print, but used copies are obtainable
Very detailed descriptions and sketch maps and photos of 20 walks with distances ranging for 4.5 miles to 9 miles. 88 pages

Discovering Country Walks in South London by Susan Owen and Angela Haine, Shire publications. Out of print, but used copies are obtainable
Very detailed descriptions and sketch maps of 17 walks with distances ranging for 4.5 miles to 8 miles. 64 pages.

100 walks in Greater London by Peter Rudd, Crowood Press, Available
Detailed descriptions and sketch maps of 100 walks with distances ranging for 2.75 miles to 10 miles. 191 pages

Country walks around London (in association with London Transport) by Geoff Garvey and Leigh Hatts, Mainstream Publishing. Out of print, but used copies are obtainable
Very detailed descriptions and sketch maps of 26 walks with distances ranging from 3 miles to 11.5 miles

PS If you are interested in a group that does these sorts of walks, visit http://www.clog.org.uk










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