Walking for Pleasure: Eltham and Well Hall
Today’s weather was perfect for walking with light clouds, a gentle breeze and temperatures around 23 Celsius (73 Fahrenheit). So Mrs P and I decided that we’d like to take a leisurely stroll somewhere local. Fortunately, we live in south east London and not far from the Green Chain Walk. This is a network of managed trails and pathways through various woodlands and parks that span four Boroughs. We decided to walk to Avery Hill Park and then follow the Green Chain Walk to Eltham. From there we then walked through the high street to Well Hall and visited the Pleasaunce. Our journey covered a distance of about 4.5 miles or so. We took our time and frequently stopped to enjoy the surroundings. Overall we walked for about 2 hours. We then decided to return home by bus, as the weather had become somewhat overcast.
Eltham lies on a high plateau which gave it a strategic significance in Medieval times. Although it is difficult to see this topographical feature nowadays, as the area has been totally developed by the Greater London sprawl. Its importance throughout early English history is mainly due to it being close to the main route to the English Channel ports in Kent. Several Tudor monarchs intermittently resided at Eltham Palace and hence the area has a lot of associated history. The Well Hall Pleasaunce features several ornamental gardens, a bowling green and various water features. There is a Tudor Barn which dates back to the 16th century that is located towards the north part of the park. It is now a restaurant that caters for park users and is available to hire for private functions. The well maintained grounds are very peaceful despite being next to a main road.
I enjoy walking for pleasure as it often affords an opportunity to escape from the hustle and bustle of urban living. Avery Hill Park was busy today, as the weather was fine and it offers a lot of facilities for family entertainment. However, once you leave the open spaces and follow the various paths, you find things a lot more tranquil. The surrounding trees do much to insulate you from the noise and the trails are mainly used by dog walkers and rambling enthusiasts. The environment is perfect for personal introspection and reflection. There is also plenty of wildlife to observe on the Green Chain walk, as the paths are maintained to have minimal impact upon the surrounding environment. If the current weather persists, we may well take a waterside walk in the next few days along the Thames at Erith. London is fortunate to have so many preserved “green spaces” such as these.