Walks – I Walk Alone

Old farts railway adventure Portchester

When we got off the train at Portchester station, it was hotter than either of us had envisaged. We’d set out on our Old Farts Railway Adventure knowing it would be warm. It was 25 June, after all. We hadn’t expected the sky to be quite so cloudless or the sun so hot, though. From my previous trip with CJ in 2015, I knew it was about a mile from the railway station to the castle. A mile is no distance, and at least I knew the way. Even so, when we passed an old-time bus going to and from the station, I was miffed we hadn’t known about it earlier. It would have saved us a hot walk and brought back memories of hopping on and off the dodgy platform at the back as kids.

Highgate Cemetery ~ West Side Story

If I hadn’t queued for so long to see Marx’s grave, I’d have had time for more than a quick dash around Highgate West Cemetery. I was lucky they let me in at all. The last entry is supposed to be at four thirty, and I ran through the gate at four thirty-six. The gates close at five. In the twenty odd minutes left to me, I abandoned hope of searching out any of the famous graves, stuffed the map into my pocket and climbed the steep stone steps. What I saw would be whatever I stumbled upon.

Highgate Cemetery – so much to see so little time

When I planned my Highgate Cemetery visit, I’d imagined a quiet, contemplative stroll, stopping now and then to read an inscription on a grave. At the gate of the East Cemetery, it was clear this would be an unfulfilled dream. Thanks to the train delays, I had too much ground to cover and no time. Despite the information sheet and a map of the famous graves, the chance of finding more than one or two seemed slim. All I could do was wander in the general direction of the most famous grave, that of Karl Marx, and enjoy whatever I stumbled upon along the way.

An Old Farts London Day Out

On 20 May, one of Commando’s friends was racing at Parliament Hill Fields Athletics Track. A few running friends were going to cheer him on, so it seemed like a golden opportunity for our second Old Farts Railcard adventure. As the track is on Hampstead Heath, not far from Highgate, I was quite excited at the prospect of a cemetery wander. Armed with lots of information about underground trains, cemetery opening times and prices, we set off to Bitterne Station for the first leg of our journey.

Counting time in hours, not minutes

The final Friday of February took me on another Eastleigh wander. This time there was no mist, so I risked the Monks Brook Meadows route. This meant I could walk off-road for most of the journey once I’d left the centre of Eastleigh behind. In no time at all, I’d reached Lakeside Country Park. Instead of skirting the edge as I’d done on my last misty walk, I crossed the tracks of the Lakeside Steam Railway and headed across the centre of the park. At this time of year, the little steam trains only run at weekends, so crossing the track was perfectly safe. If you want to see them, they run daily between 31 May and 1 October, and if you’re wondering what they look like, here’s a post I wrote back in 2017.

A big gun and more change

On 17 February, Commando decided he needed a little sea air, so we drove down to Hamble for a short stroll. For thirty years, he built aircraft in Hamble, so the drive was one he’d made often. Things have changed since we last came this way, though. As February was turning into a month all about change, it seemed fitting that we should document a little more of it.

Mist, bridges, jetties and inspiration

The Millers Pond episode proved to be a turning point, of sorts, for plotting my next book. The Botany Bay, Sholing characters wouldn’t talk to me because the plot didn’t work, no matter how much I tried to make it. As soon as I stopped listening for their voices, I heard the other characters clamouring to have their say. They weren’t in Sholing at all. They were in Eastleigh. On Valentine’s Day, Commando dropped me off outside a foggy Eastleigh Railway Station on his way to work. I hoped walking the five miles home would prove inspiring.

Invasive fish, poisoned water and the environment agency

My second Friday walk of February was mostly about getting inspiration for my next book. Half a plot was whirring around in my head and Miller’s Pond, Botany Bay and Sholing played pivotal roles. Well, they might have, if I could get all the twists and turns untangled in my mind and persuade the characters to speak to me. For some reason, I imagined sitting watching the ducks and coots on the pond might start them chatting or at least inspire me in some way. The first obstacle came when I reached the Miller’s Pond pub.

More Change – the demise of the gasworks

My walk over the bridge at Mount Pleasant on 1 February got me thinking about the old gasworks. I’d seen the gasometer from my rickety perch on the footbridge and wondered how much longer the familiar landmark would be around. For years, there’d been rumblings about the gasometers being demolished since Southern Gas Networks no longer use them and maintaining them is costly. I wrote about them and took several photos on a walk back in 2017. In 2022, when they announced they really were going, local residents had mixed feelings about their demise. Some saw them as an eyesore, others a piece of history. Personally, I sat somewhere in between. I knew the demolition work had started, so on 7 February, I thought I’d have a closer look while there was still a chance.

The cycle of change

The Mount Pleasant footbridge featured in my first novel, Plagued, and I often cross it on my walks. Despite recent makeshift repairs, it has become alarmingly rickety of late, so it was no great surprise to learn it was due to be replaced. Precisely what this entailed wasn’t clear, but I’d heard work would begin in February and involved closing the road. So, on 1 February, I went for one last look before it was too late.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
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8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30