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Blocked Path North of Somersham.
Roy Fabb has told us that the worst of the vegetation overgrowth, that was completely blocking the path that runs along the old railway line between Somersham and Chatteris, has been cleared. However, it remains to be completely opened up, according to the latest report.
New Path at The Cockshut
The work to divert the Cockshut into a large wetland area has been completed and the footpath is now open. (Book 1: page 6 - middle of middle paragraph and map on page 7) The directions are essentially unchanged except that having passed through the kiss gate, you will find a fork in the path. Going straight on takes you along the GMT as before, which now includes crossing three new bridges. Going right takes you past a new information board and onto the path along the new embankment that has been created to contain the re-routed stream. Take this if you have time (you end up at the same place as the “proper” route) and enjoy a riot of wild flowers and wide views of the Ouse valley, including a rather splendid view of Lewes castle high on the hill ahead.
Blocked Path at Chelsham Court Farm
Last year we found out that the path through Chelsham Court Farm had been blocked since November 2022 and is not due to reopen until November of this year (2024) (Book 1: page 48 - middle of page). This is because of unspecified work being carried on adjacent to the path. The best way round appears to be by following the road north for 500m to Broom Farm and then follow the path going left in order to get back on the main route after about 200m.
More about Bluntisham’s Meridian Markers
In September of 2023, David Gedye invited us to “officially” inaugurate the new markers placed next to the Oak tree which had been planted by David Hiam around 1965. See below for more information about the new markers, and for pictures of the markers and the opening ceremony go to the Updates page for Book 3.
Somersham Quarries Restoration
Take a look at the Updates page for Book 3 where you will find a map showing the extensive work done to restore the land at the old quarries north of Somersham.
Somersham Quarries Flooded Path
When we walked this stretch earlier on this year (2024) we discovered that the lake had flooded and blocked the path. We put this down to all the rain early on in the year and found a way round through the fields to the west. We have just heard that the flooding persists and the way through impassable. Roy Fabb has provided a very useful map showing an easy way round the flood which handily includes a cafe at a garden centre, en-route. Why the lake remains engorged is unclear and the land owner has not been helpful when it comes to resolving the issue. It sounds as though this problem will persist for some time. The way out onto Parkhall Road is through a gate on the left some 200 m before the waters edge, to the left of where the picture below is taken from. The hazy nature of the map is because of interface incompatibilities.
New updates for Book 1.
Changes to the path out of Iford.
At the bottom of page 4 going over to page 5, the directions take you to Norton Barn where you turn right along a narrow, enclosed path and then go over a stile and follow the path with the hedge on the right. There is now the option of following a new, broad and smooth cycle track beside the narrow path which goes through the trees ahead and which then continues along the route of the GMT to the post beside a large manhole cover. Here the new cycle track turns left but the GMT bears right. It is an easier walk which, as far as we can ascertain, is part of a new cycle route between Lewes and Newhaven called the Egret Way.
An opportunity to collect another Meridian Marker near Bromley.
The aim of our trail is for for everybody to have as pleasant and interesting a time as possible whilst following its meandering route. Way back in 2007 when we were first finding our way out of Bromley (page 56) we chose to follow a quiet side road rather than the noisy main road for our route. It has now been brought to our attention by the Ravensbourne Residents Association that in so doing we missed a meridian marker on Farnaby Road. Go to the Updates page for Book 1 for directions to the marker and how to get back onto the trail a little further on. As it happens, although we have not had a chance to follow this diversion, it does look as though Farnaby Road, which branches off the main road, is probably just as quiet as our chosen route.
New updates for Book 2.
Finding your way out from Hollow Pond.
The directions in the guidebook (page 10 - paragraph 2) no longer make sense because the trees have grown so much that they obscure the view of the chimneys of Whipps Cross Hospital. Better directions are - When you get to the far side of the pond, the best option is to follow the right-hand path at any forks in the path you come to. This should bring you out onto the path on the outer edge of the woods and thence to the broad gravel path marked by a finger post with a yellow (not green) arrow and a GMT waymark.
Clarification north of Braughing
Line 3 of the second paragraph instructs you -”at the corner of the field turn left -”. The vegetation has grown so much since that was written in 2008 that it is no longer possible to see the field referred to, let alone see that you are at a corner. Better directions are - “at track junction turn left and -”.
Go to the update page for Book 2 for new directions and for all recently added updates.
New route at Old Bolingbroke and Hareby.
We have now placed new waymarks for the new route beginning on the edge of Old Bolingbroke where the new route is keeping ahead along the road and not going right along a footpath towards the village centre. See the updates page for Book 4 for the new directions and a few more details below.
New Route over the A14
We have now placed new waymarks for the new route between Lolworth and Swavesey which makes use of the new bridge over the A14 and avoids a lot of tedious road walking. In the centre of Lolworth the new route stays ahead instead of turning left. See the update page for Book 3 for the new directions.
At the bottom of the page you will find a picture of the waymarks for the new route sections.
New Sea Barrier at Sand le Mere.
The work on the new barrier at Sand le Mere (Book 4: pages 46 and 47) has been completed. As you can see from the picture below (taken from Google Streetmap) it is immediately beside the road and David Reynolds tells us that there is a door through the barrier that takes you without any problems onto the path that runs beside Tunstall Drain. See below for more information about how the new barrier will affect the end of the trail and see pictures at the bottom of the page of the barrier under construction.
The lower-left picture shows that the gate is shut, contrary to David Reynold’s report which was just after the completion of its construction. Access to the path is easily reached by walking a few yards up the road and then along the path behind the right-hand barrier. The middle picture shows the sluice through which the Tunstall Drain flows away from the sea and the gate which can be lowered to prevent sea water escaping inland, which is the whole purpose of the new barrier.
Francois Remodeau - Hiking down the Greenwich Meridian
On the 2nd of May 2022 we met Francois in Newhaven after he had spent the previous month hiking down the GMT, starting at Sand le Mere on the 2nd of April 2022. He was about embark on a sailing yacht that had travelled from France in order to carry him across the channel so that he could continue down the Greenwich Meridian in France and then in Spain. This was not his first expedition, having hiked in Bolivia and along the Pyrenees. He was carrying everything he needed, including a tent, in a huge rucksack. Most of the time he slept in the tent, sometimes “wild” and sometimes in campsites.
Francois completed his marathon trek in October. See below for a link to his comprehensive and entertaining blog.
Presenting Francois with a GMT badge
Hilda, Fred, Charles, Michel and Francois with the boat moored up behind.
Follow Francois’s adventure on his blog at - escapadez-vous.blogspot.com
Catch up with another man’s experience of the GMT
at - Starting the Greenwich Meridian Trail | Snowgood's Blog (wordpress.com)
Boston Diversion
Because of the construction of the Boston tidal barrier there is a long diversion through the industrial estate next to the river. According to the barrier web site, the work is 75% complete and the barrier itself is functioning and can be raised in 20 minutes. Of more interest, is the work that is being done on the banks of The Haven to raise the level of the flood defences and consolidate the work on the barrier. We last visited in June 2024 and discovered that the path along the bank of the Haven is blocked off from where it comes out on the road into the centre of town, beside the lock, for about 1 km downstream. This is likely to last for another two years. The diversion through the industrial estate is now clearly signposted with red Footpath 14 signs along the route.
The right-hand picture shows where the diversion begins, where the old and new sea banks come together, and the left-hand picture shows the red Footpath 14 sign where the path comes out onto the road beside the lock.
Bus telephone number change in Book 4
The phone number that you ring for the local bus service to many of the villages walked through in Book 4 has changed (from 0845 ) to 0345 234 3344. Also, we have discovered that you need to register in order to use the service which you can do by ringing that number and following the options. We have been informed that vistors can become temporary members but we have not explored that option ourselves. Clearly, if you are planning to use the service a little foreward planning is required.
Watch this space
More about the Waymarks
Having stumbled upon a couple of blogs about the GMT (not being very savvy in this area) we discovered that the little section about waymarks in the About page is not clear enough about where the waymarks are placed and, perhaps more importantly, where we have not been able to place them. In the country parts of the route, we have been given permission to us the signposts erected by the Rights of Way Departments of the County Councils. Thus, how frequently waymarks can be found en-route depends to a great extent on where those posts are. We avoid placing waymarks on private property without having first obtained permission, so long gaps between waymarks is sometimes unavoidable. Permission has now been granted by Epping Forest so there are now some waymarks along that section of the trail (Book 2 pages - 10 to 16) including where we have been able to make use of an occasional PROW signpost. We have failed to obtain permission from Ashdown Forest (B00k 1 pages - 26 to 28) so most of the route through the forest is without waymarks.
There are no waymarks in any part of London as we have only just managed to place the waymarks as they are. Our next task is to approach all the local authorities along the route in London and ask them for permission to place waymarks on some of their posts. We have already done this for the towns and villages in East Sussex, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire where the County Highway Authorities have given us permission to use their signposts.
In summary - you will not find waymarks in Ashdown Forest, towns and villages in West Sussex, all of London and towns and villages in Essex, Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire.
If that concerns you, then the answer is to buy the guidebooks in which you will find a clear and concise description of the route specifically written to ensure that you do not get lost even in the absence of waymarks.
Willow Farm - Chatteris - update.
The footpath behind Willow Farm (Book 3, page 17) continues to cause considerable difficulties for walkers. We walked the path in April this year (2024) and it was quite clear. However, the nettles do grow quickly and it does not take long for the path to become unpleasant to walk along. Sadly, the council can only clear the path twice a year so it is more than likely that there will be nettles. Be prepared, wear long trousers, find yourself a large stout stick, take some secateurs with you and give yourself time to beat your way through. It is just a short section but you will remember it. Please take care climbing the steps up the bank to the road, walking across the bridge on the side of the busy road and scrambling down the bank on the other side where the steps are small and not easy to walk down.
Sand le Mere
What may happen to the end of the trail.
Now that the new barrier has been completed the route of the GMT, for the present, is unaltered until such time as the sea breaches the present embankment, probably at exactly the place where the Greenwich Meridian crosses at the end of the trail. The path beside the drain will then be engulfed by the sea, but probably only intermittently as it is anticipated that sand dunes may well form and protect the land around the drain which will, however, become salty marshland. We cannot see how the present path can survive and it will, presumably, be diverted, how is impossible to say.
See how narrow the sea embankment has become.
Here it is non-existent. This must be the place where the sea comes through with the next big storm.
Another route through Bluntisham
In 2022 David Gedye got in touch with us and pointed out that to the west of the village there is an oak tree that was planted on the Greenwich Meridian by David Hiam in about 1965. David and some of his friends have now placed three new markers by the tree and also installed a “human” sundial. If you are minded to collect another Meridian Marker then you may well enjoy this pleasant diversion but do follow the route back to the weather station in the middle of the village. Find his route on the update page for Book 3 together with some pictures of the markers.
Book 1
Those of you who have never walked The Downs before should be aware that sloping wet chalky-paths can be very slippery indeed. Even chalk-paths on the level should be treated with care if they are rutted and uneven. Wet chalk can make for a surface that is as slippery as black ice.
On page 5, three lines from the bottom of the page, you are directed to " Drop down to the edge of the field ago through kiss gate and down the steps to the road" Apart from noting the slight typo, you will now find that a new road has been built (to the fishing lakes) which involves you in the additional effort of opening and closing two gates in order to cross that road. Hard work indeed.
Of much more interest, on the following page at the start of the directions, you will find that the narrow and unpleasant path has been replaced with a new cycle track which is an utter delight to walk along. We think that it is part of the Egret Way, a new cycle track which will link Newhaven to Lewes when fully completed.
We would just like to remind you that the road to the old Lewes Racecourse (page 12, line 4) is a private road and the owners are in dispute with the local council about the crossing next to the old course. The owners do not object to walkers on the GMT crossing the road but do ask that you do not stray off the marked route.
See above and the Updates page for Book 1 for a detour to see a meridian marker as you leave Bromley.
Book 2
There is a minor change to the route in the middle of Stratford (page 8, first paragraph). The interesting metal sculpture has been moved so that you now pass it on your left and go straight across the road coming from the stations on the left to continue ahead up the High Street.
Graham Law got in touch to ask about an apparent anomaly in the directions in the middle of the top section of directions on page 14. Having crossed the A1009 and crossed the golf fairway he was at a loss where to go then. This led us to review the route on Google Maps and we discovered that the marked route on the map on page 15 diverges from the route directions for the GMT around Woodford Golf Course. There are no public footpaths in that part of Epping Forest and ordinary paths on OS maps are shown by small black dots which can be (just) seen running from the number 36 below The Lops (in the middle of the map), diagonally upwards through the W and G of Woodford Golf Course. That is the route of the GMT which is clearly seen on Google Maps, including the “path that curves sharply left”. Of interest as well, the rides mentioned in the directions are not public bridleways so are not shown as bridleways on OS maps. And finally, whenever we have walked through Epping Forest, the white topped posts marking a ride are not always easily discerned, which is polite way of saying - often not there.
In Standon (page 36 - line 1) the pelican crossing on the A120 has been removed. It is easiest to walk up to the junction with Station Road before crossing the road.
Book 3
See the new route from Lolworth to Swavesy, making use of the new bridge over the A14, on the updates page for Book 3.
Where you will also find the alternative route through Bluntisham by David Gedye.
And a map of the extensive restoration work carried out at the quarries north of Somersham
Book 4
We have been informed that a waymark on the path approaching Louth (page 24) is pointing the wrong way, apparently into a hedge. More news when we manage to get up there to investigate.
Please be aware that there is no longer a direct bus service between Cleethorpes and Hull (page 40). You now have to take a bus or train to Barton-Upon-Humber and then take a bus to Hull.
Tetford now has a Meridian Marker, placed there for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It is just a few metres down the road by the church, on the left-hand side.
For the new route through Old Bolingbroke and Hareby, see the update for pages 8 and 11 on the updates page for book 4.
Latest updates - August 2024
Header Photo: Boulder Clay Cliffs at Sand le Mere.
