Two more places I'd not visited before yesterday (for Elstree). The station toilet had been cleaned since yesterday afternoon, so that was nice. I must admit that I'm tired. This thing of doing miles and miles each day without a support team, no massage of an evening, writing your own blog, taking your own photos, even having to cook sometimes (not always I know I know) and having to fight your way through Oyster land at the beginning and end of each day, it's not easy you know (especially when they set fire to Vauxhall station). I even have to remember if I've got enough of my favourite socks clean and ready. Don't feel sorry, I know it's self inflicted :-) A side effect of the lassitude is that there will be no pictures here today but I'll try to make up for it tomorrow. You can always look me up on twitter @runningwomble where there are some photos from today's meanderings.
The weather was glorious yet again but thankfully not too hot. I ditched the jacket again but carried a light fleece for the journey home, and took a camelbak bladder for the first time to up my fluid intake (orange juice 50:50 with water and a pinch of salt is isotonic and cheap).
Elstree is very pretty and I realised that this trip is starting to serve as a tour of other possible places I could live if they're cheaper than KT/TW/SW. This region is looking jolly nice which probably means it's expensive. Better buy some more lottery tickets, I did have some luck with Ernie this week though. They seem to like their topiary; I found a few excellent examples, perhaps it's the soil or a local club?
More friendly people showed their faces as ever. All this nonsense about Londoners being unfriendly is rubbish. I haven't seen a gun, knife or golf ball as yet. Had a chat with chap who had an aged Belgian Shepherd bitch that he was grooming in Woodcock Woods - to keep the mess out of his house but also because the birds take the fur for their nests. He told me a little bit of the history of the area.
Today's mishap of route-finding was not me getting lost but me not keeping on the right page in the book so royally confusing myself! I managed to keep en route and finally worked out what I'd done. It was then a bit deja vu when I had to cover the pages I thought I'd already done.
There were not as many golf courses as yesterday, thank goodness. Lots of woods and nature reserves and beautiful historic towns and villages. Monken Hadley is definitely in win on rollover week territory. Compared to the first couple of days of this walk though, there's definitely a different attitude to litter and how places are kept. I found some polite graffiti, possibly the first and only! It says "Welcome" spray painted over the arch of a bridge over a stream!
The journey home was interesting. I haven't got to planning these as I know the end of each day is at a station and I exercise my right as a Londoner to be able to get back to my gaff by public transport. Finding out yesterday Elstree was on Thameslink was a slight shock. Planning the trip home today without using South West Trains was a nuisance. Sitting on the Piccadilly line I looked up at the map and realised that, already, I'd been to each of the three extremities since I started this walk! That's if you count Hatton Cross as near enough to Heathrow, and I finished Day 2 in Uxbridge. My mind then boggled at how far apart they looked. I know the maps are diagrammatic, but.
Back to Cockfosters tomorrow. SWT is supposed to have fixed Vauxhall and it'll all be fine again.
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