Lost Paths and Curious Horses: An Unplanned Adventure on the London Loop
Date: August 2024
Start: Moor Park, 10.00
Finish: Elstree and Borehamwood, 17.30
Duration: 7h
Distance: 25km
Elevation Gain: 400m
Route Type: Point to Point
Weather: Hot and Sunny
Companions: Nata
There’s no rest day, and this morning we’re already on the move to continue the London Loop after three weeks of pause. We set off again from Moor Park heading east, and we have to travel quite a bit to reach both stations.
The start is calm until Hatch End, and we have no issues with navigation. Then, inadvertently, we head towards Hatch End station, so we need to backtrack and relocate ourselves to get back on track.
A few nettles and thorns don’t scare us; in fact, they make us feel alive. However, the disused paths and "haunted" forests do bring about a certain unease.
There’s also a wasp nest that complicates things a bit. The passage is blocked at the Aldenham reservoir, forcing us to detour onto little-used and hard-to-find trails, where we encounter curious horses that would do anything to pass through the gate with us. We buy our way out with a couple of apples :)