M@London Loop: 2. Cockfosters to Enfield LockThe stagnant ditch of Camlet, a Medieval moated hamlet hidden to the north of Trent Park. We found a druidic shrine on the island, with ribbons and wind chimes and, bizarrely, plastic farm animals. The walk begins at Cockfosters - worth visiting if only to see the Klingon architecture of the platform canopy (not pictured here). Enfield welcomes careful jockeys. As we get closer to Enfield, a sense of being watched creeps up on us. Forty Hall and its lake. The hall houses Enfield Museum. The stable gate of Forty Hall - thought to have been designed by Inigo Jones. Forty Hall sits atop a hill near Enfield. It was built in the 1620s as home to a Lord Mayor. A few hundred metres away from the Loop path, we found this impressive part of Middlesex University. The buildings were used for interrogating prisoners of war during WWII. Another monolith in Trent Park. Towards Enfield, we found the old course of the New River (the man-made watercourse that brought fresh water to London from 1613). The river was diverted in Victorian times. Like last time, we got our fix of small horses. A pleasing chain of low hills provides many impressive views in these parts. Shame the weather wasn't really cooperating. The entrance to Trent Park, just five minutes from Cockfosters. Here we found one of at least three obelisks on the Park. Someone's been reading too much Alan Moore. The Salmon Brook forms a pronounced valley through Enfield Chase. Salmon not pictured.
You soon learn, when attempting to walk the 140-mile circuit of London, that you are at the whim and mercy of the train lines. Part 2 of our journey round the outer fringes of the capital was always going to be a continuation from last time, starting from Chigwell and moving east to Harold Hill. Alas for railworks. Rather than contemplating a series of special bus journeys, we changed our plans and travelled up to Cockfosters instead.
Out on the metatarsals of the Piccadilly Line all is serene. The ancient hunting grounds of Enfield Chase are picture book English countryside. Tits and finches and parakeets dart among the trees. Away from the roads, there's a permanent gurgle from the innumerable brooks and streams. The occasional report of an air rifle is the only human intrusion.
This stretch of the London Loop takes in the landscaped grounds of Trent Park, the hills and woods of Enfield Chase, through places known as Botany Bay and Cuckold's Hill to the less-than-sylvan pavements of Enfield itself. Click through the gallery for a photo tour.
