Sponsored Walk - 2010
A Walk in the ParkAdd “the weather on an English Bank Holiday” to Benjamin Franklin’s notion that “nothing in this world can be said to be certain except death and taxes” and you might be surprised to find that at least on August Bank Holiday 2010 the weather dawned fine and bright – if a little chilly for the season. So it was that approximately fifteen good souls from All Saints’ and S. Saviour’s assembled in Richmond Park ready to take on their Annual Sponsored Walk. Before the ‘off’, Stephen regaled us with a few useful facts about the park – its size – 955 hectares (almost three times the size of Central Park in New York), its six hundred head of deer (fallow and red), the ten listed buildings contained within its walls, and something of its history, including its enclosure under Charles I in 1637 and its current status as both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve as well as, somewhat surprisingly, a Special Area of Conservation for the Stag Beetle.
Thus endowed with this new knowledge, we set off with the aid of a specially prepared map and the natural homing instincts of Stephen to keep us on track! Ring-Necked Parakeets - of which the park supports a large colony – soared in the trees above us and seemed to cackle as we soon had doubts about which path to follow.
Human beings seem to have a habit of carving out paths in a myriad of directions, and once confronted by such a divergence of tracks and an unbroken vista of bracken and oak it is only too easy to lose all sense of direction.
But undaunted, we strove on past grazing stags and majestic oaks in what we hoped was the general direction of Pen Ponds.
Then, in a scene reminiscent of the meeting of Dr. Livingstone and Stanley, Father Christopher appeared and quickly assured us that we were, in fact, exactly on our intended course.
Pen Ponds marked the half way stage of the expedition. These two large stretches of water – more facts from Stephen – are the largest ponds on the park and are separated by a track and embankment. Originally dug as gravel pits, they took their present form at the end of the 1600’s and now support a large variety of birds and aquatic life as well as providing pumped water for the stream running through the Isabella Plantation. During the last war they were drained lest they should become a marker for Luftwaffe bombers.
Onwards and upwards now as we climbed beyond the ponds and headed for the Isabella Plantation. This plantation – a delight in May when the rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom - was fenced off in 1831 by Lord Sidmouth. It was carved out of the area shown on 1771 maps as Isabella Slade, a name which is thought to be a corruption of the word isabel which was used as far back as the 15th Century to mean dingy or greyish-yellow – the colour of the soil in this part of the park. The present plantation is some 42 acres in size and its present form is largely the work of George Thompson who was the Park Superintendent from 1951-1971.
Even though the plantation is mainly green at this time of year, it is none the less very beautiful and, having walked the length of the stream that meanders through the wide variety of trees and shrubs, the area by Peg’s Pond formed an ideal spot to enjoy our picnic lunches.
Fed and watered, it was time to bid farewell to Father Christopher and to retrace our steps to Kingston Gate. By now, a lack of breeze and the increasing warmth of the afternoon sun – plus a general lack of fitness in some cases! – was causing the pace to slow, and the return leg was more of a gentle amble than a walk.
Nevertheless we all made it back to our starting point having had a thoroughly enjoyable day and hopefully having raised a considerable sum for both our churches.
Many thanks to all our sponsors, to Stephen our Guide,to those who prepared maps etc of the route and, of course, to all those who took part in the walk