A perfect tree, obelisks, gunpowder and bridges

[jodi]

I only attempted one of the suggested tasks for the June challenge, but here is the description:

I did III. Doing Something Different - "Travel to or from your workplace one day using a completely different route to any you've ever used before."

To get to work, I have to cross a river, so to do something different, I decided to not cross the river, but instead to follow it.

In one of the gardens I passed was a monkey puzzle tree and then further on a building that was not exactly a castle, and then I read a sign:

"The Asgill House beech.
A perfect tree,
one of the
great trees of London.
Fagus Sylvatica Pupurea"

At some point I noticed I was between two rivers. Or maybe one was a canal. Anyway, it reminded me a bit of Oxford. I looked at the reflections of trees in the water.

I reached the Old Deer Park, and according to a sign, as I looked at a distant obelisk, I was also looking along the Meridian Line. There were two more obelisks near by.

I saw a sign pointing to Highgate Woods, which was only 25 miles from where I was.

I passed a few bridges, and when I reached Richmond Lock, the bridge seemed so pretty that I could not resist crossing it. It was green and yellow, and there were Canadian geese underneath it.

After crossing the river, I read a sign, and it told me if I continued onwards I would find a gunpowder mill. I decided against it and headed in the opposite direction. I then decided it was time to actually find my way home, and actually it wasn't too far, and soon enough I could smell the familiar tang of the gum tree, and then I was almost home.

A few more photos on Flickr: Flâneur.

Comments

[spiralsheep]

It sounds as if you had an interesting walk. I like your photos, especially the bridge railing seen from below. I also like that you began by not crossing a river and then ended by crossing a river.

[rydra_wong]

That sounds like a marvellous walk!

There's a whole book, The Great Trees of London, which features the Asgill House beech among others. Apparently it was planted in the early 1800s.

(Actually, come to think of it, "visiting the great trees of London" might make an interesting series of walks ...)