London Loop Sections 19-21 - Chingford to Havering to Harold Wood
Are things what they seem was our theme today. Can it really take two hours to drive 31 miles to the start of a walk? Yes, I did it. Great practice for mindfulness work as I focussed on relaxation and enjoyment of Beethoven and fought all instincts to get stressed and angry.
Can you walk at a rate of 3.5 miles an hour and then confront 200 yards that takes 40 minutes as you tentatively squelch through thick and deep mud feeling your way along a barb wire fence for purchase to support your footsteps and avoid water in your boots. We did. But then the weather forecast promised sleet and rain and general English winter unpleasantness. We didn't see the sun but we kept dry and for this time of year it was, apart from 200 yards, a wonderful day to walk. 
After ten miles we were ready for lunch. We had wanted to stop at the Kings Head along the way where Charles Dickens had been inspired for Bleak House but the timing was wrong. At the start of our walk at Chingford was the only remaining wooden clad grandstand in the UK used by royalty to observe deer hunts across the chase. Too early for breakfast but we imagined the gathered entourage that would have spent time in finery there in the past. For lunch we landed on the Royal Oak at Havering. 
Rob was ready to sit and recover and anywhere would do. Aching from carrying his golf bag the day before around a muddy Hadley Wood his legs were complaining. I looked inside The Royal Oak and saw an empty lounge bar one customer. I walked back to Rob and suggested we try the other place but I could see he just wanted to sit and a drink and crisps would do.
In we went and were surprised once again that things are not what they seem. Kim greeted us with a lovely friendly smile...behind the bar it said smokers will be clubbed and beaten....but we were walkers so ok with Kim. Could we eat something? Kitchen closed but she offered us a sandwich. One cheese and ham and one tuna mayo doorstep fresh bread sandwich later we had experienced the lunch fare that all future hostelries will be measured by. Perfect. We told Kim what we were doing and she told us about 40 miles in two days last year for cancer research and how she had begged to stop after 19 miles out of 26 on the first day but had been encouraged to complete and had felt so pleased to do so. We are getting better at speaking to people and people are donating to us as we go along. People are so generous and so interesting to talk to. We also talked about identity and myths created by the press and which is which. Some time on the balance of the rights of the individual versus the state, corporation or capital. No final answers on these but many miles yet to work some out.
PS....Boot on front for those wondering from the last blog. We have tee-shirts with a boot on the front and a 1000miles4hope message on the back. Rob and I had agreed one of us should wear the boot on front and one on the back. So when I texted boot on front it was so he would know to put boot on back. But as the last blog says he had no idea what I was talking about.
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