Romwes one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Romwes here.

I walked from Romford to West Hornden, just!
Starting off I took the detour, as suggested by the previous reviewer, and quickly found long residential streets going gently uphill through Emerson park. Going through a field of horses the route joins the London Loop for a short while over some rough ground then uphill through a rocky, rooty gulley before more residential streets. I took a detour through Upminster playing fields which has good views. Down through fields, under the M25 to Hobbs Hole. A huge recently drilled field has no evidence of the path on the map, but taking a bearing got me to the other side to a hedge. Undeterred, I cut my way through onto Warley street (pruning saw and secateurs - standard equipment). Warley street is a narrow, very busy, road with no verge, if there were cars going each way, one had to stop, or run me over, quite scary. Undeterred I carried on and crossed another pathless grass field to a small bridge over a stream. Moss on the bridge indicated few travelers and after a few yards there was thick impenetrable scrub, thick branches indicated no one had been this way for 7+ years. My small saw was not big enough, only smoke could get through. I was deterred.
Back across the bridge I walked for 400m before I found a low fence and a place to leap the stream, another 700m and over another fence got me back to the marked path on the other side of the scrub, and yes, totally blocked that way too. I carried on and munched apples alongside a noisy smelly A127 before turning onto another pathless field to a nutty farmyard with a Phone Tower built on the path, I squeezed past it. The path continues through the industrial estate (no detour needed) along an overgrown path and across a railway line to another vergeless busy road with blind bends, eeek!
The Railway Pub was great, I had intended this to be a lunch stop but it was now 4pm and I'd had enough, never has a Guinness tasted so good.
The previous reviewer enjoyed this walk and I invite them to download the route they took.

This route has countryside and urban paths. Unfortunately the beginning and end are not able to be walked as shown on the map. At the start the alleyway between the houses is locked and inaccessible (see photo). This causes a detour along the main road from Romford station to the first major junction where you must turn left after crossing the dual carriageway via pedestrian crossings at the traffic lights. At the other end of the route the map shows a footpath through the industrial estate opposite West Horndon station. This is also inaccessible due to fencing around the estate. We found an unlocked gate to the left of the path (100m away) and were able to cross the estate to the station. There are some pathways that are indistinct across the fields. I have taken photos but cannot upload all of them here yet. All in all this route takes in some beautiful woods, fields and even a burial ground! It is however not easy with some stiles, steps to bridges and a steep gradient up as you approach Avon Road from the woods at the bottom of River Drive.We did, however, complete it and with the help of photos I am sure others could too.

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