A walk across the moor

Staines Moor in winter

31/01/2024 | By Staff | Comments: 0

Two weeks ago we had a few cold days, in southern England. At eight in the morning my car was showing a temperature of -5° C and the sky was clear. This convinced me to go out for a walk, maybe even reach 5,000 steps, or the fabled 10,000; Staines Moor was the obvious choice, since I had not been there for more than six months.

So I went for a walk, Tuesday. Left the village at 8:10, went to the moor, the Staines Moor. The cold had frozen the ground: despite recent rain, most of the mud along the path leading to the entrance of the park was frozen, so I managed to keep my feet dry, despite wearing hiking boots and not wellies.

After the frozen mud, and a couple of large - and not frozen – puddles, I reach the decking that takes to the entrance. It seems to have been extended since I last visited the moor (I did not take any pictures of it).

At the entrance gate I looked around. The Colne had swollen because of recent rain. The moor looked like frozen tundra. I saw no horses or cows, as expected, but also no humans, for the first time ever, here.

Usually I walk to the opposite end, towards Staines. This time, the freezing temperature and the lack of fauna led me to take a shortcut.

I cross the river on the concrete bridge in the northern part of the moor, walk near the mound that was used as a firing range, then reach the beginning of the disused railway. The path is inaccessible, fallen trees block it.

I get out of the moor at the gate near the former railway and come back to Stanwell Moor following the path that runs along the M25.

Back home in exactly 60 minutes, the temperature is now a much more comfortable -2°C.

A second walk

Maybe it's just me, but temperatures below zero and sunshine spur me to (moderate) action, so when I saw the temperature being below zero, three days later, I went to the Staines Moor, again.

This should explain why you are seeing pictures taken in the Southern area of the Moor. This time I went through to Staines, emerging behind the Two Rivers stores, near TK Maxx and Next.