1 hour, 40 minutes.
A grey and misty morning but at least the rain held off.
Over the racecourse and across the Downs.
This is the final straight towards the Grandstand and the finishing post. That's the Grandstand there, lost in the mist. When we got into the middle of the Downs I reckon we could see just 200m in any direction.
No great views today.
The pond at Walton on the Hill.
The Bell. Secluded. Cosy. Closed.
This is a Coal Post. I'd never head of them before. Apparently it cost so much to rebuild London after the Great Fire that a tax was imposed on coal brought into London. Originally this tax was collected at the Port Of London but in 1861, as road and rail transport increased, iron posts were erected around the city to mark the boundary of the area where the levy was payable. Once the debt for rebuilding London was paid off the money went to pay for drianage improvements. Eventually the tax was scrapped altogether in 1890.
After tramping through the woods we come back onto the open Downs.
Another Coal Post at Tattenham Corner. Come to think of it, on a clear day you can see London from around here. And in 1861, one of the first signs of the nearby city would probably have been the smoke from its chimneys.
So, we managed to walk five miles over Epsom Downs on a Sunday morning and not see a single horse and rider! Still, I made it home in time to join the Remembrance Day service.
The rain held off until 11 o'clock on the dot.
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