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Walking the London Loop (part 2)
Section 9 Hounslow and Bushy Park, west London
(Photos/words © urban75, 3rd October, 2010)
Here's the second part of our walk - thankfully, it stopped raining for the last five miles.
Shot Tower, built in 1828 for the production of lead shot. The molten lead was dropped from the top of the tower into a water tank below.
The tower now serves as a visitor centre for the London Wildlife Trust.
View from the top.
At the top of the tower. In the winter, there's great views of the surrounding countryside, but in summer the view is mainly obscured by tall trees.
...As you can see!
The tower stands in an area formerly known as Hounslow Gunpowder Mills, which once made some of the finest gunpowder in Europe.
It was a precarious industry, with more than 55 explosions recorded when the mills were operating.
Old sluice gate.
The riverside paths were also flooded by the Shot Tower.
We stopped off at the Fountain Beefeater for some food. Despite its name, there were veggie options available!
Walking into Bushey Park.
This tree looks startled to me.
Some kind of autumnal conker offering on an anthill.
Stag
deer in the park.
Look at the brackets on that!
A very green pond in Bushy Park.
Mushrooms galore.
Entrance to Bushy Park on Hampton Court Road.
Seeing as most of us still had wet feet from our earlier water wading antics and we'd already walked further than expected, we hopped on a bus for the last section into Kingston.
Waiting for the train home - and to get into some dry socks!
« Walks home Hatton Cross to Hounslow (part one) »
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To Bushy Park
Camera: Lumix LX5
