Trespassing

Since I am not at all into sports, I had completely missed the fact that the Wimbledon Tennis Championships are taking place this week and that there are also several major concerts in London, meaning that hotels were either sold out or outrageously expensive. Fortunately, I had an old stash of Hyatt points saved up from my many road trips in the US, so instead of paying £650 for a night at the Andaz Liverpool Street, I redeemed a room for free.

After a sumptuous breakfast at the Andaz, Sofi and I took the bus up to Regent’s Canal for some slow strolling along the green waterways of London, before walking through Shoreditch to my long-time favourite bagel place on Brick Lane. Trying to keep my step count down, we then caught another bus to Bankside for a visit to Tate Modern and a long-anticipated Singaporean lunch at Elizabeth Haigh’s Mei Mei, made famous by Uncle Roger.

Equipped with an iced mocha latte, it was then time to take the Central line all the way to its eastern terminus in Epping. Once there, we ran out of luck. With the roads jammed, our Uber requests were repeatedly turned down and, with no taxis in sight, we had no choice but to drag our bags through the afternoon heat towards our Airbnb. Following Google Maps, we were directed onto a public footpath and across a large fallow field. When we finally reached what Google insisted was the correct address, an angry woman accompanied by a large dog informed us that “this is private property – you have to leave”.

Having become used to the friendliness of people I meet while hiking in the UK, the encounter was a reminder that not everyone is equally welcoming. Fortunately, after a bit more searching, we eventually found The Annex, where Sofi is staying tonight while I head off to run the Essex Way Ultra.

Before sending me off, Sofi’s husband Stefan shared a traditional Irish blessing that I hope to carry with me over the coming 132 kilometres:

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
May rain fall soft upon your fields.
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.