Marvels Wood

With a name like that, it had to be explored!

In the afternoon, Fred and I headed out by train and foot to Chislehurst Caves. These are man-made caves that were first hewn around 1250. There's a maze of tunnels named the Druid tunnels, then there's the Saxon area, the Roman area and several caves from the early 19th century. Our guide was hilarious and had a fantastic radio voice. A few people (including me - yay!) held paraffin lanterns and made our way behind the guide through the tunnels, minding our feet and our heads. There are various carvings throughout the system on the limestone walls. The more recent ones were made by soldiers guarding the overflow of TNT from Woolwich arsenal during the First World War (there were enough explosives stored in the caves to blow Chislehurst and the surrounding area over to France, I would think!) During World War II, 1,500 people sheltered in the caves during the bombing raids - there were shops, a church, a hospital, a hairdresser's, etc. down in the caves, but it was unbearably hot. After the war, gigs were held in the caves - Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie played there amongst many others. Now, it's just a tourist attraction, but a role-playing society holds games down there.

Oh, and there's a ghost, of course. There used to be a prize if you managed to last a full 12 hours by the haunted pool (a woman was drowned there by her husband and it's her ghost that haunts the area). Only one person ever managed it and he said he wouldn't do it again for any amount of money. The prize was £5. The competition closed in 1985 after a competitor fell unconscious and broke and dislocated his shoulder. He doesn't recall what happened. It makes a great story!

We said hello to a very lovely cat outside that lives by the caves. If you visit, sit outside and have a cup of tea. He'll come and sit by you on the picnic bench.

Marvels Wood called after that, just a few minutes' walk north from Chislehurst. It's an ancient woodland of hornbeam and oak that was once grown for shipbuilding. It was fantastic and very far removed from the city. We had it all to ourselves, too!