20260412_No_harm_no_fowl.md (2209B)
1 Topics: motorbike ride-report pond 2 Subject: No harm no fowl 3 Date: Sun Apr 12 16:33:05 2026 4 5  6 7 My quest to visit all the duck ponds in Essex and Hertforshire has 8 involved a lot of looking at Google Streetview, and when I saw [this 9 one near Epping Green](https://maps.app.goo.gl/WsvBYd1mhmxKZXqY8) it 10 looked a bit overgrown and unloved but I figured I'd stop by anyway on 11 the way to pick up new brake pads in Harlow. 12 13 14  15 16 17 Just like the previous pond, there were no ducks - I may have to 18 broaden my selection criteria - but despite that, I am feeling 19 tremendously pleased about having stopped there anyway. It's 20 obviously seen a bit of maintenance since the Google car went past, 21 and was so much lovelier to visit in person than I was expecting. It's 22 sited in a small grassy area with some trees around and it's just 23 ... sort of heartwarming. Probably helped that the sun was out. 24 25  26 27 The pub is across the road and has been closed since 2019, which is a 28 bit of a shame as it would be a lovely place to sit outside with a 29 drink and look across the road. As far as I can tell from the 30 internet there are/were plans to reopen it as a [community pub](https://www.yourharlow.com/2024/12/07/travellers-friend-pub-saved-due-to-permission-for-house-building-in-car-park/) but I found no news on that more recent than Dec 2024. 31 32 From Epping Green to Harlow via a tedious litany of suburban 33 roundabouts, which would have been less faff if my satnav wasn't 34 giving me the silent treatment. Collect brake pads from Sportbikeshop, 35 then a mildly circuitous and much more rural route home via Old 36 Harlow, Matching Tye, Matching Green, Moreton, North Weald Bassett, 37 Epping etc. There's a very nice stretch of road between Harlow and 38 Matching: bendy enough to be fun but open enough that you can see 39 further than one bend ahead. 40 41 I have booked an 42 [ERS](https://www.artridertraining.co.uk/advanced-training/#1) which 43 is happening in about ten days and I hope will be 44 fun/interesting/informative. I'm not going to be at all defensive 45 about having my riding criticised, no, definitely not.