Harlow: A short walk to meet a KGB spy

Bus No 5 from Harlow Bus Station stops at the Princess Alexandra Hospital which is next to the Addison House Surgery.

Parking is available at a small, pay and display, multi storey car park a short way from Addison House Surgery, on the other side of Hamstel road.

[1] From the Addison House Surgery, go out onto Hamstel Road and turn left. Walk along the left pavement. Carefully cross the entrance to the hospital and continue. Soon you will see the entrance to Alexandra House Care Home. Cross this carefully. Just beyond it you will see a turning on your right called Rectory Wood. There is a grass area with a seat at the junction.

[2] Cross carefully over Hamstel Road and turn left to walk along the right hand pavement of Hamstel Road, leaving the seat on your right and following the open green area until you come to the junction with Hodings Road. Here you will see two benches on the corner. An RAF spy used to pass secrets to his KGB handler here.

[3] Follow the pavement round to the right until you come to a cycle/foot path on your right by some concrete bollards with blue bands round them.

[4] Turn right here to follow the pathway through the woods, past a children’s play area, until you come to some houses. Soon you will see a road ahead of you and a bench on your right. Take a rest on the bench as the road goes uphill from here.

[5] When you have rested turn right on Rectory Wood and cross Hamstel Road. Turn left and follow Hamstel Road, crossing carefully over the entrance to Alexandra Care home and the access road to the hospital to return to The Addison House Surgery.

A. The two benches at the corner of Hamstel and Hodings Roads were used as a meeting place for a serving RAF officer turned Soviet spy and his Russian KGB handler. Secrets were sold and the officer later sent to prison.