The London Loop Leg 2
Hatton Cross Station to Uxbridge Station
Saturday, 28th October, 2006 
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The London Loop is a 140 mile walk around London and roughly just inside the M25 (although you do not see it) passing through as many green places as possible such as parks, woods, commons and riverside protected areas. The West Essex Ramblers are covering this in about 10 mile stretches over the winters of 2006/7 and 2007/8. We are following the path through "The London Loop" by David Sharp, ISBN1854107593, œ13 rrp.
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Click photos below for larger image
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Click below for larger image as specified
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Some commentary on the photos,
which is also a reflection on the walk
[Road information is just to help identify where we were].
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1
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From Hatton Cross Station we walked NE beside the A30 and started the walk properly. We were then east of Heathrow Airport and just north of the "Balancing Reservoir" shown on the map in the photo.
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2
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The path followed the River Crane northwards to Cranford and began in a rural setting, as in the top two picts, and then by a park and a small housing estate. Where rural, the aircraft to Heathrow were low and not a real audio intrusion (pict 3), however, over the estate the noise was awful (pict 4).
[We cross the A4 Road].
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3
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Leaving the airport behind us, we walked through a wooded area and then across a meadow to Cranford Park.
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4
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Another map, this time of Cranford Park which sits just beside the M4 motorway. The information map, legible at the largest image, gives a potted history of the area.
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5
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From Cranford Park there is a view showing a distant plane arriving at Heathrow; close to the information map there is St Dunstan's Church and the stable.
Leaving Cranford through a pedestrian subway under the M4 (fought hard for when the motorway was built) we walked a path through trees close to the M4 and then turned away from the road to eventually cross the meadow of pict 4. All this time we have been close to the River Crane.
[We cross a main road to a roundabout and walk north up the A312].
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6
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The Grand Union Canal links the Thames (at Brentford) to the Midlands (via Braunston). Bulls Bridge is the canal junction where the Grand Union's Paddington Arm goes to Paddington Basin. (An Arm is a canal cul-de-sac).
After walking north along the A312 we glimpsed Bulls Bridge to our right. Our route was west along the canal but we went up to Bulls Bridge Junction, paused at the bridge, observed the canal sign to Birmingham and finally retraced our steps and continued along the canal in the westerly direction.
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7
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Not taking notes, I think this was a view up the Paddington Arm from Bulls Bridge. However, I endeavour to find out.
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8
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[Going west, we cross the A437].
We soon left the canal and go North.
This is the golf course in Stockly Country Park and its club house is where we had lunch.
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9
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We turn westwards, and walk across the single pylon bridge which crosses the A408 and links the two halves of Stockly Country Park. Finally we turn South and we rejoin the Grand Union. I think the second photo was the canal to our left, looking east. The third photo is looking west (from a bridge) which is the way we walked: lastly, looking back there is the bridge itself.
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10
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Just a nice tree on the nice walk.
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Still on the Grand Union Canal we reached Cowley Peachy Junction where the Slough Arm goes west. The top RIGHT picture is the bridge we crossed, from right to left, over the Grand Union and then we have a view of the marina in the LEFT picture. This means we have left the main canal and we continue along the Slough Arm passing the bullrushes with an angler (of several we saw here) and then the canal crossed the River Frays seen just below the railings. (NB, I turned round to take this last photo, we were walking with the canal on our right)!
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12
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A coal post, one of many encircling London after the fire of London in 1666, installed for the collection of taxes from coal deliveries.
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At the coal post we turn right onto a footpath (Trout Lane), crossing the canal by a bridge, which today lets us glimpse a dinghy coming along the canal.
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It does not take long before we are walking beside the River Colne and reach a lake (the photo) called Little Britain because its outline is like Great Britain. We stopped here for a drink break.
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We walk along the River Colne and a wide weir appears ahead.
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Reading left to right, a tree appears to our left then, at Clisby's road bridge (B470) we turn right to cross it, and looking back we see a house and garden whilst on the other side of the bridge the path continues on the right of the river: walking beside the river we see a fisherman who has manage to seclude himself on the other bank.
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17
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More river views: the river itself; the path disappearing though a curtain of willow branches; a small area set aside for scramblers (they kindly waited for us to pass through); and autumnal reflections in the river.
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18
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The lone angler - either ... has not care in the world - or ... has come here to get rid of his worries.
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19
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We left the river at a side channel and eventually rejoined the Grand Union canal. There are many narrow boats along the canal near here, I've just picked one of many views, this one includes a tree and a bridge.
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20
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This view, just passed the bridge of picture 19, is where this chap, on my suggestion that this was a three point turn, remarked it was probably more likely to be twenty!
We actually left the canal at this bridge (Rockingham Road) and made our way to Uxbridge station and home.
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