Walking The London Loop: South Oxhey to Hill End
Start: Oxhey Woods Car Park, Oxhey Drive South, Watford, HA6 3EX
Finish: On street parking near Harefield Care Home Hill End Road, Harefield, Uxbridge, UB9 6UX
Distance: 10km (6.4 miles)
Elevation change: + 93m / - 136 m. Net -43m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hillingdon Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
London Coal Duty Posts: 52, 53, 54, 55
Pubs / Cafes on route: Ye Olde Greene Manne, Batchworth Heath, Rickmansworth, WD3 1QB
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East and OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford
Guidebook: The London Loop: Recreational Path Guide
Links: Cycling The London Loop, London Loop - Transport for London, London Loop - Wikipedia, London Loop - Long Distance Walkers Association
- South Oxhey, Oxhey Woods, Moor Park
In our quest to complete the point-to-point trails of the Colne Valley there was one final part of the London Loop to do. Although I had (kind of) completed the London Loop few years ago, it was on bike and took many road diversions to avoid footpaths. This is one example of a section that is not suitable for bikes, so coming back for a walk gave me a new perspective on it.
I chose the car park at South Oxhey Woods as the starting point. This was mainly designed to give us a 10 km walk that finished at Hill End, where the London Loop joins the Hillingdon Trail. This worked well for us as we were able to take 2 cars and leave one at either end. If you’re relying on public transport, then this section wouldn’t make sense.
As with any trip on the London Loop, Colin Saunders’ book is the definitive guide so I’ll leave it to that book to provide the route description.
Next sections of the London Loop:
Clockwise: Stanmore Common to South Oxhey
Anti-clockwise: Hill End to the Grand Union via the Hillingdon Trail, then via the Colne Valley Trail to Yiewsley