“LonDone” is the name for completing the full set of 64 parkrun events in Greater London. There’s 2 other terms: “LonDone +” and “LonDone ++” that have been widely debated in the various parkrun social media forums.

• LonDone + is generally seen as being all parkrun events within the M25. There are currently 14 parkrun events that are within the M25 but outside of Greater London or a total of 78 events within the M25.

• Up to now I’ve ignored LonDone ++ as a lot of the definitions have felt a bit arbitrary. However, one definition that I like is that it includes events that are outside of the M25 but have a Voronoi area that crosses inside the M25. This includes a further 10 parkrun events making a total of 88 events that have part of their Voronoi area within the M25. Note that different parkrun apps have slightly different calculations for their Voronoi apps. For this page I’ve used the Voronoi map from the Running Challenges Chrome Extension. The 5k app shows the Voronoi area for Thurrock as being completely outside of the M25, so would only count 9 rather than 10 LonDone ++ events.

See the main LonDone page for details of all parkrun events within Greater London.

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LonDone +: parkrun events within the M25

Event (County, Region)

• Aldenham (Hertfordshire, East of England)

• Banstead Woods (Surrey, South East England)

• Brooklands (Surrey, South East England)

• Cassiobury (Hertfordshire, East of England)

• Dartford (Kent, South East England)

• Dartford Heath (Kent, South East England)

• Gunpowder (Essex, East of England)

• Hazelwood (Surrey, Middlesex, South East England)

• Leavesden Country (Hertfordshire, East of England)

• Nonsuch (Surrey, South East England)

• Rickmansworth (Hertfordshire, East of England)

• Roding Valley (Essex, East of England)

• South Oxhey (Hertfordshire, East of England)

• Swanley (Kent, South East England)

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LonDone ++: parkrun events with a Voronoi area crossing the M25

Event (County, Region)

• Black Park (Buckinghamshire, South East England)

• Brentwood (Essex, East of England)

• Homewood (Surrey, South East England)

• Jersey Farm (Hertfordshire, East of England)

• Lullingstone (Kent, South East England)

• Mole Valley (Surrey, South East England)

• Reigate Priory (Surrey, South East England)

• Squerryes Winery (Kent, South East England)

• St Albans (Hertfordshire, East of England)

• Thurrock (Essex, East of England)*

*The 5k app shows the Voronoi area for Thurrock as being completely outside of the M25, so would only count 9 rather than 10 LonDone ++ events.

Maps below: red line shows the M25, blue polygon shows the Voronoi area of the parkrun.

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More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:

• Middlesex parkrun and the Eel Pie Pilgrimage

• Completing all parkruns in South-East England

• parkrun Compass Club

• parkrun Alphabet Challenge

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The boating lake at Regents Park, once fed by the River Tyburn

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Start: Hampstead Underground Station, Hampstead High Street, London NW3 1QG
Finish: Westminster Pier, London SW1A 2JH, United Kingdom
Distance: 10.1 km (6.3 Miles)
Elevation change: +47m / -150m. Net -103m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Regents Canal Towpath, Jubilee Greenway, Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk, Thames Path
Other Routes Touched (cycle): C27, 3, 56
Map: OS Explorer 173 London North
Guidebooks: London's Lost Rivers: A Walker's Guide, London's Lost Rivers, London's Hidden Rivers: A walker's guide to the subterranean waterways of London
Links: River Tyburn, Hampstead, Shepherd’s Well, Swiss Cottage, Regents Park, Baker Street, Mayfair, Green Park, Westminster

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For today's London lost river trip we met up with some friends at Hampstead Tube station to walk the route of the old River Tyburn. The Tyburn, once a vital artery of London, now flows silently beneath the bustling city. Originally a meandering stream that provided water and powered mills, its course now follows a network of sewers. Despite its disappearance, the Tyburn's legacy lives on. Its path can be traced through street names and subtle dips in the land, while its past function is remembered in landmarks like Buckingham Palace, which it once flowed beneath. Though hidden from sight, the River Tyburn remains a fascinating reminder of London's ever-changing landscape.

From Hampstead Tube Station follow the A502 Hampstead High Street in a south-easterly direction then take a right onto Shepherds Walk. Continue onto Spring Walk and follow it all the way to Fitzjohn’s Avenue. Take a left onto Spring Path and follow it to the junction with Shepherd’s Path. This junction is the approximate location of the source of the River Tyburn.

Take a right onto Shepherd’s Path and follow it back to Fitzjohn’s Avenue. Here you’ll find Shepherd’s Well, a former source of drinking water and now an early artifact of the route of the Tyburn. Continue south along Fitzjohn’s Avenue where you’ll pass the statue of Sigmund Freud on the corner with Belsize Lane. At the Swiss Cottage Junction continue in a south-easterly direction onto the B525. You could either follow this straight to Regent’s Park or, to keep closer to the route of the old river, take a right onto Norfolk Road, a left onto Woronzow Road, a right onto St Johns Wood Terrace and a left onto Charlbert Street. Cross over Prince Albert Road and cross over Bridge #8 on the Regent’s Canal to enter Regent’s Park.

Head south through Regent’s Park and along-side the western side of the boating lake which was once filled by the Tyburn. Exit the park onto Baker Street just before the footbridge that leads to Regent’s University. Head south along Baker Street, then over the A501 into Marylebone. The area takes its name from the River Tyburn and the nearby St Mary’s Church (“St Mary’s on the bourne” = Marylebone). The route of the Tyburn meanders south through Marylebone and across Oxford Street (known as Tyburn Road in the eighteenth century) at Bond Street. Continue south into Mayfair and take a moment to stop at Gray’s Antiques Market where’s it’s claimed that the river still runs through its basement.

At New Bond Street then route of the Tyburn curves to the south-west taking you along Curzon Street and White Horse Street to Piccadilly. Cross over into Green Park and cross the park in a south-easterly direction to Buckingham Palace. The Tyburn flows under the Palace, emerging on the south side near Ambassador’s Court. Here the Tyburn splits into two with one section flowing south to Pimlico and another branch west to Westminster.

We chose to follow the Westminster branch, following the route along Buckingham Gate, Caxton Street, Dacre Street, Victoria Street and onto Parliament Square. Cross the grass centre of Parliament Square towards Westminster Bridge, then walk north on the Embankment to Westminster Pier. The unmarked confluence of the Tyburn and Thames is approximately at the spot of the Protected View to St Paul’s Cathedral.

View fullsize

View fullsize

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The Eastern Source: Belsize Park to Charlbert Street

Start: Belsize Park Underground, Haverstock Hill, London, NW3 2AL
Finish: Drunch Pub Regent's Park, 38 St John's Wood Terrace, London, NW8 6LS
Distance: 3.3 km (2 Miles)
Elevation change: +6m / -35m. Net -29m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched: None
Links: Belsize Park

Having walked the Hampstead to Westminster branch of the Tyburn I wanted to visit the alternative sources at Belsize Park and the eastern confluence at Pimlico. I used OpenStreetMap as a guide as some layers show the route of the Tyburn. There’s actually 2 eastern sources shown at Belsize Park, one near the Everyman Cinema on Haverstock Hill and the other in the ground of Hillfield Court off Belsize Avenue. Both are within a few minutes of Belsize Park Underground Station.

To follow the course of the Tyburn from the eastern sources, find the junction of Glenloch Road and Glenmore Road. Follow Glenmore Road in a south-westerly direction, take a left onto Glenilla Road, then a left onto Belsize Park Gardens. Here the course of the river cuts under the terraced houses so you need to take a longer route round to pick up Lancaster Drive on the southern side. Follow Lancaster Drive south, right onto Lancaster Grove, left onto Strathray Gardens, right onto Eton Avenue and left onto King’s College Road. Here the course goes through a private estate. From the map it looked like you could walk through the estate, but I choose a slightly longer route around via Winchester Road and Harley Road to pick up the course again at Wadham Gardens. Take a right onto Elsworthy Lane, a left on to Avenue Road, right onto Acacia Road, left onto Woronznow Road, and a right onto St Johns Wood Terrace.

According to OpenStreetMap, this branch of the Tyburn merges with the Hampstead branch at the junction of St Johns Wood Terrace and Charlbert Street. The junction is flanked by the Drunch Pub and a hairdressers.

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The Pimlico Branch: Buckingham Palace to Grosvenor Road

Start: Gates to Ambassadors’ Court, Buckingham Palace, London, SW1A 1AA
Finish: Thames Path by Tyburn House, 140c Grosvenor Rd, Pimlico, London, SW1V 3JY
Distance: 2.1 km (1.3 Miles)
Elevation change: +12m / -18m. Net -6m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Thames Path
Other Routes Touched (cycle): NCN 4, C8
Links: Buckingham Palace, Pimlico

To pick up the Pimlico Branch, return to Ambassadors’ Court on the south side of Buckingham Palace. The main walk detailed about heads west from here to Westminster. Instead we’ll continue south through Westminster, Victoria, Pimlico and to the confluence with the Thames.

From Ambassadors’ Court, cross over the A3124 Buckingham Gate and walk south down a small alleyway, also called Buckingham Gate, then take a right onto Stafford Place. Continue south, crossing Palace Street, along Cathedral Walk and onto the A302. Follow Carlisle Place briefly then divert onto King Scholar’s Passage to stay closer to the course of the Tyburn. Cross over Vauxhall Bridge Road and onto Upper Tachbrook Street then Tachbrook Street. At Pimlico Underground Station, cross over Lupus Street and follow Aylesford Street to Grosvenor Road that runs parallel to the Thames. Take a left onto Grosvenor Road and follow it for ~100 metres to find Tyburn House on the south side of the road. Take the alleyway to the Thames Path to meet the confluence of the Tyburn with the Thames. You’ll find it marked by a slate plaque by artist Paul Mason listing key points along the course of the Tyburn.

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The Tyburn Tree and Tyburn Convent

The Tyburn Tree and Tyburn Convent are fascinating places to visit after the walk.

For over 600 years, the Tyburn Gallows loomed over London as a grim symbol of punishment. Nicknamed "The Deadly Never Green Tree," this wasn't an actual tree but a permanent, three-pronged wooden scaffold where public executions took place. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, thousands met their demise here for crimes ranging from petty theft to treason. The process could be gruesome, with condemned souls hanged, then sometimes even drawn and quartered as a chilling deterrent to onlookers. Though a morbid landmark, the Tyburn Gallows offer a glimpse into London's harsh past and the evolution of justice. Today, a solitary plaque marks the spot where countless fates were decided.

Around 300m west of the Tyburn Gallows is the Tyburn Convent. Built in the early 1900s, it serves as a shrine to the Catholic martyrs executed there during the Reformation. The convent houses a community of nuns, the Tyburn Nuns, devoted to perpetual adoration and the legacy of these martyrs. Visitors can explore the poignant Crypt of the Martyrs, learn about the gruesome history of the site, and experience a place of solace and reflection.

The Tyburn Tree and Convent are not directly on the route of the old River Tyburn. They can be visited either as a diversion when crossing over Oxford Street or via a short Tube ride at the end from Westminster to Marble Arch with a change at Bond Street.

Links: Tyburn Tree, Tyburn Convent

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More London posts

City of London Boundary Walk

Cycling The Capital Ring

Cycling The London Loop

London Borough Tri-points

London's Coal Duty Posts

London's High Points

London's Protected Views

parkrun: LonDone

Walking The London Loop and Capital Ring

Walking The River Fleet

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City Road Basin east of Angel

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Start: Paddington Station, Praed St, London W2 1RH
Finish: Limehouse DLR Station, Commercial Rd, London, E14 7JD
Distance: 16.3 km (10.1 miles)
Elevation change: + 86 / -110m. Net -24m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Jubilee Greenway
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 1, C1, 2, 6, 13, 27
Pubs / Cafes on route: Loads. It’s London.
Map: London North Map | The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 173
Links: Regent’s Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust), Paddington Basin, Little Venice, Camden Lock, Islington Tunnel, Limehouse Basin

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The Regents Canal is a 13.8km waterway that links the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal at Little Venice with the River Thames at Limehouse Basin in the east of London. I’ve cycled or walked bits of it over the years but never a full end-to-end walk. So, with canals being the theme of our weekend adventures this winter, Timea and I set out to walk it.

Being in the north of London there’s excellent public transport links to the start and end. You can also cut the walk into smaller sections, returning to nearby tube or bus stops along the way to pick up where you left off. On a long summer’s day we might have tackled it all in one go. With a winter walk on shorter days and wanting to take our time through the interesting parts, we cut it in two using King’s Cross St Pancras as our middle-point. Navigation is very easy as you’ll be following the towpath, however there’s a few sections of tunnel where you’ll need to follow them above ground. The Juiblee Greenway follows the route of the canal and is well-signed, so follow the ground-level markers to keep on track.

We chose a west to east route starting from Paddington Station. There’s an exit near the Hammersmith and City Line platforms that leads directly onto the canal. Rather than start there we exited Paddington at the southern entrance to walk down Praed Street to start at Paddington Basin. The Basin had completely changed since I first went there as a child with my Dad on our many London outings. Back then it was unloved patch at the back of St Mary’s Hospital where my dad was born. Now it’s a busy and lively development of apartments, businesses and restaurants.

From Paddington Basin follow the canal for 1km to the junction with the Regents Canal at Little Venice. The bridge at Westbourne Terrace Road also brought back memories as it was the finish point of my first Ultra Marathon back in 2015. Once over the bridge and onto the northern side of Browning’s pool you’re on the Regent’s Canal.

For the first section you’ll need to keep off the towpath for a while as the Lisson Road Moorings are a private section, then you need to pass above-ground for ~250m over Maida Hill Tunnel. Once over the tunnel you can keep to the towpath for 5.4km to the Islington Tunnel at Angel. Along the way you’ll pass through the the back of London Zoo at Regent’s Park, Camden Lock and the redeveloped area to the back of Kings Cross.

When you reach the Islington Tunnel leave the towpath and follow the Jubilee Greenway south down Penton Street then east along Chapel Market to Angel. Cross over Upper Street and follow Duncan Street in an easterly direction to return to the Regent’s Canal towpath. This eastern section is quieter but no-less interesting. You’ll need to leave the path for food and drink but there’s good options along the way. We found a great cafe at the start of Broadway Market in Hackney just a couple of minutes off the path.

The final stretch passes along the edges of Victoria Park and Mile End Park before finishing at Limehouse Basin. Our original plan was to walk around the basin but it was getting dark so we cut straight across to Limehouse DLR to return home. We did get some great shots of Canary Wharf and friends lit up in the background. We’ll return another day to revisit the basin and walk the Hertford Union Canal and Limecut Cut.

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The Bridges

Bridge numbers counting up from 1 at Little Venice to 64 near Limehouse Basin. Not all bridges have numbers on them.

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Start: Slough Station, Railway Terrace, Slough, SL1 1XW
Finish: West Drayton Station, Station Approach, West Drayton UB7 9DY
Distance: 10 km (6.2 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 28m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Colne Valley Trail, Beeches Way, Shakespeare’s Way, Celandine Route, London Loop
Other routes touched (cycle): Grand Union Canal Towpath, NCN 61
London Coal Duty Post: 69
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several in West Drayton High Street
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East and OS Explorer Map (160) Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell
Links: Slough Arm Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust) Slough, Langley, Iver, Yiewsley, West Drayton, Colne Valley Regional Park,

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The Slough Canal is an arm that branches off from the main Grand Union Canal at Yiewsley in Hillingdon, Greater London. It was opened in 1882, primarily to serve the brick industry. The arm closed to commercial traffic in 1960 and re-opened in 1975. There have been plans to extend the canal to join the River Thames between Windsor and Maidenhead, but that feels unlikely to happen.

I’ve cycled the Slough Arm on many occasions and crossed over it on other walks but, until now, hadn’t walked the whole length. It runs parallel to the GWR mainline and Elizabeth Line which makes it easy to walk as a single point-to-point between stations. We started at Slough Station and finished at West Drayton, with a short ride on the Elizabeth Line back to the start.

Leave Slough Station at the north entrance onto Railway Terrace and walk west to join the B416. Follow the B416 in a northerly direction to find the entrance to the canal basin on the right hand side of the road shortly after St. Paul’s church. The first 4km runs between a mix of residential and light industrial areas. There’s a lot of rubbish along the way despite the best efforts of the Friends of The Slough Arm local community group.

After the Langley park Road Bridge (#7), the canal becomes a parking area for boats lined up for the repair yard at bridge #6 at Hollow Hill Lane. From here the canal enters the Colne Valley Regional Park and soon joins the Beeches Way and Shakespeare’s Way. The towpath passes under the M25, then over the Colne Brook, River Colne and Frays River. Watch out for the two WW2 Pill Boxes that guard the rivers and the Coal Duty Post by the footbridge carrying the London Loop.

By the time you reach the junction with the Grand Union Canal you’ll have passed through Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, the Historic County of Middlesex and into the Greater London Borough of Hillingdon. When you reach the main line of the Grand Union, cross over the footbridge and take a right to follow the towpath for 800m to the West Drayton High Street Bridge. Leave the canal and cross the bridge to reach the end of the walk at West Drayton Station.

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The Bridges

Bridge numbers counting down from the Basin to the Junction with the Grand Union. Bridges 5 and 2 have been destroyed.

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Significance: Highest "peak" in Middlesex (Traditional CT), High Point of London Borough of Harrow
Member of: London Borough High Points
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill. NHN = Pavis Wood
Elevation (Bushey Heath): 155m, (Bushey Heath-Boundary): 153m
Date “climbed”: 13th May 2013 and 21st January 2023
Coordinates (Bushey Heath): 51° 37' 56'' N, 0° 20' 18'' W
Coordinates (Bushey Heath-Boundary): 51° 37' 52'' N, 0° 20' 10'' W
Nearest Station: Bushey (Overground, West Midland Trains): 4 km
On route of: On route of: N/A. The London Loop is 0.7 km to the south-east
Map: OS Explorer 173 London North and OS Explorer 172 Chiltern Hills East
Guidebooks: The UK's County Tops, Jonny Muir, Walking the County High Points of England, David Bathurst
Links:
- Wikipedia: Middlesex, Harrow, Bushey
- Peakbagger: Bushey Heath, Bushey Heath Boundary
- Hillbagger: Bushey Heath, Bushey Heath Boundary

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My first visit to the Bushey Heath high point was in May 2013 in the early days of my County Top adventures. Knowing that this would be a boring destination I made a more interesting trip of it by cycling there along the Ebury Way from Rickmansworth. I found the point noted in Jonny Muir’s book, took a photo and considered it “bagged”. Or so I thought …

As it turned out, to fully tick the box of visiting the high point of both the Historic County of Middlesex and the London Borough of Harrow you need to also go a bit further to the North-West. The historic boundary of Hertfordshire and Middlesex is marked by a boundary stone on the A4140 opposite the Windmill Harvester. In 1965 this became the boundary of Hertfordshire and Harrow. In 1993 the Herts/Harrow boundary was moved to its current position running along Common Road / Magpie Hall Road.

So, nearly 10 years after my original visit to Bushey Heath, I returned to visit the old boundary stone to properly bag the high point.

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Greater London Borough High Points formerly within Middlesex

• Westerham Heights (245m) Bromley Borough High Point

• Bushey Heath-Boundary (153m) Harrow Borough High Point

• Highwood Hill (146m) Barnet Borough High Point

• Hampstead Heath (134m) Camden Borough High Point

• Potter Street Hill (134m) Hillingdon Borough High Point

• Highgate (129m) Haringey Borough High Point

• Bournwell Hill-West Slope (119m) Enfield Borough High Point

• Highgate Hill (100m) Islington Borough High Point

• Wakemans Hill Avenue (92m) Brent Borough High Point

• Sudbury Hill (91m) Brent (alternative) Borough High Point

• Horsenden Hill (85m) Ealing Borough High Point

• Saint John's Wood Park (52m) City of Westminster Borough High Point

• College Park (45m) Hammersmith and Fulham Borough High Point

• Harrow Road (45m) Kensington and Chelsea Borough High Point

• Seven Sisters Road (39m) Hackney Borough High Point

• Heston The Vale (35m) Hounslow Borough High Point

• High Holborn (22m) City of London High Point

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View of the Thames from the southern border of The City at the City/Tower Hamlets/Southwark Tri-point

The City of London is a unique place in the UK’s geography and governance. It’s part of Greater London but not one of the 32 London Boroughs. It’s inside a city but is a city itself. It’s a Ceremonial County and was within the boundaries of the Historic County of Middlesex but was self-governing.

The City is nicknamed the Square Mile as it’s internal area is 1.12 m² (2.9 km² ). The boundary is less that 11 km with negligible elevation change which makes it a very manageable walk of approximately 3 hours. As as walk it’s also fascinating as you’ll pass the 14 dragons that guard the boundary, 7 tri-points with the London Boroughs and the highest point of the City of London.

The dragons are cast iron statues the guard the main road entrances to the City of London. They were designed and installed in the 1960s. For a more detailed history of the dragons, see the post on IanVisits.

The page below describes the walk that we did in October 2022. Directions start at the Victoria Embankment Dragon, close to Temple Station, but there’s several other good starting points close to tube or rail stations. Let me know if you spot an error or have an interesting fact about the boundary to share. I’ll donate £1 to one of my causes for each update to the page.

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Start & Finish: At the Embankment Dragons, Victoria Embankment, Temple, London, WC2R 2PN
Distance: 10.6 km (6.6 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 89m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Thames Path, Jubilee Walkway, Jack The Ripper Walk, Jubilee Greenway
Other routes touched (cycle): CS 3,7, C2,6
Map: London North Map | The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 173
Links: City of London, Dragon Boundary Mark

Route of the boundary walk showing locations of the Dragons (liliac icon), Tri-points (brown icon) and high point (red icon)

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The City / Borough Tri-Points

Our boundary walk was partly inspired by David Natzler’s project to visit the Borough Tri-Points of Greater London. David’s project, documented in this blog post, visits 32 points where three London Borough’s connect. The City of London isn’t a borough so the 7 Tri-Points of the City with 2 boroughs was out of scope for that project. Given that all 7 of these are on the City of London boundary I wanted to find them all.

David had the great idea of using an oak sprig in photos of each Tri-Point. I wanted to do something slightly different and used a fridge magnet of a London postbox to show the Tri-Point location. Scroll down to see details and the photo of each Tri-Point at the relevant part of the walk.

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Dragons 1 & 2: Embankment

Type: Twins, either side of Victoria Embankment, mounted on stone pedestals.
Distance into walk: 0 km
Address: Victoria Embankment, Temple, London, WC2R 2PN.
Nearest Station: Temple (Circle, District)
Coordinates: 51°30'40.0"N 0°06'41.5"W
Links: Victoria Embankment, Inner Temple Gardens

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Dragon 3: Temple Bar

Type: Large single dragon on top of a memorial obelisk.
Distance into walk: 0.4 km
Address: The Strand, Temple, London, EC4A 2LT
Nearest Stations: Temple (Circle, District) or City Thameslink
Coordinates: 51°30'49.4"N 0°06'42.9"W
Directions from previous point: Right onto Temple Place, up the Milford Lane steps, along Essex Street, right onto The Strand. Note that the boundary runs through the buildings east of Essex Street. Essex Street itself is actually in the City of Westminster.
Links: Temple Bar, Temple Bar Memorial, Royal Courts of Justice

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City of London High Point

Distance into walk: 1 km
Address: Junction of Chancery Lane and High Holborn.
Nearest Station: Chancery Lane (Central)
Coordinates: 51°31'05.3"N 0°06'49.5"W
Directions from previous point: Left onto Chancery Lane, continue to the junction with High Holborn.
See this related post for more details and photos of the City of London High Point

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Dragons 4 & 5: High Holborn

Type: Twin dragons on stone plinths either side of the road.
Distance into walk: 1.2 km
Address: Either side of High Holborn near exit to Chancery Lane Underground. Staple Inn 5, London, WC1V 7QH.
Nearest Station: Chancery Lane (Central)
Coordinates: 51°31'05.1"N 0°06'40.7"W
Directions from previous point: Turn right out of Chancery Lane onto High Holborn, continue east.
Links: Chancery Lane, High Holborn

This one is often referred to as the Chancery Lane Dragon, however High Holborn is a more accurate name for its location.

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Tri-Point: City of London / Westminster / Camden

Distance into walk: 1.3 km
Address: Between the two carriageways of High Holborn at the corner of High Holborn and Furnival Street, WC1V 7QU.
Nearest Station: Chancery Lane (Central)
Coordinates: 51°31'05.0"N 0°06'37.6"W
Directions from previous point: Continue east along High Holborn.
Links: City of Westminster, Camden

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Dragon 6: Farringdon

Type: Single dragon on a pedestal.
Distance into walk: 1.7 km
Address: South side of junction of Charterhouse Street and Furnival Street, EC4A 4LL.
Nearest Station: Farringdon (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Elizabeth Line, Thameslink)
Coordinates: 51°31'06.6"N 0°06'19.1"W
Directions from previous point: Turn left onto Charterhouse Street at Junction of High Holborn/Hatton Garden/Charterhouse/New Fetter Lane.
Links: Farringdon, Smithfield, Smithfield Market

Look out for the 2 “bonus” dragons either side of the arch at the entrance to Smithfield Market on Charterhouse Street.

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Tri-Point: City of London / Camden / Islington

Distance into walk: 1.7 km
Address: South side of junction of Charterhouse Street and Furnival Street, EC4A 4LL.
Nearest Station: Farringdon (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Elizabeth Line, Thameslink)
Coordinates: 51°31'06.6"N 0°06'19.1"W
Directions from previous point: N/A - at Farringdon Dragon.
Links: Camden, Islington

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Dragon 7: Barbican

Type: Single dragon on a pedestal.
Distance into walk: 2.5 km
Address: Junction of A1 Goswell Road and Baltic Street West. 38 Goswell Road, Golden Lane Estate, London, EC1M 7AA.
Nearest Station: Barbican (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan)
Coordinates: 51°31'06.6"N 0°06'19.1"W
Directions from previous point: Continue along Charterhouse Street until end, turn left onto A1 Goswell Road, continue north.
Links: Barbican, Barbican Estate, Golden Lane Estate

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Dragon 8: Moorgate

Type: Single dragon on a pedestal.
Distance into walk: 3.6 km
Address: South-east side of junction of Ropemaker Street/A501 Moorgate/South Place, EC2M 2RB.
Nearest Station: Moorgate (National Rail)
Coordinates: 51°31'08.5"N 0°05'15.9"W
Directions from previous point: Turn right into Baltic Street West, onto Baltic Street East, right onto Golden Lane, Left onto B100 Beech Street, onto B100 Chiswell Street, right onto Moor Lane, left onto Ropemaker Street.
Links: Moorgate

At the time that we visited in October 2022 the Moorgate Dragon was looking shiny and new having been recently replaced. The original had been removed to allow room for lorries accessing the construction site for Crossrail / The Elizabeth Line.

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Tri-Point: City of London / Islington / Hackney

Distance into walk: 3.9 km
Address: North-West Corner of Finsbury Square / Sun Street and Wilson Street, EC2M 2PA.
Nearest Station: Liverpool Street (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Central, Elizabeth Line, Overground, National Rail)
Coordinates: 51°31'13.2"N 0°05'06.9"W
Directions from previous point: Continue east along South Place, left onto Wilson Street, continue to junction with Sun Street.
Links: Islington, Hackney

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Dragon 9: Bishopsgate

Type: Single dragon on a pedestal.
Distance into walk: 4.5 km
Address: Corner of Worship Street and A10 Norton Foldgate.
Nearest Station: Liverpool Street (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Central, Elizabeth Line, Overground, National Rail)
Coordinates: 51°31'08.5"N 0°05'15.9"W
Directions from previous point: Turn right onto Sun Street, curve to the left onto Appold Street, right onto Worship Street.
Links: Bishopsgate

This one is often referred to as the Liverpool Street Dragon, however Bishopsgate is a more accurate name for its location.

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Tri-Point: City of London / Hackney / Tower Hamlets

Distance into walk: 4.5 km
Address: East side of A10 Shoreditch High Street opposite junction with Worship Street.
Nearest Station: Liverpool Street (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Central, Elizabeth Line, Overground, National Rail)
Coordinates: 51°31'17.4"N 0°04'42.5"W
Directions from previous point: Opposite side of A10 North Foldgate to the Liverpool Street Dragon.
Links: Hackney, Tower Hamlets

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Dragon 10: Aldgate

Type: Single dragon on a pedestal.
Distance into walk: 5.5 km
Address: South-west corner of Middlesex Street and Aldgate High Street, E1 8AX.
Nearest Stations: Aldgate (Circle, Metropolitan) and Aldgate East (District, Hammersmith & City)
Coordinates: 51°31'08.5"N 0°05'15.9"W
Directions from previous point: Turn right out of Worship Street onto A10 North Foldgate, left onto Brushfield Street, right onto Fort Street, (briefly) right onto Artillery Lane, left onto Sandy’s Row, left onto Middlesex Street, left onto St Botolph Street.
Links: Aldgate

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Dragon 11: Tower Hill

Type: Single dragon on a pedestal.
Distance into walk: 6.6 km
Address: South side of Byward Street/Tower Hill, at 1 Tower Hill Terrace, London, EC3N 4EE.
Nearest Station: Tower Hill (Circle, District)
Coordinates: 51°30'34.1"N 0°04'43.1"W
Directions from previous point: Cross over Aldgate High Street onto A1210 Mansell Street, right onto Shorter Street, cross over The Minories and follow the north side of Trinity Square Gardens to Tower Hill (road). Cross over to South Side of Tower Hill (road).
Links: Tower Hill, Tower of London

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Tri-Point: City of London / Tower Hamlets / Southwark

Distance into walk: 6.8 km
Address: In River Thames between west end of Millennium Pier (north-side) and east end of HMS Belfast (south-side).
Nearest Station: Tower Hill (Circle, District)
Coordinates: 51°30'24.7"N 0°04'48.7"W
Directions from previous point: Turn right onto Tower Hill Terrace, continue onto Petty Wales then to the Thames Path.
Links: Tower Hamlets, Southwark

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Dragon 12 and 13: London Bridge

Type: Twin dragons on stone plinths either side of southern entrance to bridge.
Distance into walk: 7.7 km
Address: On A3 London Bridge (road) at south end of #1 London Bridge (plus twin on opposite side of road), SE1 9AJ.
Nearest Station: London Bridge (Jubilee, Northern)
Coordinates: 51°30'23.6"N 0°05'16.5"W
Directions from previous point: Follow Thames Path in a westerly direction to London Bridge. Cross bridge to south side.
Links: London Bridge. Other bridges between London and Blackfriars: Southwark Bridge, Millennium Bridge.

The actual boundary of the City of London runs through the middle of the Thames between the City/Tower Hamlets/Southwark Tri-Point in the east and the City/Southwark/Lambeth Tri-Point in the west. Both London Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge are wholly within the City boundary and are overseen by the City of London Corporation (through Bridge House Estates). Two other bridges, between these: Southwark Bridge and Millennium Bridge are not part of the City of London, however the northern half of each is within the river boundary.

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Dragon 14: Blackfriars Bridge

Type: Single dragon on a pedestal.
Distance into walk: 9.7 km
Address: Middle of carriageway at southern end of A2021 Blackfriars Bridge (road), SE1 9UD.
Nearest Station: Blackfriars (Circle, District, Thameslink, National Rail)
Coordinates: 51°30'30.7"N 0°06'15.8"W
Directions from previous point: Cross back over London Bridge to north side of the Thames, continue along Thames Path in a westerly direction to Blackfriars Bridge. Cross bridge to south side.
Links: Blackfriars Bridge

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Tri-Point: City of London / Southwark / Lambeth

Distance into walk: 10.5 km
Address: In River Thames between Inner Temple Gardens (north-side) and west end of the Oxo Building (south-side).
Nearest Stations: Temple (Circle, District) or Blackfriars (Circle, District, Thameslink, National Rail)
Coordinates: 51°30'35.2"N 0°06'41.3"W
Directions from previous point: Cross back over Blackfriars Bridge to north side of the Thames, continue along Thames Path in a westerly direction.
Links: Southwark, Lambeth

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Tri-Point: City of London / Lambeth / Westminster

Distance into walk: 10.6 km
Address: In River Thames between east end of HQS Wellington (north-side) and The London Studios (south-side).
Nearest Station: Temple (Circle, District)
Coordinates: 51°30'35.5"N 0°06'33.1"W
Directions from previous point: Continue along Thames Path in a westerly direction.
Links: Lambeth, City of Westminster

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A Load of Bollards

If collecting the dragons, the tri-points and the high point isn’t geeky enough for you, there’s also the bollards. We noticed that most of the bollards have a date at the bottom and decided to see if we could get the full set. We completed 1991 through to 2000 plus 1988 and 2007.

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Other articles and blog posts on the City of London Boundary

• Ian Visits: Mapped – the dragons that surround London

• Ian Visits: Bollardology: an unexpected history of London’s street bollards

• Londonist Article: The City of London Dragons: It’s about time they all had names

• Londonist Article: This Book Reveals The Secrets Of The City's Bollards

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More London posts

Cycling The Capital Ring

Cycling The London Loop

London Borough Tri-points

Walking The Roman London Wall

London's Coal Duty Posts

London's High Points

London's Protected Views

parkrun: LonDone

Walking The London Loop and Capital Ring

Walking The River Fleet

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Kenwood House to St Paul’s Cathedral Protected Sight Line

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London’s Protected Views are 13 sightlines of either St Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Palace that are protected in planning law. Essentially it means that new buildings can’t obstruct these views. I’ve visited all but one of them so far, many as a part of my Greater London High Points series. Here’s the details on each:

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Alexandra Palace to St Paul's Cathedral

From: Alexandra Palace: 51°35′38″N 0°07′48″W
To: St Paul's Cathedral: 51°30′49″N 0°05′53″W
Distance: 9.2 km
Elevation Difference: -57m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Bounds Green (Piccadilly Line): 1 mile.
Nearest Rail Station to view point: Alexandra Palace Station (Great Northern & Thameslink): 0.4 miles
Nearest Underground Station to target point: St Paul’s (Central Line): 0.1 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to target point: City Thameslink (Thameslink): 0.2 miles
On route of: Alexandra Palace and the Parkland Walk

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Parliament Hill Summit to St Paul's Cathedral

From: Parliament Hill: 51°33′35″N 00°09′35″W
To: St Paul's Cathedral: 51°30′49″N 0°05′53″W
Distance: 6.6 km
Elevation Difference: -53m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Belsize Park (Northern Line): 0.9 miles
Nearest Rail Station to view point: Hampstead Heath (Overground): 0.4 miles
Nearest Underground Station to target point: St Paul’s (Central Line): 0.1 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to target point: City Thameslink (Thameslink): 0.2 miles
On route of: Walking The Hampstead and Highgate London Borough High Points

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Parliament Hill Summit to the Palace of Westminster

From: Parliament Hill: 51°33′35″N 00°09′35″W
To: The Palace of Westminster: 51°29′57″N 00°07′29″W
Distance: 7.1 km
Elevation Difference: -69m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Belsize Park (Northern Line): 0.9 miles
Nearest Rail Station to view point: Hampstead Heath (Overground): 0.4 miles
Nearest Underground Station to target point: Westminster (Circle, District & Jubilee Lines): 0.1 miles
Nearest Rail Station to target point: Waterloo (South Western): 0.6 miles
On route of: Walking The Hampstead and Highgate London Borough High Points

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Parliament Hill Prominent Oak to the Palace of Westminster

From: Parliament Hill Prominent Oak: 51°33'37.4"N 0°09'27.6"W
To: The Palace of Westminster: 51°29′57″N 00°07′29″W
Distance: 7.2 km
Elevation Difference: -64m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Belsize Park (Northern Line): 1.0 miles
Nearest Rail Station to view point: Hampstead Heath (Overground): 0.5 miles
Nearest Underground Station to target point: Westminster (Circle, District & Jubilee Lines): 0.1 miles
Nearest Rail Station to target point: Waterloo (South Western): 0.6 miles
On route of: Walking The Hampstead and Highgate London Borough High Points

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Kenwood House to St Paul's Cathedral

From: Kenwood House: 51°34'19.0"N 0°09'54.1"W
To: St Paul's Cathedral: 51°30′49″N 0°05′53″W
Distance: 7.9 km
Elevation Difference: -81m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Highgate (Northern): 1.1 miles
Nearest Rail Station to view point: Hampstead Heath (Overground): 1.4 miles
Nearest Underground Station to target point: St Paul’s (Central Line): 0.1 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to target point: City Thameslink (Thameslink): 0.2 miles
On route of: Walking The Hampstead and Highgate London Borough High Points

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Summit of Primrose Hill to the St Paul's Cathedral

From: Primrose Hill: 51°32'22.5"N 0°09'38.6"W
To: St Paul's Cathedral: 51°30′49″N 0°05′53″W
Distance: 5.2 km
Elevation Difference: -25m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Chalk Farm (Northern): 0.5 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to view point: South Hampstead (Overground): 1 mile
Nearest Underground Station to target point: St Paul’s (Central Line): 0.1 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to target point: City Thameslink (Thameslink): 0.2 miles

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Summit of Primrose Hill to the Palace of Westminster

From: Primrose Hill: 51°32'22.5"N 0°09'38.6"W
To: The Palace of Westminster: 51°29′57″N 00°07′29″W
Distance: 5.1 km
Elevation Difference: -41m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Chalk Farm (Northern): 0.5 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to view point: South Hampstead (Overground): 1 mile
Nearest Underground Station to target point: Westminster (Circle, District & Jubilee Lines): 0.1 miles
Nearest Rail Station to target point: Waterloo (South Western): 0.6 miles

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Greenwich Park to St Paul's Cathedral

From: Greenwich Park, north east of the General Wolfe statue: 51°28'40.6"N 0°00'02.9"W
To: St Paul's Cathedral: 51°30′49″N 0°05′53″W
Distance: 7.8 km
Elevation Difference: -6m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Canary Wharf (Jubilee): 2.7 miles. Connect via the DLR from Cutty Sark Station: 0.6 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to view point: Maze Hill (Thameslink, Southeastern): 0.6 miles.
Nearest Underground Station to target point: St Paul’s (Central Line): 0.1 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to target point: City Thameslink (Thameslink): 0.2 miles
On route of: Cycling the Prime Meridian

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Blackheath to St Paul's Cathedral

From: Point Hill Park, Blackheath, near the orientation board: 51°28'24.5"N 0°00'39.5"W
To: St Paul's Cathedral: 51°30′49″N 0°05′53″W
Distance: 7.5 km
Elevation Difference: 0m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Canary Wharf (Jubilee): 2.9 miles. Connect via the DLR from Greenwich Station: 0.5 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to view point: Deptford Bridge (Overground): 0.6 miles.
Nearest Underground Station to target point: St Paul’s (Central Line): 0.1 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to target point: City Thameslink (Thameslink): 0.2 miles

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Westminster Pier to St Paul's Cathedral

From: Westminster Pier: 51°30'06.2"N 0°07'25.4"W
To: St Paul's Cathedral: 51°30′49″N 0°05′53″W
Distance: 2.2 km
Elevation Difference: +23m
Nearest Underground Station to target point: Westminster (Circle, District & Jubilee Lines): 0.1 miles
Nearest Rail Station to target point: Waterloo (South Western): 0.5 miles
Nearest Underground Station to target point: St Paul’s (Central Line): 0.1 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to target point: City Thameslink (Thameslink): 0.2 miles
On route of: Walking Central London’s Protected views (see below)

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Richmond Park to St Paul's Cathedral

From: King Henry VIII's Mound in Richmond Park: 51°26'41.8"N 0°17'41.1"W
To: St Paul's Cathedral: 51°30′49″N 0°05′53″W
Distance: 15.6 km
Elevation Difference: -25m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Richmond (District Line): 1.5 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to view point: Richmond (Overground, South Western Railway): 1.5 miles.
Nearest Underground Station to target point: St Paul’s (Central Line): 0.1 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to target point: City Thameslink (Thameslink): 0.2 miles
On route of: Walking The Merton, Wandsworth and Richmond London Borough High Points
Links: BBC News Article 2006

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The Serpentine to the Palace of Westminster

From: The centre of the bridge over the Serpentine: 51°30'22.0"N 0°10'21.6"W
To: The Palace of Westminster: 51°29′57″N 00°07′29″W
Distance: 3.4 km
Elevation Difference: -5m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Lancaster Gate (Central Line): 0.6 miles.
Nearest Rail Station to view point: Paddington (GWR, Heathrow Express): 09 miles.
Nearest Underground Station to target point: Westminster (Circle, District & Jubilee Lines): 0.1 miles
Nearest Rail Station to target point: Waterloo (South Western): 0.6 miles
On route of: Walking Central London’s Protected views (see below)

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The Queen's Walk at City Hall to the White Tower

From: The Queen's Walk at City Hall: 51°30'18.4"N 0°04'42.5"W
To: The White Tower, Tower of London: 51°30′29″N 00°04′34″W
Distance: 0.4 km
Elevation Difference: +10m
Nearest Underground Station to view point: Tower Hill (Circle, District Lines): 0.7 miles
Nearest Rail Station to view point: London Bridge (Southern, Thameslink, Southeastern): 0.5 miles
Nearest Underground Station to target point: Tower Hill (Circle, District Lines): 0.2 miles
Nearest Rail Station to target point: London Fenchurch Street (c2c): 0.2 miles
On route of: Walking Central London’s Protected views (see below)

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All of London’s Protected Views

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Walking Central London’s Protected Views

The three shortest sightlines in Central London can be visited on a scenic 10km walk. The sightlines included are:

• The Queen's Walk at City Hall to the White Tower.

• Westminster Pier to St Paul's Cathedral

• The Serpentine to the Palace of Westminster

The 10km distance includes starting and ending at the closes London Underground Stations. Navigation is very simple as you’re mostly following the Thames Path and/or Jubilee Greenway and it passes many of the iconic London sights. I went on a chilly December day and didn’t hand around so it took me about 2 hours. It’s worth doing it more slowly in the Summer to appreciate more of the points of interest along the way.

Tower Hill on the Circle and District Line is the closest station to the start. From here you’ll pass the Tower of London and over Tower Bridge to get to the first sightline. From City Hall it’s only 400m to the White Tower and most of that is river. It’s a great view but practically impossible to obscure by buildings so it’s a strange one to include as a protected sightline.

From City Hall follow the Thames Path in an easterly direction for ~400m until you reach Westminster Bridge. Cross over the bridge towards the Palace of Westminster then take a right onto Victoria Embankment. You’ll find the sight-line to St Paul’s near the top of the steps down to the lower level. Here you can see the dome of St Paul’s between the roof of the Royal Festival Hall and the London Studio’s Tower.

From Westminster Pier, return to Westminster Bridge Road and take a right onto George Street. Follow this to the edge of St James’ Park. Either follow the Jubilee Greenway around the edge of the park or cut through the centre to get to Buckingham Palace. Cross The Mall and into Green Park, following the Jubilee Greenway parallel to Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner. Cross the island at Hyde Park Corner, still following The Jubilee Green Way and into the south-east corner of Hyde Park. Once in Hyde Park either follow the Jubilee Greenway, or the path closest to the southern edge of The Serpentine to West Carriage Drive. Turn right onto West Carriage Drive and onto the bridge over The Serpentine. The protected sightline to the Palace of Westminster is half way along the bright on the right hand side.

From the Serpentine Bridge continue north and take the first footpath on the right, following the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk. This will take you to the northern edge of the park and the Bayswater Road. Lancaster Gate Underground Station, on the Central Line is on the opposite side of the road. On the Central Line change at Notting Hill Gate (heading west) or Bank (heading east) to pick up the Circle Line to return to the start.

Start: Tower Hill Underground Station: London, EC3N 4DJ
Finish: Lancaster Gate Underground Station: Bayswater Rd, London W2 2UE
Distance: 9.8 km (6.1 miles)
Elevation change: +84m / -71m. Net +13m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Thames Path, Jubilee Greenway, Jubilee Walkway, Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 4, CS 3, 6 7,
Pubs / Cafes on route: Lots on Queen’s Walk
Maps:
- London South Map | Westminster, Greenwich, Croydon, Esher & Twickenham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 161
- London North Map | The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 173
Links: Tower of London, The White Tower, Tower Bridge, Queen’s Walk, City Hall, Westminster Pier, Palace of Westminster, St James’ Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, The Serpentine

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More on the web:

• Wikipedia: Protected View

• Amusing Planet Article (2021): London’s Protected Views

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More London posts

Borough Tri-points

City of London Boundary Walk

parkrun: LonDone

London's Coal Duty Posts

London's High Points

Cycling The Capital Ring

Cycling The London Loop

Walking The London Loop and Capital Ring

Walking The River Fleet

Walking The Roman London Wall

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Protected View to St Paul’s Cathedral

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Start & Finish: Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, London N22 7AY
Distance: 11.1 km (6.9 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 138m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): New River Path, Capital Ring
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: Many, including: Finsbury Park Cafe, Goods Office (Parkland Walk South), Queens Wood Cafe (Highgate Wood)
Map: OS Explorer 173 London North
Links: Alexandra Palace, New River, Finsbury Park, Parkland Walk, Highgate Wood, London’s Protected Views

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This is a short circular walk in north-west London that takes in Alexandra Palace, The New River Path and The Parkland Walk. The Parkland Walk follows a disused railway line and is now an area of calm in a busy part of the capital.

If you’re driving there’s a large car-park at Alexandra Palace that, at the time of writing, takes donations rather than a fixed charge. To access the route by public transport, the route passes close to Hornsea and Harringay rail stations and Highgate tube on the Northern Line.

At Alexandra Palace find the view point on the terrace at the centre of the south side of the main building. This is a Protected View to St. Paul’s Cathedral, although we couldn’t see St Paul’s even through the viewfinder. Must have been hiding.

From the view point take the paths through Alexandra Park to the southern exit to North View Road. Here you can either take a left onto the path following the southern edge of the park, or follow North View Road and Newlands Road as they run parallel to the path. We were there after a lot of rain and the path was muddy so we took the roads. The path and Newlands Road join just before Campsbourne Play Centre. Follow Newlands Road, then Greenways in an easterly direction until you reach the New River Path.

Follow the New River Path in a southerly direction for 2.6km until the junction of Alroy Road and Endymion Road. Take a right onto Endymion Road and follow it south until the entrance to Finsbury Park. Enter the park and follow the path on the western edge down to meet the Capital Ring just south of the Finsbury Park Café. Take a right onto the Capital Ring, cross the footbridge over the rail line and join the Parkland Walk.

Parkland Walk South

The Parkland Walk follows the route of the old railway line that ran from Finsbury Park station to Alexandra Palace. The route of the southern, and longer, section of the Parkland Walk runs from Finsbury Park (the park not the station) to the Holmesdale Tunnels near Highgate tube station.

Disused Stations Passed:

• Stroud Green: Disused Stations / Wikipedia. Platforms no longer exist. The Station Master’s House survives and is in alternative use.

• Crouch End Station: Disused Stations / Wikipedia. Both platforms survive.

• Highgate: Disused Stations / Wikipedia. Still exists but not publicly accessible.

When you reach the western end of Parkland Walk have a look at the entrance to the tunnels before leaving the path. These are now blocked off to protect the bats that now live there. Leave the Parkland Walk at Holmesdale Road and follow signs for the Capital Ring. You’ll pass through Priory Gardens, Queen’s Wood and Highgate Wood. The Queen’s Wood Café is a great place to stop for a rest ahead of the final 2 km. Once you have crossed Muswell Hill Road from Queen’s Wood into Highgate Wood, leave the Capital Ring and follow the path on the eastern edge of Highgate Wood to the north-east corner at Cranley Gardens.

If you want to stay true to the route of the old rail line, you could follow the path on the western side of Highgate Wood instead.

Parkland Walk North

After Highgate Wood, the Parkland Walk can be picked up again on the junction of Muswell Hill Road and Cranley Gardens (road). This section of the Walk exits into Alexandra Park where you’re a very short walk back to the start.

Disused Stations Passed:

• Cranley Gardens: Disused Stations / Wikipedia. No longer exists, site now used for housing and St. James primary school.

• Muswell Hill: Disused Stations / Wikipedia. No longer exists, site now used for Muswell Hill primary school.

• Alexandra Palace: Disused Stations / Wikipedia. Platforms removed but the station building survives and is in alternative use.

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More on the web for The Parkland Walk

• Video: London's Lost Railways Ep. 13 - Parkland Walk (Geoff Marshall)

• Video: The Parkland Walk: Let’s Explore An Abandoned Line! (Jago Hazzard)

• Friends of The Parkland Walk

• Lookup London Blog Post (April 2021)

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More Disused Railway Posts

Brockenhurst, Sway and the Disused Railway

The Downs Link

The Nickey Line, Ayot Greenway and The Alban Way

The Phoenix Trail and Watlington & Princes Risborough Railway

The High Wycombe To Bourne End Disused Railway

The Ebury Way

Staines West to Denham

Guildford & Shalford

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The Colne Valley Regional park is a fascinating mix of countryside and industry to the west of London. As the name suggests, it follows the River Colne and stretches from Rickmansworth in the north to Staines in the south. Rickmansworth is where the Colne picks up the waters carried by the Chess, Gade and Ver from the central Chilterns. Exploring further down the valley you’ll find rivers, streams canals and lakes before the waters reach the Thames at Staines.

There’s a lot of industry too, with the park cut through with the M25, M4, M40, train and tube lines and, under construction, HS2. For those, like the Colne Valley Landscape Partnership who protect the park, it’s a never-ending mission. For unspoilt beauty, the nearby Chiltern Hills AONB is the place to go. For interesting walks, diverse landscapes and accessibility to London, there’s a lot to do in the Colne Valley.

Living nearby and needing to stay local during the Covid lockdowns, I spent a lot of time exploring the Colne Valley Trails. Most are medium-distance point-to-point trails that can be completed in short sections or one long summer day. Although we had the benefit of use of 2 cars for our trips, the start and end of most of the trails or sections can also be accessed by public transport.

Here’s the map of the routes with links to each below.

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The Trails

• Beeches Way. Runs for 27 km from Cookham to West Drayton. The Shakespeare’s Way follows the Beeches Way through the Colne Valley

• Celandine Route. Runs for 19 km along the River Pinn from Pinner to the Grand Union Canal at Yiewsley

• Chess Valley Walk. Runs for 16 km along the River Chess from Chesham to Rickmansworth.

• Colne Valley Trail. Runs for 33 km along the River Colne from Rickmansworth to Staines. The southern parts of the trail are called the Colne Valley Way.

• Grand Union Canal Towpath. Runs for 220 km from Birmingham to London.

• Hillingdon Trail. Runs for 32 km from Springwell Lock on the Grand Union to Cranford Park near Heathrow.

• London Loop. Runs for 242 km in a circle around London.

• Slough Arm Canal. Runs for 10km from Slough to Yiewsley.

• Thames Path. Runs for 298 km from Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Estuary, east of London.

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English & Welsh National Trails

Scottish Great Trails

Chiltern Rivers

Brecon Beacons Rivers

South Downs Rivers

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City skyline from Hainhault Country Park on ascent to Cabin Hill

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The North London Seven Summits sounds like it should be a recognized challenge. It’s not. It’s just a collection of the Greater London Borough High Points that I decided to visit by car on a grey November afternoon. Although none are particularly inspiring, there’s a few interesting places along the way.

There’s some obvious missing boroughs when you look at the map. Hillingdon, Harrow, Harringey and Waltham Forest are not in this collection as I had already completed them before. They’re also on more interesting routes like the London Loop, Capital Ring and Greenwich Meridian Trail. Click on the links on the borough names above for details on those.

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Wakemans Hill Avenue

Significance: Highest peak in London Borough of Brent (alternative)
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill (Wendover Woods). NHN = Highwood Hill
Historic County: Middlesex (of which Bushey Heath is the County Top)
Elevation: 92m
Date “climbed”: 19th November 2021
Coordinates: 51° 35' 10'' N, 0° 15' 31'' W
Nearest Station: Kingsbury (Jubilee Line): 1.6 km
On route of: N/A. Capital Ring is 1.5 km to the south-west
Map: OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford
Links: Wikipedia (Brent), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Having already visited Subury Hill, the other high point in Brent, I was keen bag the other. The coordinates took me to the corner of Wakemans Hill Avenue and Mount View. The Wikipedia article on the Kingsbury district of Brent says that the hill “peaks at an elevation of 302 feet (92 m) near the crossing of Buck Lane and Wakemans Hill Avenue”, but the road definitely seems to peak at Mount View Road. Other road signs like Summit Avenue, Sunny View and Hill View Gardens confirm that you’re on a high point. Not much to see here so I took a quick photo and moved on to Barnet.

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Highwood Hill

Significance: Highest peak in London Borough of Barnet
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill (Wendover Woods). NHN = Bushey Heath Boundary
Historic County: Middlesex (of which Bushey Heath is the County Top)
Elevation: 146m
Date “climbed”: 19th November 2021
Coordinates: 51° 37' 58'' N, 0° 14' 26'' W
Nearest Station: Edgware (Northern Line): 4.2 km
On route of: Dollis Valley Greenwalk. London Loop is 0.2 km to the north
Map: OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford
Links: Wikipedia (Barnet), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

The high point of Barnet is in private property in Mote End Farm Livery Stables. Having read the reports of people being denied access to the summit, I decided to get as far as I could via public access. The closest accessible spot is the stile by the main gates to the farm at the end of the lane off Nan Clark’s Lane.

Although it’s possible to park on Nan Clark’s Lane, it’s narrow with few spots that won’t annoy the neighbours. I parked round the corner at Crown Close and walked the 600m to the gate following the Dollis Valley Greenwalk Link.

Look out for the blue plaque on the corner of Highwood Hill Road and Nan Clark’s Lane marking the “site of Hendon Park residence of William Wilberforce from 1826 to 1831”. See the blog by Adam Yamey for more on this.

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Bournwell Hill-West Slope

Significance: Highest peak in London Borough of Enfield
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill (Wendover Woods) NHN = Bournwell Hill - West Slope
Historic County: Middlesex (of which Bushey Heath is the County Top)
Elevation: 119m
Date “climbed”: 19th November 2021
Coordinates: 51° 39' 50'' N, 0° 11' 7'' W
Nearest Station: Hadley Wood (Great Northern, Thameslink): 1 km
On route of: N/A. London Loop and Pymmes Brook Trail are 0.7 km to the south-west
Map: OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford
Links: Wikipedia (Enfield), Wikipedia (Monken Hadley Common), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

The high point of Enfield can be found at the white gates marking the entrance to Monken Hadley Common on Camlet Way. Look out for the “Enfield welcomes you” sign on the north side of Camlet Way. You can’t park on the roads around the Common so I stopped a the side of the road once the double yellow lines had run out further up Camlet Way. Hillbagging logs say that there’s a lamp-post with a “congratulatory and explanatory notice taped to lamp post by www.londons-peaks.com” although I didn’t see it on the day I was there. Looks like the website has gone too as I got an “account has expired” error when I tried to check it.

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Wanstead Flats

Significance: Highest peak in London Borough of Newham
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill (Wendover Woods). NHN = Beckton Alps
Historic County: Essex (of which Chrishall Common is the County Top)
Elevation: 15m
Date “climbed”: 19th November 2021
Coordinates: 51° 33' 22'' N, 0° 1' 20'' E
Nearest Station: Wanstead Park (Overground): 0.6 km
On route of: N/A. Greenwich Meridian Trail is 0.3 km to the north-west
Map: Epping Forest & Lee Valley Map | Hertford & Harlow | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 174
Links: Wikipedia (Newham), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

I would have already bagged this one a few years ago if I had known that this high point is close to the start of Wanstead Flats parkrun. Not close enough to count though so I had to do a return trip.

Closest parking is at the Centre Road Car Park although you may find some on-street parking closer. The lowest high point of all Greater London Boroughs is by a group of trees at the edge of the common next to Sydney Road.

Note that Beckton Alp is often recognised as the high point of Newham. However, that’s an artificial hill rather than the natural high point on Wanstead Flats. Based on the description I think I’ll give it a miss unless I happen to be passing by it.

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Cabin Hill

Significance: Highest peak in London Borough of Redbridge
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill (Wendover Woods). NHN = Havering Atte Bower Church
Historic County: Essex (of which Chrishall Common is the County Top)
Elevation: 90m
Date “climbed”: 19th November 2021
Coordinates: 51° 37' 25'' N, 0° 8' 10'' E
Nearest Station: Grange Hill (Central Line): 4.2 km
On route of: Three Forests Way. The London Loop is 0.1 km to the south-east

Walk Start & Finish: Hainault Forest Country Park Car Park, Fox Burrow Road, Chigwell, IG7 4QL
Walk Distance: 3.3 km (2.0 miles)
Walk Elevation change: +/- 64m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
OS Trig Pillar: TP2802 - Dog Kennel Hill
Map: Epping Forest & Lee Valley Map | Hertford & Harlow | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 174
Links: Wikipedia (Redbridge), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Cabin Hill is the outlier of this group as it includes a short but pleasant walk, not just a quick drive-by. From the Hainault Forest Country Park car park take the footpath that heads up the hill to the south-east behind the cafe. After 200m from the cafe take a left onto a footpath up through the woods, emerging at the golf course. Here you’ll meet the Dog Kennel Hill Trig Pillar. From the pillar return to the edge of the woods and follow the boundary path north until you meet the London Loop at the northern edge of the country park. The actual summit wasn’t obvious, so I visited several contenders: the clearing where the coordinates take you, the big tree, the gate to the park and a post in the woods. There’s not too much to see here but you’ll get some great views of the London skyline as you descent back to the car park.

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Marks Gate

Significance: Highest peak in London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill (Wendover Woods). NHN = Cabin Hill
Historic County: Essex (of which Chrishall Common is the County Top)
Elevation: 43m
Date “climbed”: 19th November 2021
Coordinates: 51° 35' 16'' N, 0° 8' 29'' E
Nearest Station: Chadwell Health (TFL Rail, Greater Anglia): 4.3 km
On route of: N/A. The London Loop is 3.8 km to the north
Map: Epping Forest & Lee Valley Map | Hertford & Harlow | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 174
Links: Wikipedia (Barking and Dagenham), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

This wins the prize for the most uninspiring of the day’s uninspiring summits. The high point of Barking and Dagenham is on a sad mound between the A1112 and Kingston Hill Avenue. Nothing to see here, so park on Kingston Hill Avenue, bag the summit and move on quickly.

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Atte Bower Farm

Significance: Highest peak in London Borough of Havering
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill (Wendover Woods). NHN = Langdon Hill- Southwest Slope
Historic County: Essex (of which Chrishall Common is the County Top)
Elevation: 105m
Date “climbed”: 19th November 2021
Coordinates: 51° 36' 59'' N, 0° 11' 18'' E
Nearest Station: Harold Wood (TFL Rail, Greater Anglia): 5 km
On route of: N/A. The London Loop is 0.4 km to the north
Map: Epping Forest & Lee Valley Map | Hertford & Harlow | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 174
Links: Wikipedia (Havering), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Alternative = Havering Atte Bower Church

Parent Peak: Haddington Hill (Wendover Woods). NHN = Shooters Hill
Coordinates: 51° 36' 57'' N, 0° 10' 58'' E
Links: Peakbagger, Hillbagging

After the underwhelm of Marks Gate, the high point of Havering was at least in a more pleasant location. The official high point is in the grounds of Atte Bower Farm. I got as far as the entrance to the farm to take a photo of the water tower but didn’t enter the property. A better alternative is to visit the Church of St. John The Evangelist in Havering-Atte-Bower village. This was previously the twin high-point but, according to to Hillbagging, was de-twinned in October 2020.

Look out for the plaque at the eastern entrance to the church that refers to Havering Palace: “A royal palace once stood near here for about six hundred years from the time of Edward the Confessor until the end of the civil war.”

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The Colne Valley Trail runs the length of the Colne Valley Regional Park from Rickmansworth in the North to the River Thames at Staines at the Southern End. The Southern Sections are sign-posted the Colne Valley Way although it’s effectively one continuous trail. There’s also a spur connecting Langley Park to The Grand Union Canal at Cowley Lock.

We completed the first 2 sections from Rickmansworth to Yiewsley in Spring 2020. The bridge over the M4 was currently closed at the time due to roadworks and we completed the 3rd section in July 2021 when the bridge re-opened.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

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SECTION 1 - RICKMANSWORTH TO UXBRIDGE

Start: Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Frogmoor Lane, Rickmansworth WD3 1NB
Finish: The Swan and Bottle, Oxford Rd, Uxbridge UB8 1LZ
Distance: 11.5 km (7.1 miles)
Elevation change: +38m / -50m. Net -12m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Grand Union Canal Towpath, Hillingdon Trail, London Loop
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6, 61
London Coal Duty Posts: 60
Other Pubs / Cafes on route: The Cafe in the Park at Rickmansworth Aquadrome, The Coy Carp at Harefield Lock
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Colne Valley Regional Park, Rickmansworth, Uxbridge

If you’re arriving by public transport, Ricksmansworth Station is a short walk to the start of the trail. If you’re driving the Car Park at Rickmansworth Aquadrome is best. For either start option I recommend the Cafe in The Park at the Aquadrome for an amazing coffee and cake combo to get you going.

This first section of the walk is very easy to navigate as it pretty much sticks to the towpath of the Grand Union Canal. It’s also very well signposted so the minor diversions off the towpath are unlikely to get you lost.

The end of this section at Uxbridge also offers many parking options and the canal is a short walk from Uxbridge Station. Here you can connect back to Rickmansworth on the Metropolitan Line, changing at Harrow-on-the Hill.

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SECTION 2 - UXBRIDGE TO Yiewsley

Start: The Swan and Bottle, Oxford Road, Uxbridge, UB8 1LZ
Finish: Trout Lane, Yiewsley, UB7 7FD
Distance: 6.1 km (3.8 miles)
Elevation change: +17m / -23m. Net -6m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Grand Union Canal Towpath, Hillingdon Trail, London Loop, Beeches Way, Shakespeare’s Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6, 61
London Coal Duty Posts: 65, 66
Other Pubs / Cafes on route: The General Eliott, 1 St John's Road, Uxbridge, UB8 2UR
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Colne Valley Regional Park, Uxbridge, Yiewsley

From the Swan and Bottle continue South along the canal towpath for ~1.25 km, looking out for signs diverting off the the right (East). The path will take you through a residential area and an unattractive industrial estate for ~500m. This is a minor inconvenience to get you to a much more pleasant narrow stretch of park running South next to the River Colne. After ~1 km you’ll reach the B470 Iver Lane Take a left onto the road then a right onto Old Mill Lane. Follow this for ~1 km to Little Britain Lake. Old Mill Lane runs parallel to the River Frays with a highlight being the Old Mill building which was once abandoned and is now apartments.

At the end of Old Mill Lane turn right, following Packet Boat Lane to the footpath that follows the River Colne. Take a left at the path junction and follow the River Colne South. After ~500m you’ll cross the Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal and will join the Beeches Way. Continue for another ~500m watching out for the footpath junction. The Beeches Way continues onwards to Yiewsley but the Colne Valley Trail splits off the the right (South). Given the M4 Old Slade Lane bridge closure further South, this was the end of the trail for us for now. We’ll be back later to continue on to Staines.

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View fullsize

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SECTION 3 - YIEWSLEY TO STAINES

Start: Trout Lane, Yiewsley, UB7 7FD
Finish: Lammas Recreation Ground, 115 Wraysbury Road, Staines, TW18 4UA
Distance: 15.3 km (9.5 miles)
Elevation change: +44m / -55m. Net -11m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: Ye Olde George or The Ostrich in Colnbrook High Street
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East and OS Explorer Map (160) Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell
Links: Colne Valley Regional Park, Yiewsley, Colnbrook, Stanwell Moor, Staines Moor, Staines-upon-Thames

We were hoping to return to the Trail later in 2020, but the M4 Old Slade Lane bridge didn’t re-open until July 2021. As soon as we got confirmation that there was pedestrian access across it we headed back to Yiewsley. There’s good parking and public transport options in Yiewsley, all about 1 km from re-joining the Trail at Trout Lane.

This section has quite a different feel from the Grand-Union based sections 1 and 2. From Trout Lane you soon cross under the GWR mainline and into Thorney Park. Here you’ll find one of 3 motorway crossings as the Trail navigates around the unloved western end of Heathrow airport. After crossing the A4 you’ll reach Colnbrook, an old village that’s still pleasant in parts but stranded in an island surrounded by the motorways and airport. This is a good place for a drink and a rest or as an end point if you want to split this longer section in 2.

Leaving Colnbrook, you’re now following Colne Valley Way sign rather than the Colne Valley Trail. From Horton the route leaves the Colne Brook stream, heading east past the top end of the Wraysbury Reservoir and over the M25. Here you’ll join the River Colne, following its route through Stanwell Moor, Staines Moor and the western edge of Staines. Be careful after the M25 crossing as the Colne Valley Way signs disappear and you’ll need to rely on a map or GPX route.

The route ends at the Thames near the café at the Llamas recreation ground. From here it’s a 0.5 km walk along the river to Staines Town Centre.

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Next sections of the London Loop:

• Clockwise: Hill End to the Grand Union via the Hillingdon Trail then South Oxhey to Hill End

• Anti-clockwise: Grand Union Canal from Yiewsley to The Hillingdon Trail at Parkway

Significance: Highest peak in London Borough of Hillingdon
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill. NHN = Bushey Heath
Historic County: Middlesex (of which Bushey Heath is the County Top)
Elevation: 134m
Date “climbed”: 5th June 2021
Coordinates: 51° 36' 47'' N, 0° 24' 15'' W
Nearest Station: Northwood (Metropolitan Line): 1.9 km
On route of: N/A. The London Loop is 0.6 km to the north-west
Coal Duty Post: 51
Map: OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford
Links: Wikipedia (Hillingdon), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

The high point of Hillingdon is marked by a well-maintained Coal Duty Post. It’s a 0.6 km diversion from the London Loop via Oxhey Woods. Alternatively it’s an east drive-by, accessible from either the south end of Woodside Walk or the North End of Potter Street Hill

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Maidenhead Bridge

I’ve spent a lot of my life living close to the Thames and have done countless walks, runs and rides along it. It’s also the first National Trail that I’ve completed end to end. That was a cycle trip and, as my blog post on it describes, it’s best discovered on foot.

More recently I’ve been returning to the trail to do shorter circular walks containing stretches of the Thames Path. So far it’s been mostly focused on the Chilterns section, but I’ll extend towards the outer ends later. Here’s the links to the walks that I’ve done so far. They’re in order of closest to the source first.

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From The Source to The Chilterns: Kemble to Wallingford

Circular Walks including the Thames Path

• Buscot Red Walk: Distance = 5.8 km (3.6 miles). +/- 23m elevation change.

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The Chilterns Section: Wallingford to Staines-upon-Thames

Circular Walks including the Thames Path

• Shiplake, Binfield Heath and Sonning Eye: Distance = 8.8 km (5.5 miles). +/- 80m elevation change.

• Shiplake and Henley-on-Thames: Distance = 8.8 km (5.5 miles). +/- 80m elevation change.

• Henley-on-Thames, Remenham and Aston: Distance = 8.4 km (5.2 miles). +/- 54m elevation change.

• Aston and Crazies Hill: Distance = 12.4 km (7.7 miles). +/- 116m elevation change.

• Hurley & Ashley Hill: Distance = 8.9 km (5.5 miles). +/- 132m elevation change.

• Marlow, Hurley, Temple and Bisham: Distance = 8.8 km (5.5 miles). +/- 37m elevation change.

• Bourne End & Marlow (The Marlow Donkey): Distance = 11.4 km (7 miles). +/- 65m elevation change.

• Cookham Dean and Winter Hill: Distance = 10.1 km (6.3 miles). +/- 118m elevation change.

• Maidenhead & Cookham: Distance = 10 km (6.2 miles). +/- 28m elevation change.

• Maidenhead & Bray: Distance = 10.7 km (6.6 miles). +/- 35m elevation change.

• Dorney & Eton Wick: Distance = 9.9 km (6.1 miles). +/- 25m elevation change.

• Eton Wick and Eton: Distance = 7.9 km (4.9 miles). +/- 22m elevation change.

• Eton and Datchet: Distance = 7.4 km (4.6 miles). +/- 22m elevation change.

• Windsor Home Park Circular Walk: Distance: 9 km (5.6 miles). + / - 42m elevation change.

• Runnymede and Old Windsor: Distance = 7.5 km (4.7 miles). +/- 23m elevation change.

• Runnymede Memorials: Distance = 7.5 km (4.7 miles). +/- 23m elevation change.

• Ankerwycke and Wraysbury: Distance = 8.8 km (5.5 miles). +/- 33m elevation change.
  Not on the Thames path, but runs parallel on the opposite bank

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The London Section: Staines-upon-Thames to The Thames Barrier

• Walking the River Wey Part 1: Weybridge and Desborough Island: Distance: 8.4 km (5.2 miles). +/- 34m elevation change.

Walks Crossing or Ending at The Thames Path

• The London Loop and The Capital Ring: Two long-distance orbital routes each crossing the Thames twice

• The Thames Down Link: Westhumble to Kingston-upon-Thames

• The River Wandle: Croydon to Wandswoth

• The River Fleet: Hampstead Heath to Blackfriars

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Books, Maps and other Resources

• The Thames Path: National Trail from London to the river's source in Gloucestershire (Cicerone)

• Thames Path: Thames Head to the Thames Barrier (Trailblazer)

• Thames Path in the Country (National Trail Guides)

• Thames Path in London (National Trail Guides)

• The Thames Path National Trail

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London Loop in Blue, Capital Ring in Red. Base map from OpenStreetMap

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The London Loop and Capital Ring are long distance circular walks around London. Both were conceived in the ‘90s and completed in the early 2000s. They pass through mostly green spaces around the capital and can easily be broken up into a series of shorter walks. Having cycled both a few years ago, I’m now returning to walk it. I’ve mostly covered the western sections and there’s a long way to go.

The list of sections below are those that I’ve planned but not necessarily completed yet. I’ve also included links to blog posts for other walks that follow or cross over parts of either the London Loop or the Capital Ring. If you would like GPX files of any of these sections please Buy Me a Coffee and let me know which section(s) you are interested in. For a limited time I would be happy to share files for all sections of either collection for 1 coffee plus any feedback on the route (corrections, changes etc.)

There’s now several guidebooks to either the Loop or the Ring. Note that the sections below and the order of them don’t necessarily match exactly to those in the guides. I use Colin Saunder’s Guides for each route and can highly recommend them for their description of the route and points of interest

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The London Loop In Sections

• London Loop Section 01: Erith Riverside to Bexley. Distance: 14.0 km. Elevation Change: +72m / -67m. Net +6m

• London Loop Section 02: Bexley to Petts Wood. Distance: 12.5 km. Elevation Change: +134m / -67m. Net +67m

• London Loop Section 03: Petts Wood to West Wickham Common. Distance: 15.2 km. Elevation Change: +168m / -183m. Net -15m

• London Loop Section 04: West Wickham Common to Hamsey Green. Distance: 15.1 km. Elevation Change: +285m / -182m. Net +183m

• London Loop Section 05: Hamsey Green to Coulsdon South. Distance: 10.2 km. Elevation Change: +119m / -201m. Net -82m

• London Loop Section 06: Coulsdon South to Banstead Downs. Distance: 8.0 km. Elevation Change: +126m / -87m. Net +39m

• London Loop Section 07: Banstead Downs to Ewell West. Distance: 6.6 km. Elevation Change: +23m / -114m. Net -91m

• London Loop Section 08: Ewell West to Kingston Bridge. Distance: 12.8 km. Elevation Change: +47m / -72m. Net -25m

• London Loop Section 09: Kingston Bridge to Hatton Cross. Distance: 16.1 km. Elevation Change: +70m / -58m. Net +12m

• London Loop Section 10: Hatton Cross to Hayes and Harlington. Distance: 6.8 km. Elevation Change: +36m / -24m. Net +12m

• London Loop Section 11: Hayes and Harlington to Uxbridge. Distance: 12.0 km. Elevation Change: +55m / -54m. Net +1m

• London Loop Section 12: Uxbridge to Harefield. Distance: 7.6 km. Elevation Change: +29m / -23m. Net +6m

• London Loop Section 13: Harefield to Moor Park. Distance: 8.7 km. Elevation Change: +116m / -91m. Net -25m

• London Loop Section 14: Moor Park to Hatch End. Distance: 7.7 km. Elevation Change: +93m / -95m. Net -2m

• London Loop Section 15: Hatch End to Elstree. Distance: 15.2 km. Elevation Change: +182m / -153m. Net -29m

• London Loop Section 16: Elstree to High Barnet. Distance: 18.1 km. Elevation Change: +243m / -238m. Net +5m

• London Loop Section 17: High Barnet to Enfield Lock. Distance: 14.8 km. Elevation Change: +95m / -176m. Net -81m

• London Loop Section 18: Enfield Lock to Chingford. Distance: 8.1 km. Elevation Change: +110m / -71m. Net +39m

• London Loop Section 19: Chingford to Chigwell. Distance: 7.1 km. Elevation Change: +83m / -95m. Net -12m

• London Loop Section 20: Chigwell to Havering. Distance: 10.7 km. Elevation Change: +175m / -115m. Net +60m

• London Loop Section 21: Havering to Harold Wood. Distance: 8.1 km. Elevation Change: +29m / -97m. Net -68m

• London Loop Section 22: Harold Wood to Upminster Bridge. Distance: 7.3 km. Elevation Change: +46m / -64m. Net -18m

• London Loop Section 23: Upminster Bridge to Rainham. Distance: 7.7 km. Elevation Change: +32m / -43m. Net -11m

• London Loop Section 24: Rainham to Purfleet. Distance: 8.3 km. Elevation Change: +38m / -38m. Net 0m

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Other Walks on The London Loop

• Walking The London Loop: Stanmore Common to South Oxhey. Distance: 9.2 km. Elevation Change: + 103m / - 120m. Net -17m

• Walking The London Loop: South Oxhey to Hill End. Distance: 10 km. Elevation Change: + 93 / - 136 m. Net -43m

• Walking The Hillingdon Trail. Covers the London Loop from Hill End to The Grand Union and from The Parkway to Cranford Park

• Walking The Colne Valley Trail. Covers the London Loop from Coppermill Lock, Harefield to Yiewsley

• Walking The London Loop: Cranford Park to Bushy Park. Distance: 17.5 km. Elevation Change: +60m / -79m. Net -19m

• Walking The Thames Down Link. Covers the London Loop from Kingston-upon-Thames to West Ewell

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The Capital Ring in Sections

• Capital Ring Section 01: Woolwich to Falconwood. Distance: 10.6 km. Elevation Change: +158m / -95m. Net +63m

• Capital Ring Section 02: Falconwood to Grove Park. Distance: 6.9 km. Elevation Change: +56m / -80m. Net -24m

• Capital Ring Section 03: Grove Park to Crystal Palace. Distance: 14.2 km. Elevation Change: +151m / -120m. Net +31m

• Capital Ring Section 04: Crystal Palace to Streatham. Distance: 6.9 km. Elevation Change: +78m / -122m. Net -44m

• Capital Ring Section 05: Streatham to Wimbledon Park. Distance: 9.4 km. Elevation Change: +49m / -59m. Net -10m

• Capital Ring Section 06: Wimbledon Park to Richmond. Distance: 12.0 km. Elevation Change: +132m / -148m. Net -16m

• Capital Ring Section 07: Richmond to Osterley Lock. Distance: 7.8 km. Elevation Change: +44m / -33m. Net +11m

• Capital Ring Section 08: Osterley Lock to Greenford. Distance: 9.3 km. Elevation Change: +50m / -45m. Net -5m

• Capital Ring Section 09: Greenford to South Kenton. Distance: 9.2 km. Elevation Change: +137m / -120m. Net +17m

• Capital Ring Section 10: South Kenton to Hendon Park. Distance: 10.7 km. Elevation Change: +134m / -108m. Net +26m

• Capital Ring Section 11: Hendon Park to Highgate. Distance: 9.4 km. Elevation Change: +99m / -70m. Net +29m

• Capital Ring Section 12: Highgate to Stoke Newington. Distance: 9.1 km. Elevation Change: +42m / -112m. Net -70m

• Capital Ring Section 13: Stoke Newington to Hackney Wick. Distance: 6.7 km. Elevation Change: +26m / -48m. Net -22m

• Capital Ring Section 14: Hackney Wick to Royal Albert Dock. Distance: 8.4 km. Elevation Change: +31m / -33m. Net -2m

• Capital Ring Section 15: Royal Albert Dock to Woolwich. Distance: 6.2 km. Elevation Change: +30m / -25m. Net +5m

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Other Walks on The Capital Ring

• Walking The Capital Ring: Harrow on the Hill to Horsenden Hill. Distance: 9.9 km. Elevation Change: +96m /- 146m. Net -50m

• Walking The Merton, Wandsworth and Richmond London Borough High Points. Covers the section on Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park

• Alexandra Palace and The Parkland Walk. Covers the section from Finsbury Park to Highgate Wood.

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Books about the London Loop

• The London Loop: Recreational Path Guide (Colin Saunders)

• London LOOP - London Outer Orbital Path (Henry Stedman)

• Rambling Man Walks The London LOOP (Andrew Bowden)

• The London Loop (David Sharp)

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Books about the Capital Ring

• Capital Ring (Colin Saunders)

• The Capital Ring Experience (Dean Carter)

• Twice Around The Town - Part Two: The Capital Ring (Frank Gordon)

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Other Resources

• Transport for London: The London Loop, The Capital Ring

• Wikipedia: The London Loop, The Capital Ring

• Long Distance Walkers Association: The London Loop, The Capital Ring

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More London Adventures

City of London Boundary Walk

Cycling The Capital Ring

Cycling The London Loop

London Borough Tri-points

London's Coal Duty Posts

London's High Points

London's Protected Views

parkrun: LonDone

Walking The River Fleet

Walking The Roman London Wall

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Having set myself the challenge to visit all Greater London High Points and all Trig Pillars in London, I’m going one step further. This is my new mission to visit all of the over 200 London Coal Duty Posts that are still standing. If you’re not familiar with what these are, Martin Nail’s website is the best place to start.

As of the January 2021 I’ve visited 26 posts and plaques on previous walking and cycling trips. With the Covid lockdown looking like it will go on for it a bit, it may take me a while longer to visit the rest.

In the meantime, here’s some trips that visit some of the posts and my more-or-less accurate map of the Coal Post Boundary

Blog posts including the London Coal Duty Posts

• 45, 46: Walking The Ebury Way

• 49,50,51: Walking The London Loop: Stanmore Common to South Oxhey

• 52 to 55: Walking The London Loop: South Oxhey to Hill End

• 59, 62: Chiltern Walks: Rickmansworth Three Rivers Circular

• 60, 65, 66: Walking The Colne Valley Trail

• 69: Walking The Beeches Way

• 84 to 95: Cycling The River Ash and Thames Path Circular

• 91 to 93: Walking the River Wey Part 1: Weybridge and Desborough Island

• 117 to 120: Chessington Countryside Walk

• 137 to 155: Banstead Heath Circular Walk

• 151, 152: Walking The North Downs Way Part 5 - Betchworth to Merstham

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More London posts

City of London Boundary Walk

Cycling The Capital Ring

Cycling The London Loop

London Borough Tri-points

London's High Points

London's Protected Views

parkrun: LonDone

Walking The London Loop and Capital Ring

Walking The River Fleet

Walking The Roman London Wall

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Greater London is divided into 32 local authority districts called Boroughs plus the City of London. Living relatively close to the edge of London it was natural that I would want to visit all 33 high points. Much like the UK County Tops some feel like a proper summit and others are unremarkable points in flat areas.

Westerham Heights on the Kent border is the high point of both Bromley and the whole of Greater London. It’s also a very short walk from Betsom’s Hill, the Kent County Top. Other than their elevations neither are particularly interesting though. You’ll need to visit Sanderstead Plantation in Croydon for the highest point that actually feels like a hill.

Prior to April 1st 1994 the Greater London high point was on the north-eastern slope of Botley Hill. A boundary change moved this point to Surrey where Leith Hill is higher.

Hampstead Heath, the high point of Camden is also the high point of the old County of London Administrative County. This area came into being with Local Government Act 1888 which split some Historic Counties into new Administrative Counties. The Administrative Counties have since been replaced by the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties plus Greater London.

High Holborn, the high point of The City of London, is not a borough but an English Ceremonial County

As you would expect with high points, several are marked with OS Trig Pillars. Sanderstead Plantation in Croydon has a Trig Pillar nearby at Selsdon Park but it’s not at the summit. Pole Hill, in Waltham Forest is the highest point of a Greater London Borough that has a Trig Pillar on the summit.

By the end of 2021 I had completed the high points of all Greater London Boroughs. Click on the links in the list below to see details on each one. I still have the remaining Trig Pillars and Summits >100m to complete. Let me know if you spot any mistakes in the data below and I’ll donate £1 per correction to one of my causes.

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London’s High Points and OS Trig Pillars

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Greater London Boroughs High Points

Sanderstead Plantation

Pole Hill, Waltham Forest

Bushey Heath, Harrow

Click on the links below to see my post on each High Point. Some are simple drive-bys, others part of a walking route. Also includes High Holborn.

1. Westerham Heights. Bromley. 245 metres

2. Sanderstead Plantation. Croydon. 175 metres

3. Bushey Heath-Boundary. Harrow. 153 metres

4. Clock House. Sutton. 147 metres

5. Highwood Hill. Barnet. 146 metres

6. Hampstead Heath. Camden. 134 metres

7. Potter Street Hill. Hillingdon. 134 metres

8. Shooters Hill. Greenwich. 132 metres

9. Highgate. Haringey. 129 metres

10. Bournwell Hill-West Slope. Enfield. 119 metres

11. Sydenham Hill. Southwark and Lewisham. 112 metres

12. Westow Hill. Lambeth. 110 metres

13. Havering Atte Bower Farm. Havering. 105 metres

14. Highgate Hill. Islington. 100 metres

15. Wakemans Hill Avenue. Brent. 92 metres

16. Sudbury Hill. Brent (alternative). 91 metres

17. Pole Hill. Waltham Forest. 91 metres

18. Telegraph Hill. Kingston upon Thames. 90 metres

19. Cabin Hill. Redbridge. 90 metres

20. Horsenden Hill. Ealing. 85 metres

21. Langdon Shaw. Bexley. 83 metres

22. Putney Heath. Wandsworth. 60 metres

23. Richmond Park. Richmond upon Thames. 56 metres

24. Wimbledon Common Big Alp. Merton. 55 metres

25. Lauriston Road. Merton (alternative). 55 metres

26. Saint John's Wood Park. City of Westminster. 52 metres

27. College Park. Hammersmith and Fulham. 45 metres

28. Harrow Road. Kensington and Chelsea. 45 metres

29. Marks Gate. Barking and Dagenham. 43 metres

30. Seven Sisters Road. Hackney. 39 metres

31. Heston The Vale. Hounslow. 35 metres

32. High Holborn. City of London. 22 metres

33. Swanfield Street. Tower Hamlets. 18 metres

34. Wanstead Flats. Newham. 15 metres

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London’s Natural High Points vs its Buildings & Structures

Westerham Heights was the highest point in London until the completion of The Shard in 2012. The Observation Deck at the Shard is at 244m, just 1m lower than Westerham Heights. When 22 Bishopsgate was completed in 2020, it relegated Westerham Heights to 3rd place.

At the time of writing there’s now 17 buildings and structures in London with heights between those of Westerham Heights and Sanderstead Plantation, London’s 2nd highest Borough High Point

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Parent Peaks of The Greater London Boroughs

The Parent Peaks of the London Borough High Points have a distinct north/south split. All High Points north of the Thames have Haddington Hill in the Chilterns as their parent. Botley Hill in Kent is the parent for all London High Points south of the Thames. The Nearest Higher Neighbour, according to Peakbagger also keeps to this north/south split with the exception of Heston The Vale.

The graphic below shows the Borough High Points in descending order from left to right with peaks north of the river on the top half and south of the river on the lower half.

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Other Resources

• Peakbagger List of London Borough High Points

• Wikipedia: List of highest points in London

• Wikipedia: List of tallest buildings and structures in London

• Article: The Guardian (2014): Traversing the twelve summits of London

• Article: The Londonist (2016): How The London Boroughs Got Their Names

• Article: The Londonist (2016): How London's Hills Got Their Names

• Article: Big Think (2018): “Wonderfully unimpressive”: hill-climbing in London

• Article: Runner’s World (2018): The Runner's World London Peaks Relay

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More London posts

City of London Boundary Walk

Cycling The Capital Ring

Cycling The London Loop

London Borough Tri-points

London's Coal Duty Posts

London's Protected Views

parkrun: LonDone

Walking The London Loop and Capital Ring

Walking The River Fleet

Walking The Roman London Wall

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More County Tops

UK County Tops

English County Tops

Scottish County Tops

Welsh County Tops

Northern Ireland County Tops

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Old Mill, Denham

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Start & Finish: Denham Station, Denham, Uxbridge, UB9 5ES
Distance: 4.4 km (2.7 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 20m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): South Bucks Way
Other routes touched (cycle): none
Pubs / Cafes on route: Colne Valley Cafe at the Colne Valley Regional Park Visitors’ Centre, plus 3 pubs in Denham Village
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: River Misbourne, Denham, Denham Station, Denham Country Park, Denham Place

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This trip was both part of our River Misbourne Circulars and our walks based around the rail and underground stations of the Chilterns. The River Misbourne runs from its source at Great Missenden, to Denham where it joins the Colne. Although it’s outside of the Chiltern Hills AONB, I’ve included it in my Chiltern Walks collection as it connects two of the Chiltern rivers. The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

To start this walk, exit from the south side of Denham station and take The Phygtle to Denham Village. The path ends at the gates of Denham Place where we met a couple of staff about the meaning of Phygtle. We were told that it means pig-tail, which sounds great but he was probably making it up. The only other definition that I found for the name was that it’s an old English word for a small plot of land.

At the end of The Phygtle, turn right and follow Village Road until it meets Old Mill Road at the Misbourne. Take a left off the road and onto the South Bucks Way footpath. Follow this across the golf course, past the Colne Valley Park Visitors Centre, over Denham Court Drive and into Denham Country Park. From the car park take the north-eastern path that curves round to the north between the River Colne and the Grand Union Canal.

Although I’d been a regular visitor to the Country Park, I’d mainly used it as a base to explore the Grand Union. This was the first time that I’d walked through the interior of the park. It’s a lovely, quiet spot in an otherwise busy area. It was also extremely wet when we were there giving us an unexpected adventure of avoiding the puddle/lakes that had taken over much of the path.

Normally this route would curve round to the west on a path running parallel to the railway. A bridge over the Colne was closed at the time so we had to double back and take a diversion along the Grand Union instead (see below for details). The best ways to check the state of the bridge in advance are to either visit the Country Park website or to see if there’s a Footpath Closed sign at the other end of the path near Denham Station when you start the trip.

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Diversion

Start & Finish: Denham Station, Denham, Uxbridge, UB9 5ES
Distance: 6.0 km (3.7 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 20m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): South Bucks Way, Grand Union Canal Towpath, Colne Valley Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6, 61
Pubs / Cafes on route: Colne Valley Cafe at the Colne Valley Regional Park Visitors’ Centre, plus 3 pubs in Denham Village
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East

With the River Colne footbridge closed, the best diversion is to leave the Country Park south of the bridge and walk north along the Grand Union Canal. This adds an extra 1.6 km / 1 mile to the overall trip length but no extra elevation. The main advantage of the diversion is that you get to see the old brick rail bridge as it crosses the canal. The main downside is that you also get to see the destruction of the HS2 works as it rips up the area a bit further along. When you reach the first road bridge, leave the canal onto Moorhall Road and head south-west back toward Denham. It’s a busy, unattractive road, especially with the HS2 works, but it’s safe enough with a pavement. Turn left onto Savay Lane then right onto the South Bucks Way and you’re back onto the Phygtle toward Denham Station.

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The Pheasantry at Bushy Park

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Start: Car Park at Cranford Park, London, TW5 9RZ
Finish: Bushy Park car park, near Diana Fountain, Hampton Wick, Molesey, East Molesey, KT8 9BZ
Distance: 17.5k (10.9 miles)
Elevation change: +60m / -79m. Net -19m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hillingdon Trail, River Crane Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Pheasantry, Bushy Park (TW11 0EW)
Map: OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford
and OS Explorer Map (161) London South, Westminster, Greenwich, Croydon, Esher & Twickenham
Guidebook: The London Loop: Recreational Path Guide
Links: London Loop, River Crane, Cranford Park, Hounslow Heath, Bushy Park

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For this walk we picked up the London Loop where we finished the Hillingdon Trail at Cranford Park. Up to this point we had covered the Loop all the way from South Oxhey on a combination of several other routes through the Colne Valley. This section is simple if you do a 2-car combo like we did, but a bit more difficult if relying on public transport. We were able to use the free car parks in both Cranford Park and Bushy Park. For a public transport variant you can start at the south end of Cranford Park where there’s a bus service to Bushy.

Once out of Cranford Park, the route gets busier, noisier and less pleasant for a while as you navigate around the east side of Heathrow Airport. When you reach the A30 at the south-east corner of the airport, the route takes you on a long diversion east up to The Parkway. This is the safer option than the much more direct crossing of the dual carriageway. We were there on a quiet Sunday morning and chose to cross the A30 instead. Be very careful if you do this too.

Once out of Heathrow the route meanders south east following the River Crane. Quiet, pleasant parkland of Hounslow Heath and Crane Park are interspersed with west-London residential streets. Eventually you’ll reach Bushy Park where it all gets very pleasant again. The route takes you along the Longford River and through the Woodland Gardens to our finishing spot at the car park next to the Diana Fountains.

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Next sections of the London Loop:

• Clockwise: Yiewsley to The Parkway via the Grand Union, then Grand Union to Cranford Park via the Hillingdon Trail

• Anti-clockwise: Kingston to West Ewell via the Thames Down Link

The underwhelming source of the River Ash as it splits from the Colne on Staines Moor

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Part of the Chiltern Rivers Series
River start: Splits from the Colne on Staines Moor
River end: Confluence with the Thames at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
River length: 10 km (6.2 miles)
Cycle Route Start & Finish: Parking places at intersection of Moor Lane and Colne Valley Trail, Staines, TW18 4YY
Cycle Route Distance: 32.8 km (20.3 miles)
Cycle Route Elevation change: + / - 87 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Thames Path, Colne Valley Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 4
London Coal Duty Posts: 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several including The Ferry Coffee Shop, Shepperton TW17 9LQ
Map: OS Explorer Map (160) Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell
Links: River Ash, Staines, Staines Moor, Shepperton, Walton-on-Thames, Desborough Island, Hammertons Ferry

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In the latest of my Chiltern Rivers Cycle Rides I explored the River Ash at the Southern end of the Colne Valley Regional Park. The Ash splits off from the River Colne next to the A30 Staines bypass North of the town and follows a South-Easterly direction to meet the Thames at Walton-on-Thames. Much of the route is hidden from public access so a cycle or walking trip of the Ash is one for the completists only. That definitely describes me so I had to do it. The reward for tackling it is the return route to Staines via the Thames Path.

The best place to start (if you’re driving there) is some free parking space on Moor Lane opposite the path to Staines Moor. Following this path you’ll pass over the Wraysbury River, the Staines Rivers Aqueduct and the rail line. You’ll need to use the A30 bridge to cross over the River Colne where you’ll find the point where the Ash splits on the Eastern bank. From here you can follow the Ash on a footpath for ~300 into a housing estate. For the next 4 km you won’t see the river as it keeps close to the A308 and cycling options zig-zag through residential areas of North Staines. You could cycle on the A308 to stay closer to the river and shave off some distance, but it’s a very busy road and you won’t see the river anyway.

The Ash, the A308 and the cycle route all come together at the Fordbridge Roundabout. Here the Ash takes a sharp turn right to the South and curves round the Queen Mary Reservoir through Laleham. The best cycle option is to follow the B377 Ashford Road then the B376 Shepperton Road. At Shepperton you have the choice of continuing along the B376 or taking a meandering route through Littleton, Shepperton and Upper Haliford to stay closer to the river.

The confluence with the Thames is tucked away behind a small island. You can get there by taking a private residential road called The Creek off Fordingbridge Road. A rickety wooden bridge stands over the confluence marking the end of the Ash part of the trip.

To return to Staines, go back to Fordingbridge Road and follow it West to the A244 and follow that onto Walton Bridge. Cross over the bridge and take the Thames Path back to Staines. I added an extra 1 km to the trip by taking a diversion along the perimeter paths of Desborough Island. One of the highlights of the trip is taking the small Hammertons ferry to the North side of the Thames. Check that it’s running before you go though as you’ll add a few extra km to the trip to find the nearest alternative crossing by bridge.

When you arrive back at Staines take the B376 heading North away from Staines Bridge. Take a right onto Moor Lane and continue for ~500m back to the parking spot.

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Blue = course of the River Ash, Red = circular cycle route

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Salter’s Cut, Rickmansworth

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Start & Finish: Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Frogmoor Lane, Rickmansworth WD3 1NB
Distance: 11.4 km (7 miles)
Elevation change: + / - 59 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Rickmansworth Aquadrome Woodland Trail, Grand Union Canal Towpath, Colne Valley Trail, Hillingdon Trail, Ebury Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6, 61
London Coal Duty Posts: 59, 62
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Cafe in the Park at Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Cafe @ Lock 81 (WD3 1JJ)
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Rickmansworth, Ebury Way

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This week’s walk was a return to the source of some of our recent Colne Valley trips. In this short circular you’ll pass by the start of the Colne Valley and Hillingdon Trails and the confluence of both the rivers Chess and Gade with the Colne. Throw in a few Coal Duty Posts and a disused railway too and it’s a pretty geeky Chiltern trail. The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

If you’re driving the best place to start is Rickmansworth Aquadrome which has a large free car park. If you’re coming in by train, it’s a 1 km walk from Rickmansworth station to the Aquadrome.

From the Aquadrome Car Park follow the Bury Lake Circular Walk round the southern and western edges of the lake. At the north-western corner take a left and follow the path along the northern edge of Stocker’s Lake. After ~2m from the start you’ll reach Springwell Lane. We took a right here to find the Coal Duty Post at Drayton Ford bridge before returning back. If you can live without the Coal Post excitement, just turn left onto Springwell Lane, reducing the total trip length by ~500m.

Continue South along Springwell Lane to meet the Grand Union Canal at Springwell Lock. Here’s you’ll meet the Colne Valley Trail and the start of the Hillingdon Trail. Follow signs for the Hillingdon Trail over the canal and through farmland uphill to Hill End Road. Turn left here, leaving the Hillingdon Trail and walk north along Springwell Lane, taking a footpath on the right as Springwell Lane curves to the left. Follow this footpath north for ~2 km to Stocker’s Farm. You’ll pass a well-preserved Coal Post about half way along this path. Continue north through Stocker’s Farm to reach the Grand Union Canal at Stocker Lock. Cross over the bridge to the north bank of the canal, to the site of another Coal Duty post on the towpath on the north west Corner of the bridge.

From Stocker Lock follow the Grand Union Canal towpath north east. Soon you’ll pass the gate to the Aquadrome Car Park. This gives you the option of making this a shorter route or pausing for a rest at the Cafe in the Park. An alternative place for a rest is the Cafe at Lock 81 further along the canal. Continuing on the Grand Union, you’ll reach an old railway bridge ~2 km from Stocker Lock. Leave the canal at the bridge by taking the steps up to the Ebury Way. This is a walking and cycling trail that follows the old rail line between Rickmansworth and Watford. I’d previously cycled the whole length en route to find the Middlesex County Top at Bushy Heath.

After leaving the Grand Union take a left onto the Ebury Way, following it back to Rickmansworth. On this stretch of the Ebury Way you’ll pass the confluence of both the River Gade and the Chess as they join the Colne.

Cross over the roundabout and follow a path to the left of the A404 Riverside Drive for ~500m. Before you reach another large roundabout take a left into the playground and follow the footpath over the River Colne and back into the Aquadrome. Follow the path in either direction around Batchworth Lake to return the the car park.

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