The Lea Valley Walk - A London Walk

Split into 20 stages this 50 mile walk is one of the finest and most varied walking routes around the capital, tracing the route of the River Lea from Leagrave, near Luton to Island Gardens at Greenwich where it joins the Thames Path.

The Lea Valley Walk is a 50 mile route following the River Lea from Luton to the Thames by way of London’s former market-garden valley. Prince Charles has described the Lee Valley as ‘a classic example of what could be done with derelict land if impetus and determination was there’. Now the greening is continuing, with the Olympic Games due to be held in the valley’s last derelict stretch.

Lea or Lee

There are at least 25 different spellings for the river’s name. In addition to Lee and Lea, past documents record Lay, Ley, Leye, Lyge and even Lyzan. By 1520 the spelling appears to have been Lee, but in the 19th century Ordnance Survey decided to use both Lee and Lea. Now the valley is usually known as the Lee Valley, after the Lee Valley Regional Park, while the river is the River Lea, with the canal sections being called the Lee Navigation.

Lee Valley Regional Park

The Lee Valley Regional Park, established by Act of Parliament in 1967 and Britain’s first regional park, stretches 26 miles (41km) from Ware in Hertfordshire to the River Thames in London. It has become a unique blend of countryside, nature reserves, urban green spaces, heritage sites and sports facilities, and embraces more open water than the Norfolk Broads.

River Lea and Lee Navigation

The River Lea, which rises at Leagrave in Bedfordshire, is 58 miles (98km) long, with much of its last 27 miles (43km) from Hertford canalised from 1767 by engineer John Smeaton. Occasionally the navigation leaves the river to follow Smeaton’s new channels, so that there can be meandering stretches of the Old River Lea flowing nearby. Only the first two miles of the navigation falls outside the Lee Valley Regional Park.

Lea Valley Walk

The path alongside the non-navigable river around Harpenden was pioneered by the Upper Lea Valley Group (www.ulvg.org.uk) as early as 1972. This was the very first section of the Lea Valley Walk from Leagrave to London, which eventually opened in 1993. At the millennium it was extended south to the confluence of the Lea with the Thames. This is a key route in the Mayor of London’s strategic network of six walking routes which are ‘up to a standard where they are connected, conspicuous, comfortable, convenient and convivial’.

Wildlife and Farmland

In Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire the way goes through fields with cattle and between paddocks. Large populations of the endangered water vole are found between Hertford and Cheshunt, and the watermeadows at Waltham Abbey are a dragonfly sanctuary. In summer kingfishers can be seen at the source, in the park and even at Bow. Over 200 different bird species are found within the boundaries of the park, which is a major wintering area for birds, especially bitterns. (Walkers should remember that swans can fall ill if fed bread, and survive best on the natural foods they find themselves.)

Swan Symbol

The Lea Valley Walk logo is a swan. It was designed by the Upper Lea Group, but is now used from source to mouth, and appears in various forms, from the concrete outline on Luton’s pavements to the waymarks on posts.

England’s History

The Lee Valley, once the boundary between the land ruled by Alfred the Great and Danelaw to the north, has been the setting for many landmark events in England’s history. Christian culture emerged from Hertford when in 672 the first national church synod united the Celtic and new Roman Christian traditions. King Harold came to Waltham Abbey in 1066 prior to the Battle of Hastings, and his subsequent burial there marked the end of the Saxon era and the beginning of the new dynasty and the Norman influence.
 
Edward VI became king at Hertford, and Elizabeth I was upstream at Hatfield when she was informed that she was queen.

Another dramatic change of dynasty came in 1603 when the Tudor line gave way to the Scottish Stuarts. James VI of Scotland entered London by way of the Lee Valley, pausing near Cheshunt to form his English government. He also brought golf, which now flourishes in the valley.

Queen Victoria’s influential first prime minister, Lord Melbourne, grew up and worked alongside the River Lea at Brocket Park. Later the Queen’s least favourite premier, Palmerston, inherited the same house. Her very last prime minister was Lord Salisbury, who lived at Hatfield.

Arthur Balfour, the early 20th-century prime minister, began his education at Hoddesdon and was MP for Hertford.

Architectural Heritage

England’s varied architectural heritage is well represented in the Lee Valley. Early brick mansions are to be found both near the source in Bedfordshire and at the riverside London village of Homerton. Rye House near Hoddesdon is a fine example of early brickwork. Great stately homes, such as Luton Hoo and Brocket Park, have enhanced the river by creating great lakes as a backdrop to varied styles of building, visited by royalty and other famous figures. There are also castles, ancient pubs, and at Ware some unique gazebos.

Above all there are many churches, from Saxon foundations to the unusual 19th-century brick building at East Hyde.

Literary Heritage

In the Lee Valley the great hymn writer William Cowper composed now famous hymns, and Izaak Walton’s Compleat Angler is a tribute to the River Lea, which his contemporary John Stow described as ‘a pleasant and useful river’.

Up and Down the Valley

On the Lea Valley Walk many familiar names are encountered. A 20th-century descendant of 15th-century Lord Wenlock, associated with Luton Church and Someries Castle, is commemorated at Sutton House in Homerton. Meanwhile, Sir Ralph Sadleir’s daughter moved upstream from Sutton House to live at Stanstead Abbotts, where she entertained Queen Elizabeth I. The Cecils, who presided at Theobalds under the Tudors, moved upstream to Hatfield under the Stuarts, leaving their old house for James I to use as his Lee Valley residence. The Brocket family of Brocket Hall is associated with Wheathampstead, Lemsford and Hatfield.

The valley has long been a green corridor for people on foot, horseback and travelling by water. The Romans built parallel Ermine Street and the Danes rowed up the river in 854. In Elizabethan times poet William Warner still referred to Ware High Street as ‘Walsingham Way’, because the valley had once been the pilgrim route from London to the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham. The last horse-drawn barge passed along the canal in the mid-1950s, and now the towpath is a walking route into London linking the ancient Icknield Way with the Thames Path.

Inventions

The valley south of Waltham Abbey has been used as a place to experiment and mould the future. The first British air flight took off from  the river’s marshland. ‘Plastic was invented here’, says film director Paul Kelly. ‘You had the Bryant and May match strike here, which led to the Labour movement. The Lee Valley is where the 20th century was born.’ His 2005 film What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day?, made with pop band Saint Etienne, captures the look and moods of the area just before the Olympic makeover.

The Olympic Future

When the Lee Valley hosts the Olympic Games in 2012 there will be canoeing at Hoddesdon, while the Millennium Dome, opposite the River Lea’s mouth, will become a sports stadium. But the main events will be in the 500 acre Olympic Park, which is slowly being developed between Hackney Wick and Bow. British Waterways hopes that construction materials can be moved into the heart of the Olympic zone by water, saving around 250 trips a day on London roads. This updated guide includes a section devoted to a walking route around the Olympic Park (section 17).

Changes

A major change to the walk since the 2001 first edition of this guide is the new route between Hatfield and Hertford (section 5). Due to the loss of a permitted path near Holwell Bridge, the route is now waymarked away from Hatfield Park and round the edge of Welwyn Garden City, before joining the original path along Cole Green Way.

The end of the Lea Valley Walk is now Limehouse Basin instead of East India Dock, but the old ending has been included as an alternative for those who wish to see the very end of the river rather than the navigation climax (section 16).

Maps

The recommended maps, in addition to the OS Landranger maps reproduced in this book, are Ordnance Survey Explorer maps. Also useful is the OS Herts Street Atlas (Philips), which also covers Luton. South of Waltham Abbey many of the London street maps can be helpful.

Transport

The walk has been divided into sections according to the many convenient railway stations along the route. Some display the Lea Valley Walk swan symbol and waymark the route from the station to the walk. Rail information is available on 08457 484950. An all-zones travelcard, available from all London stations, and allowing travel on buses, National Rail network trains and the London Underground, is both convenient and best value when walking south of Enfield.

Accommodation

Bed and breakfast suggestions are sometimes listed at the end of each section in addition to the nearest tourist information centre. Four convenient Premier Travel Inn locations are included, although the one at Hatfield is probably best reached by a short taxi ride. Pubs are a good place to obtain a taxi number. Beyond Ponders End, just inside the Greater London boundary, the website www.visitlondon.com can be useful for finding accommodation in the capital near public transport.

Enjoying the Walk

Thanks to the many railway stations alongside the regional park, between Ware and London, this is a walk that can be enjoyed by everybody, from the keen long-distance walker to those with young children, or anyone who is new to taking exercise.

Food

Refreshment is an important part of any walk, and details of pubs and cafés have been included. However, it is often sensible to carry a drink. Water, frozen overnight (do not fill the bottle to the top), remains cool long into a hot day.

Countryside Code

The Countryside Code should always be followed, summarised as follows. Be safe – plan ahead and follow any signs; leave gates and property as you find them; protect plants and animals and take your litter home; keep dogs under close control; consider other people.

Websites

The Lea Valley Walk website provides details of route changes and temporary diversions, as well as other news (www.leavalleywalk.org.uk). The Lee Valley Park website at www.leevalleypark.org.uk has information on special events and the latest birdwatching opportunites.�