Watford Rural walks

This beautiful walk takes you from the outskirts of Watford into the depths of the countryside to see a host of wild flowers.

This is the first section of a 12 mile walking route which follows the River Pinn from Pinner to Uxbridge. Of all Middlesex's 'lost rivers' the River Pinn is perhaps the most visible.

This walk visits Rickmansworth and Croxley Green, whose current size and character owe much to the arrival of the Metropolitan Railway. The varied route includes woodland, fields, a moor designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a village green, rivers and a canal.

This walk gives you the opportunity to experience the abundance of wildlife in the beautiful Colne Valley across many different types of habitat. It’s a wonderful location for all ages to explore and enjoy with the possibility of spotting rare migrating birds.

This walk starts at Ricky Aquadrome with its 3 lakes and goes along a delightful stretch of the River Chess, through Whippendell Woods (particularly nice in mid April when the bluebells are out), to Cassiobury Park with its 2 cafes and voted one of the 10 best parks in Britain and along short stretches of the River Gade and Grand Union Canal. Do allow plenty of time for exploring the many interesting features on this walk.

This is a short urban walk exploring another of the 'lost landscapes of Middlesex'. The Yeading Brook rises at Headstone Manor and can be tracked all the way to Ruislip Gardens. This walk starts and finishes in West Harrow, and follows the most attractive section of the river through two pretty linear parks : The Yeading Brook Open Space and Streamside Recreation Ground.

The Wealdstone Brook is one of the lost rivers of Middlesex. It's a short urban walk, one of my 'lost landscapes' routes around the Harrow area. Ironically, there is no trace of the river left in Wealdstone itself, where it has all been culverted. However, it meanders very prettily through Woodcock Park in Kenton, surrounded by grassy banks and willow trees. This is the best bit! There are further glimpses of it along the route of this walk.

This is a short urban walk exploring the 'lost landscapes of Middlesex'. I was recently introduced to a secret park which I never knew about, and realised this must be the summit of the original Sudbury Hill before it was swallowed up under the tide of suburban housing. The walk visits Elm Park and also takes you past the Harrow School sports fields. It starts and finishes near Harrow School, Harrow-on-the-Hill.

Don't want to venture too far from London to find a countryside walk? This is when the Dollis Valley Greenwalk makes an entry. This decently long walk through Barnet and Finchley is that good surprise as it takes you through what is left of former countryside fields in the Capital city.

A rewarding, scenic country walk exploring several commons and villages along with an attractive river valley. Good pubs!

Starts at Two Brewers Inn, Chipperfield. Passes thru' Kings Langley where we join the Grand Union Canal for a short distance. Then thru' Bedmond & Potters Crouch before descending past the Roman wall into Verulamium Park and past St Albans Cathedral to finish at St Albans Abbey Station.

The good thing about London is that you do not need to go far to track down some exceptionally decent walks. Take Horsenden Hill for instance: who would have thought that you could walk through meadows, a farm, a forest and along a Canal, all within a London postcode and accessible by tube? And you can! A walk through Horsenden Hill will definitely make you forget you are in the city.

This walk explores the picturesque Chess Valley and the pretty village of Chenies with its Tudor manor house, 15th century church and village green. It climbs to Church End, Sarratt, passing through the churchyard of the 12th century church. There are fine views of the valley and the river Chess.

When the sun makes an appearance, we all want to venture outside. But where to go in London to have a pleasant stroll without melting? Well, a walk around Welsh Harp, also known as the Brent Reservoir, comes as a nice surprise. Not so popular (except if you live locally), the Brent Reservoir offers shade and fresh air. It’s a perfect place for a nice day out with friends and family.

This Chilterns walk takes in parts of the Chess Valley walk at the start and end of the route and a section of the Chiltern Way in between. There is a variety of scenery with undulating landscapes, pastoral scenes of grazing animals, fields of wild flowers in summer, a cricket pitch, a golf course, a quarry, two churches and the shallow chalk stream of the River Chess.

This walk along the River Chess starts from Little Chalfont in Buckinghamshire and walks east through pleasant surroundings before turning west to Chenies and a return to the start.

This circular walk is very peaceful and part of the Chess Valley Walk. The short walk from Chalfont & Latimer station will take you through neat Metroland streets, with mock 1930’s Tudor jostling with Art Deco suburban dwellings within easy reach of London and the countryside. Hemmed in on all sides by the pressures of London and urban overspill, the charming Chess Valley is a haven of solitude in outstanding Chilterns countryside.

The stage starts at St Albans Abbey Station. Soon joins River Ver Path for 0.65 miles. Climbs to join the Alban Way (old railway line) all the way to and thru' Hatfield. Passes Mill Green Mill and follows Welwyn Centenary Walk thru' a golf course & The Commons Nature Reserve, then joins the Cole Green Way (old railwayline) to Hertford. Goes thru' the old part of this county town, taking in the castle and grounds, then joins the River Lea Navigation to just north of Hertford East Station.

Starting from Hemel Hempstead Station this is a walk which can be enjoyed without a car. The station is right on the edge of the town so virtually all the route is through the open country, much of it through Boxmoor Trust land, on the plateau of the Chilterns and along the Grand Union Canal. There are lots of reminders of the history of the area from 1594 through WWII. If you are lucky you may see a couple of rare farm breeds kept on Trust land and some interesting birds along the canal.

This walk demonstrates that modern Hemel Hempstead and its environs have much more to offer than cynics would have you believe.

The Brentford to Hanwell canal walk is a gentle stroll perfect for a quiet day out in London to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Accessible by train on the TFL network, this Oyster Card-friendly ramble takes you to the Grand Union Canal towpath, from a seventeenth-century manor house to a viaduct. There is so much to discover on our doorsteps!

A walk through lovely Chiltern scenery with lots of interest on the way - a Norman Castle, WW1 trenches, a canal and more.

This last walk describes a route from one end of the Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames to the other. It traverses many of the borough's parks and commons and shows how they can be linked by footpaths to form an impressive 15-mile country-style walk we proudly present as "Richmond's Green Trail".