A Suburban Wander from Harefield to Moor Park, following the London Loop

As mentioned in my previous blog post, a Suburban Wander from High Barnet to Cockfosters, having seen it sign posted I hinted that I would one day undertake a more structured walk, as opposed to a drift, along the London Loop route. Well, this event has happened far sooner than I ever anticipated it would. I won't go into the reasons here but needless to say I was delighted to find myself with an opportunity to at least make a start on this circumnavigation of the London suburbs.

Living about an hour west of London, on the Berkshire/Hampshire border, we decided to start our first leg as close to home as possible, and travel there and back by car, as opposed to travelling in and out of London by public transport. The route, it would seem from the London Loop guide book we read, is aimed at people living in London who may not necessarily be aware that there is countryside just on the city's doorstep, so travelling to and from the walk makes sense with a zone 6 rail card. After having read this, and given that we live in the countryside, I was not sure whether the route would have the same effect on us, as we really are spoiled for access to the great outdoors here. However, we were not disappointed and the edgelands mix of urban, suburban and rural landscapes worked perfectly.

The location closest to us was Harefield, which has a secondary interest to me as I grew up in Ruislip and this was somewhere I used to go canoeing with the Sea Scouts when I was about 11 or 12, although I moved to the Cotswolds shortly after that so did not canoe there for very long and was hard pressed to pinpoint exactly where I used to go. So, off we set, down the M4, across on the A404 to join the M40 and on towards London, turning off to Harefield not long after the M40 turned into the A40. Our starting point was the Grand Union Canal on a rather grey and dreary day, which was a little disappointing after the previous days of sunshine.

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

The section of the route we walked was well sign posted on the whole, but there were a few parts later on when we navigated our way between electricity pylons before we reached Moor Park where some new markers had just been put up by a warden which seemed to point in the wrong direction. Fortunately our gut instinct and guide book helped us find the right path, plus the fact that one sign in particular was pointing at something quite impassable.

Waymarker for the London Loop Recreational Walk, near Harefield

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

I'd never heard of Braunston, and even an internet map search took a while for me to determine exactly where it was. It seems to be almost in the middle of nowhere, sat diagonally between Coventry and Northampton. There's a marina there which would explain the mile post and in fact it's at the junction of the Grand Union and Oxford canals, so at one time quite an important junction for commercial, canal traffic. From the little internet reading I did, it still seems to be a bustling marina but now serving more of a recreational purpose.

Mile post for Braunston, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Not long before the route crossed the canal and headed up into the fields and woods that eventually took us to Moor Park, the River Colne weaves its way close to the canal.

River Colne, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

River Colne, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

River Colne, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Spotted this little curiosity in a tree by the side of the canal.

Discarded child's toy, hanging from a tree, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

It was a little early for lunch, so we just stopped for a quick drink at the Coy Carp before crossing the Grand Union canal and heading north east across fields in the direction of Batchworth.

Coy Carp, Grand Union Canal, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

Oddly located in the middle of a bluebell wood were these two gate posts, presumably from a former time when a fence ran through the land.

Old gate posts, on the London Loop Recreational Walk

After walking through woods and fields, we eventually came out on the Harefield Road, by which time we were in need of lunch. Fortunately the Rose and Crown pub was still serving and we had some wonderful sweet potato soup and a pint of local ale from the Paradigm brewery before continuing on our journey. Not only did we leave the pub with our bellies full, but the sun also decided to show itself.

Heading across fields towards Batchworth, London Loop Recreational Walk

Country Park, London Loop Recreational Walk

Electricity pylon, London Loop Recreational Walk

Electricity pylon, London Loop Recreational Walk

Electricity pylon, London Loop Recreational Walk

And as has been a common theme of my last few wanders, a village pond in Batchworth Heath. I did spot a pond much earlier in the walk, but the sky was so grey that the pond just looked like a roadside puddle, so that one has been omitted from this account. This one is much nicer too.

Village pond at Batchworth Heath, London Loop Recreational Walk

An interesting sign, but alas we were beginning to worry about running out of time so missed out on the exotic dancers.

Prince of Wales pub, Batchworth Heath, London Loop Recreational Walk

This white post was an interesting feature, and not something I had ever seen before. It's a coal tax post. Dating from the 1860's, apparently there are still 210 of these remaining out of the original 280 coal posts on the outskirts of London, marking the points where taxes on coal were due to the Corporation of London. Sadly the picture is grainy as I had to zoom in as the road was far too busy to risk standing in the middle of the traffic to take a better picture.

Coal tax post, Batchworth Heath, London Loop Recreational Walk

From Batchworth Heath, the loop took us into the Moor Park Estate. I have blogged about this before in my Suburban Wander around Moor Park post so I won't include any pictures or commentary of the incredible mansions there. Instead I have included a couple of photos of an area that I had not previously seen, which was a very narrow road passing beneath the Metropolitan Railway line, just south of Moor Park station.

Railway bridge carrying the Metropolitan line, near Moor Park, London Loop Recreational Walk

Railway bridge carrying the Metropolitan line, near Moor Park, London Loop Recreational Walk

The section of the London Loop that we decided to do continued north eastwards from Moor Park but we had to get back to Harefield where we had left the car. Tempting though it was to take the tube back to Harrow-on-the-Hill and then back out to Uxbridge we, perhaps foolishly, decided to make a loop of our day's walking and walked a long, long walk back to Harefield. All-in-all it was just over 12 miles and almost dark by the time we returned to the car. I didn't take many pictures on the return journey as we were moving at quite a pace, but this building was worthy of a quick picture, and a bit of a breather. It's the Countess of Derby's alms houses. What wonderful chimneys.

Countess of Derby's alms houses, Harefield

So, our first experience of the London Loop was exhausting but fascinating. We're now trying to find a slot in the diary to return to start again from Moor Park, but perhaps next time we won't make a 12 mile loop of it and then have to drive home. The thought of staying somewhere on the loop, or perhaps in London and travelling to and from the start and finish by public transport appeals.
A much longer post than usual, but appropriate for the length of the walk I feel. So, I'll leave you here until next time ... but will next time be the London Loop or somewhere different? How come I am changing my mind already? Well, the answer to that question is Marshland, Dreams and Nightmares on the Edge of London, by Gareth Rees, which I have just started reading, and has already making me think I should get out to Walthamstow, Hackney and Leyton and explore what's left of the marshes.