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What to Expect From This Walk

This is a lovely walk which makes best use of the beautiful countryside near Richmond.  It starts across Richmond Green and then uses the Thames Path to connect with Richmond Park. The traverse of the park makes up about half the walk.  The final part of the walk makes use of the Beverley Brook Trail to reach East Sheen and Barnes.

1. Cross the road at the pedestrian lights in front of Richmond Station and go ahead through an alleyway. Turn left and walk along a road called Little Green. Very soon, you see Richmond Green on your right. Take the diagonal path which cuts across the centre of the Green. Cross over a small road and continue in the same direction to the far corner of the Green. Enter Old Palace Lane and follow it down to the River Thames, passing the White Swan pub.  

2. Turn left and pass under Richmond Bridge. Continue along the riverside and enter Buccleuch Gardens. Do not take the well-worn path which goes off to the right. Instead, continue on the paved pathway. Ignore some steps on the left and go ahead to a small gate, signposted Petersham. Walk across a meadow and go through a gate into an enclosed path. Walk to the end of this and continue for another 100m on a small road. Look out for a Capital Ring sign on a brick wall indicating a pathway to the left.

3. Turn left and follow the path to a road. Cross the road and enter Richmond Park. Go left, diagonally uphill, following the signs for the Capital Ring and Pembroke Lodge. As you climb the hill, a fine view opens up behind you. Near the top, go up some steps and through a large metal gate. Turn right. There is a rose garden to your left and another chance to admire the view over West London. Go ahead along the path to Pembroke Lodge, a Georgian mansion which has a popular café.

4. Turn left, go around the lodge and exit through its main gateway into a car park with a refreshment kiosk. Go through the car park and cross a road. Turn right along the verge and walk as far as the first track going left. Turn left here to follow the track along the perimeter of a wood. Where the paved track swings left into a works depot, go ahead, still along the edge of the wood. Continue until the track reaches a five-way junction, at which point you can see two lakes in the distance. Take the right-hand path of the three paths ahead of you. Go over a crossing path and then turn right on a larger track which leads down to the lakes. Walk down towards the lakes. Just before reaching them, turn left to walk along the edge of one of the lakes.

5. At the corner of the lake, turn right and continue beside the water. When you reach the end of the lake, go straight ahead uphill to reach an asphalt road. Turn left and pass in front of the aptly named White Lodge. Walk for another 200m to reach a junction with a road which goes back right at an acute angle, marked White Lodge Only.  At this point leave the tarmac and turn right on a path going off towards the trees. Follow the path as it swings right, then left, then straight on through the woods, always parallel to a large open section of the park which you can see to your left. In a clearing with several fallen tree trunks, turn left onto a crossing path which  after 500m leads you down to the vehicle road crossing the park. Turn right and follow the road across the Beverley Brook. Exit Richmond Park by the Roehampton Gate and immediately look out for a Beverley Brook Walk sign pointing left.

6. Turn left and follow an enclosed path, with the wall of the park on your left and the brook on your right. Go through a gate, swing right and continue walking alongside the brook. The view opens out on the left, across a playing field. At the end of the field, turn left on a paved path and continue to follow Beverley Brook on your right. After 250m the path leaves the brook and leads you between allotments to reach a road (Hertford Avenue). Turn right and follow this road until it reaches Upper Richmond Road (the A205).

7. If you wish to shorten the walk by taking a bus back to Richmond Station, turn left here to find the nearest bus stop and catch a no. 33 or no. 493. Otherwise, turn right and cross the road. Walk for 800m to the traffic lights at the junction with Vine Street. Take the path which goes diagonally left across East Sheen Common, signed as a footpath to Barnes Station, with mainline trains to London.

Richmond Green is said to be one of the most beautiful urban greens in England. It is square in shape and roughly twelve acres in size.  On the north-east side there is a smaller open space called Little Green. Both are overlooked by a mixture of period townhouses, historic buildings and municipal and commercial establishments including Richmond Theatre.  It has a long history of hosting sporting events. In the 16th century tournaments and archery contests are known to have taken place.  More recently cricket has been the sport of choice and matches have occurred from the 18^th century up to the present day. 

The Thames Path is a National Trail which runs between the source of the river near Cirencester in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton a distance of 296Km (184 miles).

Richmond Park, was created by Charles I in the 17th century as a deer park. At 2,360 acres it is the largest of London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation.  It is a place of many walkers, cyclists and horse riders and is home to roughly 630 red and fallow deer which roam freely through the park.

White Lodge is a Grade I listed Georgian House.  Formerly a Royal residence, it is now the home of the Royal Ballet Lower School instructing students aged 11 to 16 years. In the mid 18^thC the lodge was frequently occupied by Queen Caroline, the consort of George II.  It was built as a hunting lodge for George II and was completed in 1730.

Pembroke Lodge is another listed Georgian mansion.  It is located on high ground with views across London and the Thames Valley. It has 11 acres of landscaped grounds. The building was once the home of the British Prime Minister John Russell and was the childhood home of his grandson, the philosopher, Bertrand Russell. It is part of the Crown Estate and is now run as a catering facility, conference centre and wedding venue. Situated on Poet’s Corner in Pembroke Lodge Gardens lies the Ian Dury bench, in memory of the rock star best known for his songs Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick and What a Waste.

Beverley Brook rises in Worcester Park and flows north east to join the Thames at Barn Elmes between Barnes and Putney. It is 14.3Km (9miles) long.  In Richmond Park it creates a water feature much used by deer and smaller animals.

Walk No 12 -  From Ealing Broadway, at the Western End of the Central and District Lines,  to Boston Manor

What To Expect From This Walk

This walk makes maximum use of green spaces and riverside paths in this pleasant part of London. It starts at the busy terminus  point of Ealing Broadway but soon enters leafy suburban streets and pedestrianised byways which lead northwards to Pitshanger Park and the green tract of land which marks the progress of the River Brent.  At Perivale Park the route meets the Capital Ring footpath and follows it to the Grand Union Canal.  After about 1 mile on the towpath the route turns away to reach Boston Manor Tube Station.

1. Turn right out of the station and walk to a road junction. Cross at the pedestrian crossing and enter Mountfield Road, the middle of three roads opposite. Walk to the end of Mountfield Road, cross Woodville Road and enter Hillcroft Crescent. Where the road turns left, go straight ahead and enter West Walk, a pedestrian and cycle shared path, which starts to climb gently. At the end of West Walk, go ahead along the footway for another 150m to reach a hedge with a sports ground visible beyond. Turn right and after 100m turn left into Fox Lane, another shared path. Walk to the end and turn left into Sandall Road.  In 100m turn right into Lynwood Road and walk towards Western Avenue (A40).

2. Go over  the junction with Brunswick Road. Just before reaching the A40, turnleft into an unmarked drive between houses and garages. Continue on a path with allotments on your right. When the path reaches a fence, turn left and arrive at a suburban road where there is a sign for Brent River Walk. Turn right here and right again into Neville Road.  Turn left into Meadvale Road, as indicated by another Brent River Walk sign. Walk along the right-hand footway for 550m to reach the entrance to Pitshanger Park on your right. Enter the park and turn left on a broad path to pass some tennis courts. At the far end of the tennis courts, turn right and reach the Tennis Courts café. 

3. Continue past the café and turn left along the edge of the park. After 70m turn right onto a crossing path towards Perivale. Follow this path between fences and over a bridge. This is your first sight of the River Brent. Continue past a weatherboarded church. Go through a lych-gate and turn left into Perivale Lane. Walk for 400m to the junction with Argyle Road and cross with care at the traffic lights, which have no pedestrian phase. Go ahead into the road opposite, Stockdove Way, and continue for 300m to pass under a railway bridge. Ahead to your left, you can see Perivale Park Golf Club shop and café. To your right is a sports stadium. Pass between the café and the stadium to reach a vehicle barrier.

4.  Do not go ahead on the track around the perimeter of the sports ground. Instead, turn diagonally left along the line of a hedge on a gravel track, past a wooden post. Follow the track and continue in the same direction, down the line of bushes and rough grass which marks the boundary between the park on your right and the golf course on your left. After 250m you reach a path which comes in from the right and turns to continue in your direction of travel. You are now on the Capital Ring  and you will follow it for almost all the rest of the walk. Continue ahead and cross a bridge. Emerge on Costons Lane and turn left to reach a larger road (Ruislip Road) on the outskirts of Greenford. Turn left over a bridge, cross the road and turn right onto a path with Capital Ring waymarks. In this section, the river, which is on your right, is often hidden from sight by undergrowth.

5. After 700m, where the path swings left, look out for a marker post on your right. Go down some steps to the river bank and turn left along it. After 200m, rejoin the main path and within 100m come to a wooden bridge. Turn right and go across the bridge to the other bank of the river. Go ahead for 50m and then turn left on a path across Brent Valley Golf Course. Walk for 800m to a metal footbridge, which takes you back to the left bank of the river. Turn right and follow the meanders of the river on a grassy path beside the riverside  undergrowth.

6. Go over a bank and follow a wider pathway to the right to reach a number of fingerpost signs. Your onward route  is indicated by the sign which points to Osterley Locks and Brentford. Join a track, which swings right to pass under a very large railway viaduct. footbridge takes you back to the right- hand bank and soon you reach Hanwell Bridge. You can find The Viaduct pub by crossing the bridge. If you wish to shorten the walk at this point, catch an E8 bus back to Ealing Broadway. 

7. To continue the walk, go under the bridge and follow the footpath beside the river for another 700m to the Grand Union Canal and the Hanwell Flight of Locks. To see the full extent of the locks, turn right.  Otherwise, turn left and walk down the canal towpath for 1.3 km. Continue over a concrete walkway at Osterley Weir, past a lock. Ahead, you will see the M4 motorway bridge over the canal. Just before the bridge, turn left at a signpost for Boston Manor Station. Take the left-hand of two paths, initially beside another stretch of the River Brent. Go ahead at the top of the hill. When you reach a residential road (Southdown Avenue), turn right and walk to the junction with Wellmeadow Road. Turn left and then right on Boston Road to reach Boston Manor Station.

8. Go through another kissing gate, still on the Hillingdon Trail, and climb uphill through a large open field with a hedge on your right. In the top right-hand corner, go over two waymarked stiles and enter another large field with a distant footpath sign visible ahead at the far end. With the  hedge on your right, walk towards the signpost. Turn left at the signpost to follow the Hillingdon Trail downhill and then continue through woods to reach the churchyard of Harefield Parish Church. Continue with the churchyard wall on your left. Where the wall turns left, follow the HT sign to take the right-hand of two paths. Follow this path till  you reach a metal stile which brings you out onto the church access road. Turn right here to walk up to the main road (Church Hill), where you turn right again. Cross over to walk on the footway for 500m through  Harefield until you reach an HT sign at Bird Lane (100m after Countess Close, and just before Dovedale Close bus stop).

9. Turn left (marked HT) to descend between houses. Cross a residential road and continue downhill. Climb to a junction of paths, where you bear left. A lovely vista with a distant lake now opens up before you. Continue down to the end of the enclosed path and then descend diagonally across a field with the Grand Union Canal below you. The path meets a lane. After a short section of lane walking, cross a canal bridge to reach the towpath. Turn right along the towpath for 750m to reach The Coy Carp pub. After the pub, carry on along the towpath for another 4 km to reach Rickmansworth. Your exit point is the large bridge carrying the A404 traffic over the canal (see Map B).

10. Go under this bridge and climb the steps up to the road. Turn right and walk up to the roundabout. Turn right into Church Street and follow it for 600m until it intersects with the High Street. (The left-hand footway takes a short cut through the churchyard.) Turn left into the High Street, where there are several cafés. After 250m, turn right into Station Road. Continue up to a T-junction where you turn left to reach Rickmansworth Station.