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Walk 5 - From Terminal 5 Heathrow at the Western End of the Piccadilly Line to Staines

 

 

Distance	9.5 km (6 miles)
Underfoot	A mixture of roads and footpaths. May be muddy after wet weather.
Outward Journey	By Piccadilly Line to Heathrow Terminal 5 - about 50 minutes from Central London
Return	By train from Staines
Points of Interest	Terminal 5. Colne Valley Park, Staines Moor
Refreshments	Cafés in Terminal 5, The Anchor pub in Horton Road, pubs and cafés in Staines
Public Toilets	At Terminal 5 and Staines Railway Station
Shortening the Walk	No opportunities

 

 

 

 

What To Expect From This Walk

When I started to plan these routes, I did not think  I would find a walk from the end of the Piccadilly Line at Heathrow.  However, with the help of a friend, I discovered this interesting route from Terminal 5. The first part of the walk follows a section of airport perimeter road and then leaves the airport to access the Colne River Valley. You follow a mixture of riverside paths and roads through the village of Horton before reaching Staines Moor, an attractive open area of heath. From here it is only a short walk to Staines and the River Thames. On the early part of the walk you will be accompanied by the sight of large aircraft flying a few hundred metres above your head. 

 

 

 

 

Route Directions

1.  The walk starts at Heathrow Airport in the  Arrivals Hall of Terminal 5. Stand with your back to the International Arrivals Gate, facing the coffee shop in the centre of the Arrivals Hall (operated at the time of writing by Costa Coffee). Turn right and walk towards the far end of the hall. After 100m you pass the glass covered lifts on your left. Turn left here under a suspended yellow sign saying Exit, Buses, Car Rental, Taxis and leave the terminal building to enter a covered area used by buses and cars. Walk ahead using the clearly marked pedestrian crossings  to cross a series of vehicle lanes. Continue in the same direction to leave the covered area between parked cars. 

2. Do not cross the road ahead of you (Widgeon Road). Instead, turn right and walk along the side of the road, making your way past flowerbeds and motorcycle parking bays. The Arora Building is on the opposite side of the road on your left. Ahead you can see a concrete overpass which carries vehicles to the first-floor Departures level of Terminal 5. Go under this and continue ahead to reach the airport perimeter road. Take great care along this section, which is a one-way traffic system with a number of intersecting roads without footways. Once you reach the perimeter road (where Wallis Road comes in from the right) you regain a footway.

6. Continue for 250m and then cross the river on a stone footbridge with metal handrails. Go ahead over two wooden boardwalks and then turn left to follow a clear path along the right-hand bank of the river. Follow the river for 800m until you see another bridge. Do not cross over this bridge. Instead, go half-right towards an underpass in the embankment of the A30. Go through the underpass, then through a metal gate and follow a path straight ahead over a field to cross a small watercourse. After another 100m, the path  swings left. You, however, should go through a kissing gate to continue ahead. 

7. Cross the railway line and turn left along the bank of the River Colne, which you follow all the way to the end of the path in Staines. Turn left and then swing right to reach Staines Bridge over the Thames. To get to Staines Railway Station do not cross the bridge. Instead, descend to the riverbank using a set of steps to the left of the bridge parapet. You then walk along the river bank until a Thames Path sign directs you to turn up to the main road, where you continue in the same direction along the footway, passing under a railway bridge. Take the third road on the left (Gresham Road) to reach the station.

Information on Things You Will See

Terminal 5 is Heathrow’s most recent terminal and was officially opened by the Queen in March 2008. The first flight to arrive was BA026 from Hong Kong flown by Captain Lynn Barton, British Airways’ first woman pilot. Designed by British architect Richard Rogers, the main terminal building is almost 400m long and has a floor area of over 350,000 square metres. The period from conception to completion lasted almost 20 years due in part to the longest ever public enquiry in the UK. At the time of writing, a proposal  for the construction of a third runway at Heathrow has been backed by Parliament. If fully implemented, the expansion will affect the Colne Valley Trail and there is a danger that this walk may disappear.

Colne Valley Park covers over 100 square kilometres and consists of a mosaic of farmland, woodland and water, offering a real taste of countryside to the west of London. The park is managed by a Community Interest Company which is determinedly opposed to Heathrow’s expansion proposals, as these would have a far-reaching impact on the valley’s biodiversity, through loss of habitat and habitat connectivity.

Staines Moor is an area of common land lying within the Colne Valley that has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its diverse range of flora and fauna. 130 species of bird have been recorded on the moor, which was described by Bill Bryson as “an astonishing sight – a sweep of green and golden countryside … an unexpectedly lovely walk”. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1. Leave the station and cross the street ahead of you. Enter Windsor Street and walk down to a large roundabout. Cross at the pedestrian lights and pass to the left of a building (Capital Court). Use the next two sets of lights to reach the opposite side of the roundabout. Turn right along the footpath and then left into New Windsor Street, which is signposted A4007 Uxbridge Industrial Estate. After 100m you arrive at a humpback bridge over Fray’s River. Cross to the right-hand footway at the pedestrian crossing. After another 400m you reach a bridge over the Grand Union Canal. 

2. Cross the bridge and turn right to descend to the towpath. Turn right again and follow the towpath back under the bridge. Continue south along the tow-path. After 1.4 km, follow the towpath as it crosses to the opposite bank using a road bridge. Almost immediately, you reach Cowley Lock. Continue along the left-hand side of the canal for another 1.5 km. After going under a road bridge you will see the Packet Boat Marina on your right. Shortly afterwards, you come to a footbridge with a sign for the  Slough Arm of the canal. This is the Cowley Peachey Junction. Turn right over the bridge to go ahead (west) alongside this new stretch of waterway.

3. After 750m you come to a metal footbridge signposted London Loop and Hillingdon Trail. Go up the path on the left and then turn right across the bridge to leave the Slough Arm. From the bridge you can see (and hear) the M25 in the distance. You are now walking north, back towards Uxbridge. The path winds among trees and after 300m reaches Little Britain Lake. 30m further on, cross a footbridge on your left. Turn right, still following the London Loop. You are now walking along the left bank of the River Colne. This is a delightful stretch of river bank through woodland. When you reach a road, turn right and cross to the other side of the river.

4. Turn left, still following the London Loop, with the river now on your left and a high metal fence on your right. Continue for another 1.5 km until the path turns away from the river. It passes between some houses and then becomes a road. At a crossing road, go straight ahead into Culvert Lane and follow it until it reaches the Grand Union Canal. You are now back on your outward route. Turn left to reach the A4007, where there are two pubs, The General Eliott on the left and The Dolphin on the other side of the bridge.  Cross the bridge and follow the outward route back to Uxbridge Station. 

 

 

Information on the Things You Will See

 

 

 

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Walk 3 - A Circular Walk from Cockfosters, at the Northern End of the Piccadilly Line,  in Trent Country Park

 

 

Distance	6.5 km (4 miles)
Underfoot	Woodland paths and paved surfaces
Outward Journey	Piccadilly Line to Cockfoster (about 50 minutes from Central London)
Return Journey	By outward route
Refreshments	Café in Trent Park, The Cock Inn
Public Toilets	At Cockfosters Station and near the café in Trent Park
Points of Interest	Sassoon Obelisk, Water Gardens, Trent Park House
Shortening the Walk	Omit the detour to the Water Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

What To Expect From This Walk    This is an easy but pleasant walk through woodlands and meadows in Trent Country Park, a remnant of the ancient royal hunting ground of Enfield Chase. You can examine the Sassoon Obelisk, explore the  Water Garden and catch glimpses of Trent House. The hubbub of London life seems a million miles away. After the walk you can visit The Cock Inn, not far from the gates of Trent Park

 

 

 

Route Directions

1. Leave Cockfosters Station by climbing the steps to the road. Turn right and right again to enter the access road to the car park. Go through a gate which is set in the railings on your left, signposted for the London Loop. Continue between fences for about 200m, then turn left at the end. Go through a gap in a hedge and across the top of a small field to enter woodland. Continue to follow the London Loop signs to reach a grassy open space, which you cross to reach the main drive to Trent Country Park.

2. Turn right here towards the public toilets, the café and the children’s playground. Pass to the right of the café. Turn left and then right into the woods, guided by more 

London Loop signs. Follow the path for about 250m as it descends through the trees. Where the trees end, continue along the left edge of a field to reach a junction of paths. Turn left here on a broad path which curves right through a large meadow, with a lake on your right and rising ground on your left. 

3.  At the end of the path, reach a multi-armed signpost. Turn left uphill towards Camlet Moat, with the meadow on your left. Enter woods, still on the London Loop, and follow the path as it swings left to continue through the trees. After 400m, you will see the end of the woods ahead of you. Do not follow the London Loop, which turns right here to leave the park. Instead, you turn left and continue within the boundary fence of Trent Country Park. In 100m, you reach the Sassoon Obelisk. Pass to the left of the obelisk and walk to the corner of the woods. Turn left downhill, still within the woods. You now come to the meadow again from the opposite side. Descend diagonally across the grass to arrive back at the multi-armed signpost.

4. To make a short detour to the Water Garden, follow the direction indicated on the signpost. This sunken patchwork of paths and pools was originally laid out by Sir Philip Sassoon in the late 1920s. Trent Park House can be seen beyond the lake on your right. Retrace your steps to return to the signpost. 

Information on Things You Will See - 

 

Cockfosters, according to the Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names, refers to the “house of the chief forester” and the name was first mentioned in 1524. 

Trent Country Park was originally part of Enfield Wood, later known as Enfield Chase, where local villagers put their cattle out to pasture and went foraging. For over 350 years Enfield Chase also served as a royal hunting forest, enjoyed by Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I. Nowadays, the park covers 413 acres and forms part of London’s Green Belt. It is open every day of the year from 8.00 a.m.

Muntjac deer inhabit the park. They are a small, stocky breed, russet brown in colour in summer and grey/brown in winter. The Bucks have short (10 cm) antlers. They were introduced to Britain from China in the early 20th century. Through escape and deliberate release, they are now widespread and increasing in number and range. 

Trent Park House was originally built in the 18th century, but it has undergone many changes since then. In the early 20th century, the house was bought by the Sassoon family. During the Second World War, it played a critical role in the ‘secret war’ against Nazi Germany when it housed captured German officers. They were allowed to live in relative luxury, little realising their secretly recorded conversations were providing invaluable information to MI9, the British intelligence agency.  After the war, the Trent Park estate became part of London’s Green Belt and in 1973 the Greater London Council officially opened Trent Country Park to the public. Trent House became a teacher training college in 1950, and later formed part of the Middlesex University campus. In 2012 the university vacated the site and it was acquired for development as a private housing estate. As a feature of the redevelopment, proposals have been agreed for a museum.