Lea Valley Walk

The Lea Valley Walk is a route which runs, as its name makes clear, along the valley of the River Lea, from its source at Leagrave near Luton to Limehouse Basin in east London. The first half flits to and fro around the infant river: the second half is almost entirely along the towpath of the River Lee Navigation.

I had walked a fair bit of the route over the years, but in 2008 plan to complete it in order from the source to the Thames.

The route was opened in 1993, but has been modified between Hatfield and Hertford because of access issues - some of which I encountered when I visited that section in 2004.

Official literature gives the length as 80 kilometres, but from maps I estimate it to be about 86 km (taking the new route between Hatfield and Welwyn).

My walks on the Lea Valley Walk

Date From / to Distance on Path Ascent   Approx time
12 January 2008 Leagrave to Wheathampstead 20.1 km 220 m   4 hours 55 mins
9 March 2008 Wheathampstead to Hertford 21.8 km 145 m   4 hours 29 mins
26 April 2008 Hertford to Ponders End 25.9 km almost nil   5 hours 26 mins
11 May 2008 Ponders End to Limehouse and the Thames 18.4 km almost nil   3 hours 50 mins

Total walked so far: 86 km, completed.

Home Up Angles Way Capital Ring Chiltern Chain Walk Hertfordshire Chain Isle of Wight Coast Path Lea Valley Walk London Loop Mid-Suffolk Footpath New River Path Norfolk Coast Path North Downs Way Peddars Way Ridgeway South West Coast Stour & Orwell Walk Stour Valley Path Suffolk Coast Path Thames Path Yorkshire Wolds Way