mercalia wrote:For any one living in London ( who has a freedom pass to get there free by train ) I have found a very nice short ride along both sides of the river crane in Crane Parks, Hounslow.
It is a really lovely ride one side is tarmaced but with dirt track off shoots that go closer to the river, the other side ( newer I think ) is graveled winding around under avenues of trees. A real bit of wilderness. There is a nature reserve and whats left of the Gunpowder industry ( tower for making musket balls) There is a refreshment kiosk open during the winter in the east end in Kneller Gardens.
I really love this area. Great at any time of the year or day ( never closes ) Great night rides!
To be pedantic the tarmac path is in LB Richmond and has been open for ?20 years. The Gravel one is in Hounslow and is fairly recent but does make a nice circuit.
PRL wrote:To be pedantic the tarmac path is in LB Richmond and has been open for ?20 years. The Gravel one is in Hounslow and is fairly recent but does make a nice circuit.
I thought it was the other way around but seems not. The parts beyond this circuit that I updated this thread with are clearly very old as I mentioned the neglected boards with information on. The underpass at The Causeway rd has steps up with a rusty cycle channel that hasnt been used in how long. But is a devil to find your way to these paths for any one who doesnt live there. There is also a route to a starting point from the circuit above, past the Royal Mail depot in Godfrey Way further up the road, but this is used by the local kids with their "motor bikes" to gain access to the heath & has a gate with obstacles to deter them & I wonder if it will be locked soon
at end of Godfrey way by side of Royal Mail depot, access to Crane river path
at end of narrow tarmac path side of Royal Mail depot end of Godfrey Way
Last edited by mercalia on 27 May 2015, 5:51am, edited 1 time in total.
elPedro666 wrote:Thanks for the update we've just got back from exploring some similar waterside hidden gems around Stockport; very satisfying to get intimate with the nooks and crannies of your local area
Yes u dont need to go abroad to find places to explore, some can be very close, many need a bit of time that u probably cannt afford when traveling abroad or some distance from a base.
click pics to enlarge
here a few more - these from Staines Road section - so called Donkey Wood -
Here is a pdf file that shows quite clearly the west edge of the "circuit" that PRL refers to - the well looked after section and also the way to get to the Hounslow Heath section via the Cavalry tunnel - the path on the right near the "Feltham Circles" north west of the crematorium gardens.
The use of the Cavalry tunnel - which was modified as a cycle underpass of the railway many years ago. Unfortunately there has been legal wrangling between ? Network Rail and LB Hounslow which has prevented the route being made official. LB Hounslow have referred to the connection as a Holy Grail.
FORCE are a local pressure group and their leaflet represents an aspiration.
I been on this so far up to North Hillingdon, starting from the Paddington branch of the Grand Union Canal. Unlike the Crane Path this is in some/many places really mt bike territory as many of the tracks are just squashed clumps of grass, so it was slow going for me on my 1-Down. I am glad I put the extra padding on my handle bars. There is greater variety of scenary - urban natural grass fields & spaces to dirt tracks thru woods. It is supposed to be 20 odd miles long. It is called a walking route but all the gates are multi purpose with bike key slots.
Next Stage. North Hillingdon to Ruislip. Towards Ruislip it gets a bit boring as the route just bolts together a few back houses short cut & the route twists and turns so need to be on the look out for the trail signs, but the result is worth the effort as it ends up at Ruislip Lido, a large lake which is also a beach resort with a real sandy beach where the locals go on hot days to sun bathe and take a cooling dip. But thats jumping the gun a bit.
At Hillingdon on the route came across this strange "playground" dont know who it is for. Any one explain the purpose of the various torture devices?
torture device 1
torture device 2
torture device 3
torture device 4
The Hillingdon lot a very security minded bunch as the next installment shows
oh glad to know that Hillingdon has the money and space for such a luxury ( that I bet no one uses )
Before you get to Ruislip Lido you have find your way across a golf course after crossing a few roads
The Hillingdon trail passes within yards of the so called Ruislip Lido. A lake which has a real sandy beach and a by the sea-side atmosphere. (but no seagulls) It has a tarmaced path around it that makes a nice ride with various offshoot paths and places to get refreshment. Well worth a visit.