4 Miles Home

The Brentford to Hanwell canal walk is a gentle stroll perfect for a quiet day out in London to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Accessible by train on the TFL network, this Oyster Card-friendly ramble takes you to the Grand Union Canal towpath, from a seventeenth-century manor house to a viaduct. There is so much to discover on our doorsteps!

The good thing about London is that you do not need to go far to track down some exceptionally decent walks. Take Horsenden Hill for instance: who would have thought that you could walk through meadows, a farm, a forest and along a Canal, all within a London postcode and accessible by tube? And you can! A walk through Horsenden Hill will definitely make you forget you are in the city.

This last walk describes a route from one end of the Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames to the other. It traverses many of the borough's parks and commons and shows how they can be linked by footpaths to form an impressive 15-mile country-style walk we proudly present as "Richmond's Green Trail".

This walk has as its focal point the Leg o’ Mutton Nature Reserve (Formally Leg o’ Mutton" reservoir). The walk uses some of the intriguing network of paved footpaths lined with small terraced houses and cottages, which is characteristic of this part of Barnes and Mortlake. Next the Flood Wall Walkway provides excellent river views and leads on to the towpath. The return via pond, green and Mill Hill gives a taste of the village aspect of Barnes, also of the rural scenery of the Common.

The Thames Path provides easy walking and interesting surroundings. The section from Barnes to Richmond covered by this walk also includes the option to Visit Kew Gardens and enjoy the riverside 'attractions' at Richmond.

This is a short urban walk exploring the 'lost landscapes of Middlesex'. I was recently introduced to a secret park which I never knew about, and realised this must be the summit of the original Sudbury Hill before it was swallowed up under the tide of suburban housing. The walk visits Elm Park and also takes you past the Harrow School sports fields. It starts and finishes near Harrow School, Harrow-on-the-Hill.

The walk connects Richmond Park with Wimbledon Common by two different routes, over varied terrain and with a wide range of views without any retracing of steps. It includes some of the best-loved features of the Park and Common, such as Isabella Plantation, the Windmill and Pen Ponds with, by way of contrast, a short section through the exclusive residential area of Coombe. Three alternative routes are given across Wimbledon Common.

An interesting walk along the Duke of Northumberland’s river from the Meadway in Twickenham, through old Isleworth, to Syon Park. The attractions in Syon Park include the house and gardens and one of the largest Garden Centres in the country. A short extension to Kew Bridge following a brief section of the Grand Union Canal with its docks and then the Thames, is included. The Musical Museum and London Museum of Water & Steam can be seen on this section. Return is made by bus or train.