Start: Café in the Park, Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Frogmoor Lane, Rickmansworth (WD3 1NB) Grid ref. TQ 055 938
(S/E) From the car park, take the wide surfaced path to the right of the café and toilets and walk alongside the edge of Bury Lake. Bear right following the Batchworth Lake Circular Walk to the next path junction.
(1) Turn left and continue ahead with the River Colne on the right and a wet woodland area on the left for 650m to a path T-junction at Bury Lake. Turn right and continue to the next junction.
(2) Turn right and immediately left through a gate onto a rough path. Walk forward for 80m to an open hide on the left that overlooks Stockers Lake (A). Return to the path and turn left through the trees and gate into a field. Follow the fence line along the left side of the field and through a gate into the next one. Continue alongside the fence to reach a further gate to leave the field onto a riverside path. Turn left along it for 640m to reach a footbridge on the right just before a path junction.
(3) Turn right over the footbridge and the river on a path signposted towards Inns and Springwell Lakes. Follow the path around to the edge of Inns Lake to leave through a gate onto a lane. Cross and pass to the right of the old car park entrance to soon reach a gate, the entrance to Springwell Lake.
Follow the path around the edge of the lake for 1.3km, passing the Springwell reed beds (B) on the right, to join a surfaced access road. Continue ahead for 200m and, just before the bridge, bear right through a gap onto the canal towpath (C).
(4) Turn right and follow the towpath for 1.6km (D) to reach the Coy Carp pub in Coppermill Lane.
(5) Turn left along the lane taking extreme care as the road is very narrow as it crosses the canal. Just after the left-hand bend, turn left into Summerhouse Lane and walk along it for 300m to the entrance to Hillingdon Narrowboats Association.
(6) Opposite the entrance is a concrete road, signed for The Hillingdon Trail. Follow it uphill past the houses on the left for 300m, bear left through the metal barriers and continue uphill through Old Park Wood (E). After 250m there is an option to turn right further into the wood to see the woodland flora. Continue on the main path uphill and between fields to meet a road, Hill End Road.
(7) Turn left along the road for 650m as it passes through the village of Hill End until a left-hand bend.
(8) Bear right on a path past the entrance to Cripps Farm Bungalow. Go through a gate and follow the path ahead for 650m as it drops down through a wood (Cooks Wood) and a gate into a field. Just before the next gate is a white metal post (F).
(9) If there is a footpath diversion in place, please follow the second paragraph. From the gate, continue downhill keeping to the right of the fence. Before the end of the field, bear half-right up to a gate and a farm track. Go through the gate and follow the farm track down to the entrance to Stocker’s farm.
(10) Do not go through but turn right up the slope to pass through a gate into a field. Turn left and follow the field edge down to the next gate to meet a wide track. Turn left along the track and follow it round to the right and over the canal.
During 2020 & 2021 the footpath is due to be diverted while filming takes place. If so, turn right, follow the waymarked path to the top of the hill and round to the left to drop down to the entrance to Stockers Farm. Turn right up the slope to rejoin the main route.
(11) Continue straight ahead through a gate into the reserve. Follow the main path to a major junction. Turn right on a wide surfaced path back to the café and the car park. (S/E)
We hope you have enjoyed your walk. Please remember to rate the walk and add comments. We are interested in how we could improve the instructions or the route and would like to hear about any issues with paths on the walk.