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The Lea Valley Walk

The Lea Valley Walk is a waymarked route of 54 miles. The Lea is Hertfordshire’s principal river, flowing 58 miles from its source at Leagrave in Bedfordshire in a southeasterly direction through the county, all the way to the Thames at Limehouse in London. Together with its tributaries the Lea drains over half of Hertfordshire.

The Lea Valley Walk is a bit shorter than the river because the walking route takes some short-cuts and meanders less. That said, much of the route runs alongside the River Lea and the River Lea Navigation – the canalised section from Hertford on south.

The walking route takes in a variety of landscapes including much open countryside as well as several urban or suburban areas along the way. These include Harpenden, Wheathampstead, Hertford, Ware, Cheshunt, and Broxbourne. One advantage of this is that The Lea Valley Walk can easily be accessed via public transport.

Because the walking route follows the waterway, this is an excellent choice for birdwatching. In fact, the route passes through the Lea Valley RAMSAR site, a protected wetlands habitat of international importance.

The idea for the Lea Valley Walk was first conceived in the 1960s. In 1971, the Upper Lea Valley Group was formed when the Harpenden Society expressed concern about the state of the riverside at Batford. The group worked hard to clear the riverbank and establish the first section of the route. Through the next two decades, various sections of the Walk were implemented, and the whole of the route from Leagrave to London was fully waymarked and formally opened in 1993.

The comprehensive guidebook for The Lea Valley Walk is published by Cicerone and is available from our own website. You can also read more about the Walk in a series of three articles written by CPRE Hertfordshire’s former Chairman Elizabeth Hamilton, available to download here.

The Lea Valley Walk part one – Leagrave to Lemsford

The Lea Valley Walk part two – Lemsford to Hertford

The Lea Valley Walk part three – Hertford to the county boundary at the M25

old style Lea Valley Walk waymark

 

new style Lea Valley Walk waymark

river lea in the sunrise
Sunrise on the Lea Valley Walk at Hertford Lock CPRE Hertfordshire