Enfiwal two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Enfiwal here.

This route is a bit longer than EnfiWal 1 but it includes some long, properly off road and even wild sections which are worth visiting or including in a walk across a sprawling city like London.

I decided to create this because that day I fancied walking part of the Lee Valley and walking this also made my walk into a Slow Way test. I actually walked it in early April, not mid June but I don't think the season would make much difference to 'walkability', maybe to busy-ness along the River Lea though.

The plan was to get a feel for Walthamstow, which I'd never visited, by walking the full length of Walthamstow High Street but the market meant it was incredibly busy and the crowds were just too much, hence the slight detour, even though it does reduce the simplicity of the route. The quieter roads to Blackhorse Rd Station were straightforward and rather pretty in places. Stoneydown Park was being used as an ad-hoc cricket pitch. Ferry Lane isn't great, but the joint cycle path is set back pretty far which helps. I didn't actually walk the next bit along Pymmes Brook between Ferry Lane and Stonebridge Lock as I was exploring the reservoirs and the parallel towpath on the River Lea Navigation, but I think it'd make a better route overall. The northern part of Tottenham Marshes was unexpectedly wild, unlike Hackney Marshes further south on the River, so adding more breaks up the towpath sections. And I always enjoy a nosey look into allotment sites. The houseboats on the stretch just north of Stonebridge Lock were rather jolly though, and there are far fewer further north, so you could easily swap that part if they would, ahem, float your boat.

Along the river northward from the A406 has few access points and, on my walk, very few people around, even on a sunny Saturday evening. Very peaceful but I felt a little isolated. The banks have trees alongside screening the industrial areas beyond, but I'd hoped it would be a little more wild. In retrospect that was unlikely given it is canalised and still very much in use by boats. Because further south I'd also walked the river towpath, instead of the marshes like this route, the river got pretty samey by the end.

The last section from Ponders End to Enfield town centre had more busy road walking than I'd like, not much fun and the reason for only 4 stars. I think the walk may be a good one for wheelchairs but the 10 week delay writing up this review may have led me to forget some obstacles. There were small shops and takeaways/cafes near Blackhorse Rd and Ponders End if you need a drink or an energy boost in the last third of your walk.

EnfiWal 1 looks pretty good, especially if there were a few small tweaks to take it off the busier roads. And the northern part goes through a conservation area, probably quieter and prettier than the road walking on the northern part of this route. There may be ways to combine parts of the two routes, but not one joining that conservation area bit with this northern riverside section because of the roads, trainlines, etc.

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