Iverhar three

Verified Slow Way

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I walked this on a grey afternoon, from Harlington to Iver. Little rain in the past week.

From Harlington, the route started by going along a lane (photo #1). It was not busy with traffic, and there was a fair amount of open space so it
wasn't that bad in the end. After going through the little village of Harmondsworth (photo #2), the walk became actually pleasant (photo #3), even though it started through a graveyard.

It was a little muddy going around Saxon Lake (photo #4, #6), but it was quiet and green with a white dusting of fallen blossom (photo #5). The crossing underneath the M4 had some graffiti on it. Mostly the annoying kind (photo #7).

The route continued following the River Colne, through some nice green woods (photo #18). There was then a short (but safe) section without pavement (photo #9), and a very narrow footpath towards Thorney (photo #10). Here the route went alongside a golf course, and it some points crossed it (photo #11). Crossing underneath the Great Western Main Line was haphazard, as the tunnel was not quite high enough for me (photo #12)!

The route then followed the Colne Valley trail/footpath for a bit all the way towards the Grand Union Canal's Slough Arm (photo #13). I always liked walking alongside it and this weekend was no exception.

After leaving the canal, the walk into Iver is again along a main road (photo #14), as bridge across the canal had collapsed a few years ago.

I started from the Harlington end (a number of buses). It is a simple walk along Sipson Lane along the pavement past various playing fields. The pavement is uneven in places. You go through the village of Sipson (222 bus) and at King William pub continue along Harmondsworth Lane to the village of Harmondsworth (U3 and 350 buses). Here you go down the short high street and then walk into the church yard of St Mary.

[Of note, just down Moor Lane is a memorial to Barnes Wallis Bouncing Bomb, as research was done at the former Road Research Laboratory based here – there is another path north from near here that will take you up to Saxon Lake].
Otherwise at the church, you walk diagonally through the graveyard exiting via a kissing gate into the fields behind. You now follow an uneven dirt track north before taking a left turn and follow a wooded gravel path clock wise around Saxon Lake, and then go under the M4 by the side of the Duke of Northumberland River. [This is part of the quiet Harmondsworth Moor country park]. You then follow the river through woodland, keeping left at each track junction before coming to Cricketfield Road (kissing gate). This part feels quite remote.

You then follow the road right (no pavement) until you turn left along Thorney Mill Road (U3 bus nearby) over Fray’s River. Following the pavement, you then come to a right of way through the hedge of the Thorney Park Golf course just as it meets the houses. I walked around the left hand side of the golf course and followed the white rocks, to the right of the Colne Brook, that take you north through the golf course out to a tarmac lane through a gate (this is different to the route taken by the other reviewer (which is a bit further to the west). I followed the permissive way (Affinity Water access road) through woods and through a tunnel under the rail way line to a tarmac lane. (This section again feels very remote) and then go left and then right following the Colne Valley Park path signs north through the wooded area along uneven dirt paths and with a number of fallen trees to go under, that then comes out (kissing gate) on the Slough spur of the Grand Union Canal where you then turn left to continue to Iver (this is covered by others) or right to West Drayton.

Overall a good walk through a mix of interlinked green spaces, where you can spend some more time exploring if you wish.

A thoroughly enjoyable walk, which took me by surprise considering it’s very much Heathrow environs. Totally recommend - one star off for a couple of unavoidable busy road sections, otherwise everything a Slow Way should be.
Walked Harlington to Iver.

The first couple of miles is along a straight road which I expected to be tedious, but it wasn’t! Not much traffic, pavement throughout, and a perfectly placed friendly cafe just in time for elevenses (the Cafe on the Green). This land is earmarked for Heathrow’s third runway.

Eventually I reached Harmondsworth, an archetypal quaint English village, campaigning hard against Heathrow expansion. Pub, church, historic tithe barn (open alternate Sundays), village green, mobile library. When the runway comes the clocks will stop at ten to three.

At Harmondsworth the route turns north along the Colne valley. There is a succession of green spaces and lakes, at one point the route goes under the M4. This area is close to the river and looks as though it may be wet in winter, but when I walked it was dry underfoot throughout.
Birds and butterflies everywhere, completely delightful.

There’s a short stretch of busy road before plunging back into more green along a golf course. Watch out for the turn to go under the main railway line through a quite low narrow tunnel. This part of the route is lush and nettles crowd the path, long trousers needed. In my experience it is always worth checking for giant hog weed, but it wasn’t a problem here when I walked the route.

There’s the essential section near the local sewage works but it soon goes away, and before long I emerged from the green paths onto the canal towpath. Under the M25 - celebrate leaving London - then up a steep slope to the road, turn left and walk north to Iver. At this point if you want the railway station don’t walk into Iver, turn right and walk south instead.

Refreshments and buses (Slough or Uxbridge) in Iver.

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