Riceal one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 60.00% of reviewers

Riceal Two is an improved version of this route, so if you are reading this wondering which route to pick I am guiding to Riceal Two!
This route is well conceived - riverside, parks, canal, extremely enjoyable and reasonably direct-ish - but has some inaccuracy at Boston Manor (pointed out in the first review) and can be improved with less road and more riverside at Isleworth (pointed out in the second review).
I also found when I walked it that the safe road crossing at Pitzhanger (near Ealing) was not properly indicated.
So I have created a replacement version of this route as Riceal Two.

This is my local Slow Way and I love it! We're amazingly fortunate to have such a wealth of green spaces in Ealing and Richmond and this route takes you through six parks and along the River Thames. The walking is easy (although there is a footbridge over the canal by GSK House).

There are some interesting places to stop off on the way, including the site of the Brentford Ferry, The London Apprentice pub and the opportunity to treat yourself (or your walking companion) to an ice cream at Syon House.

Richmond and Ealing are connected by the 65 bus and are both well served by trains and tubes.

There could be a more direct route but for me this route is direct enough and the parks and the Thames views are compensation enough for the slightly longer walk.

Maybe we could add an alternative route to enable the circular walk back on the Kew side of The Thames back to Kew Bridge and then up through Gunnersbury Park.

Scenic walk along the Thames through the edge of the Syon estate and along the Grand union canal. Not wheelchair friendly. Potentially cycle friendly in good weather and with patience in toe paths.

This is a pleasant route through a mostly-residential part of the city, which keeps to parks and pedestrian routes as much as possible. The parks are typically closed after dark, so suitable only for daylight trips. There are plenty of short cafes along the route, and benches in most areas.
For the portion that crosses Boston Manor Park, you can take several alternate routes: the one shown on the map takes you diagonally across the park, and requires walking on short grass for a portion (the few hundred meters from the canal side entrance to half-way across the park). If taking this route, once you cross the canal on the footbridge, head at a diagonal across the grass, pass under the highway, and you'll hit the main footpath, at which point you'll turn left to reach the exit from the park in the NW corner. To avoid the grass, when coming from Richmond, take the footpath directly in front of you once you cross the bridge, and turn left after the parking lot onto the main footpath that takes you past the tennis courts and Manor House, to the pond. The exit is just NW of the pond. (Coming from Ealing direction, head SE on the main path, past the Manor House and tennis courts, and then take a right after the parking lot to follow a footpath to the exit point at the bridge).
You could alternatively, if you like unpaved stretches, take the signposted "nature trail" (if coming from Ealing, you'll find it at the bottom end of the pond you encounter when you first enter the park, which takes you down some earthen steps to a dirt track alongside the creek, and will take you out next to the grass section mentioned above. However there is no signpost if coming from Richmond, follow the angle of river until a side creek turns inland), where this end of the nature trail starts.
For the Isleworth section, the Slowways route follows Richmond Road for a section - you can detour off this to follow the riverside path for most this section too, apart from very briefly having the rejoin the road to cross the River Crane. The only thing to be aware of is that this detour requires walking across the back terrace of a pub. It's a public through-way, but there is a small humped bridge at one end (the ramp goes fairly steeply up about 40-50cm in elevation), which won't be suitable for wheelchairs or mobility scouters, etc.)
If coming from Ealing, for this detour look for a footpath off Church Street, just after Mill Plat and the small bridge over the Duke of Northumberland's River (there's an old crane). Once you're on this path, just keep following the river until it spits you out again by the River Crane crossing.
If coming from Richmond, once you cross the River Crane, look for a small path on your right that will take you past some private gardens to the river. If you hit Egerton Road, you've gone too far.

This is an attractive walk that takes you though a variety of green spaces and by the River Thames. It should be noted that the 65 Bus runs from Richmond Station to Ealing Broadway approximately every 10 minutes. This may provide other transport options to trains. The route also passes many cafes and toilets in the parks.
The walk is generally easy but the section in Boston Manor Park needs attention as the GPX track is misleading. A revised track and instructions are required to navigate the park to canal under the M4 depending on the direction you walk the trail. I would also suggest that there is an option for the walk (if done from Ealing Broadway to Richmond) that takes you past a range of pubs and cafes at the end of your walk.

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