Souwem one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

I walked this from Wembley to Southall on a wet (mostly drizzle) winter morning.

Perhaps it wasn't the wisest day to go out for a walk, with drizzle forecasted for most of the day, with only a sliver of hope for a bit of sunshine in the afternoon. But it was the first Saturday of the year and I couldn't let a good opportunity for a walk slip.

As there were National Rail strikes going on, I decided to walk something in London, and opted for routes that I had never done, but were close to being verified.

And so I set off from Wembley along some residential roads before going along Ealing Road and past Alperton station towards the canal. The stint along the canal was very short, but I would return to it for a long stretch later on in the walk. Alperton is mostly dominated by low-height industrial areas, with lots of garages and body-work shops. After crossing the A40 at Perivale the walk became a lot nicer with at least some greenery on the left, before crossing Perivale Park with its golf course. At the far left of the park some burly blokes let their aggressive looking dog of the lead, which promptly came sprinting right at me, but also luckily straight past me. I wasn't particularly pleased with this! Then the route continued following the River Brent, where the path was fairly muddy, and crossing not just one, but two golf courses in the space of a few kilometres. I don't quite understand why there need to be so many, especially with the housing need that we have. I went a little off-course after crossing Greenford Road, but that was my own fault for not following the route precise enough. The last stretch to Southall was along a brickwalled public footpath.

All in all quite a nice walk, with some minor nits such as the Alperton industriousness, and that bloody dog!.

I walked from Southall to Wembley Central.
The mapping is a little sloppy for this route but using commonsense it can be over come - walk around the electric sub-station and in front of Sainsbury's rather than through them.
After walking through quiet Southall residential streets you cross a golf course between two ponds which was very wet after recent rain. Then across the A4127 down some steps to another golf course where again there was large puddles in the low parts. You then pick up the Capital Ring and follow the River Brent for a while along a mix of lovely woods and fields. Parting company with the Ring in Perivale Park pass under the railway line to quiet streets leading to a pedestrian bridge over the busy A40. Bilton Bridge signals entry into an industrial area with poor pavements. Past Sainsbury's there is a short canal section before reaching the Ealing Road going past Alperton Tube Station toward Wembley. Like Jamiekirk, the previous reviewer, I would take this road all the way to Wembley as it is a lively street with lots of interest, but the route as (poorly) shown takes you through quieter suburban streets and up a flight of steps to Wembley Central Station.
Apart from the short industrial bit this is a lovely walk full of variety making best use of the green spaces.

A route of two halves - first half over golf courses and parks and is very green and open, with the second being more industrial / residential. Overall a very enjoyable walk, although there are a couple of minor navigation issues to be aware of.

Most notably there is a point early on where the path turns left on Longford Avenue before turning right to get to Dormer's Wells Lane. This doesn't work as marked, so instead should carry straight on at Longford Avenue before turning left on Dormer's Wells Lane to get to the same point. Immediately after this there is some slightly tricky navigation across the golf course, but ok if you just keep heading East.

Finally, at the end of the walk the route directs you off the main road through Alperton / Ealing, which adds nothing to the walk except unnecessary distance and a flight of stairs, so would recommend staying on the main road.

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