I'm making alternative route option Souhou Two which will avoid the blocked footpath, and also uses the new pedestrian footbridge across the railway lines at Southall to give a quieter route at that end. Flagged as a 'maybe' for now....

Jane Taylor

After crossing the River Crane, the walk finally moved away (photo #5) from a busy road, first along Cranford Park (photo #6, #7) for a little, and then along a lane (with pavement) towards Harlington (photo #8, #9)....

Derick Rethans

From here, I walked a short stretch along a few residential roads, although there was a nice cycle path (photo #2) along the road to the Grand Union Canal. Instead of going through Wolf Fields Park, the route took me around it with fences on both side (photo #3)....

Derick Rethans

From Sunbury station there is a subway under the busy roads, this is safe but difficult to navigate. After a couple of urban roads there's the antithesis of the cramped urban walkway across Hanworth Park with wide open spaces and thousands of buttercups, big skies across which planes fly low....

Strider

I walked from Stanwell Moor to Hounslow. Just after the start you walk down the quaint Hithermoor Road with the steam running along the front gardens. When first joining the river at Stanwell there are two river channels running parallel with a wide embankment in the middle (see picture). From here the path regularly swap sides of the river as pass the housing estate and even leaves it for a residential road for one section before going by Hatton Allotments and Dukes Green....

Aamwalk

There are some frustrations - it’s not possible to avoid the B377 at Ashford - but there is a lot of green on this route and some is splendid - skylarks at St Dunstan’s meadow, butterflies at Hounslow Heath - awesome!...

Jane Taylor

I walked this from Hounslow to Richmond which means you save the best bits for the end of the route....

porcovolente

Then suburban streets to the busy Heston Road, which takes you past Old Heston with beautiful church and Memorial, and under the M4. More leafy open suburban streets and another lit alley way to the busy Merrick Road....

Strider

There is then a mix of suburban roads and alleyways past Hounslow Station, past the shopping precinct to Hounslow Central station....

Strider

It's a fairly residential route, but the sections through Osterley Park were lovely (and deserted)....

Derick Rethans

I like the section along the Thames (the whole of the Thames is worth walking!), where you also cross the meridian....

Derick Rethans

This is probably the best route possible, and it includes a long and very enjoyable green middle across Hanworth Park, Pevensey nature reserve, and Hounslow Heath....

Jane Taylor

I didn’t find the A4 section too annoying, the pavements are wide and road crossings safe, providing you follow the route as drawn and cross where indicated....

Jane Taylor

I passed the entrance to Hounslow Heath, but the route doesn’t detour across the heath, it would be quite a swerve to accommodate. The route stays on the north side of the DofN’s river past Heathrow T4. Then the route switches to a more rustic path that runs between the DofN’s river and the Longford river. It’s probably the Slow Way to choose if walking to Heathrow, from T4 the other terminals can be accessed by free transport...

Jane Taylor

It’s not only a major road, it’s also under the final Heathrow approach, the planes are loud here. The route doesn’t go into the park, it would be possible to include it a little, which would break up the pavement pounding. I turned right into Park Lane, which later becomes Cranford Lane (another one), and leads all the way to the end point! Park Lane follows the southern boundary of Cranford Park. I did reccy options for using Cranford Park, but I don’t think it’s possible to bypass this part of the route (other than by rerouting alongside the A4). Another thing about this part of the route: there is lots of frustratingly inaccessible green space along Cranford Lane, the skylarks were loving life, and generally I felt the landowner could be a bit more generous about allowing public access to these spaces....

Jane Taylor

There is one footbridge over the railway at Hounslow but this can be avoided by using Maswell Park Road rather than Ivy Road and cross the railway on the Whitton Road....

Philipj8

The first section is straight down the Staines Road, it's very direct and has some points of interest: Hounslow Heath, River Crane, London Loop, and Bedfont has shops and refreshments. The route turns away from the airport and there is the footpath section through Stanwell Fields which I consider a bit risky for a Slow Way in its current state. After that it was surprisingly pleasant (considering it's a stones throw from Heathrow) to walk through Stanwell and along a quiet path to Stanwell Moor...

Jane Taylor

Excellent route, with a good combination of rural and urban walking. Direct, easy to navigate, and plenty of food and drink options at either end of the walk. One slightly dull section of pavement walking along Windmill Lane in the middle, but either side of that a thoroughly enjoyable walk....

jamiekirk

There's some pavement walking of course, mostly through residential streets, with a short stretch through an industrial estate (watch out for HGV drivers); but as well as Osterley Park and Warren Farm, there's Brent River Park, Elthorne Park and Walpole Park to ensure no shortage of greenery....

Jane Taylor

Good route - I walked this route from Richmond to Hounslow. There's a tiny swerve just after (or before if coming from Hounslow) Richmond Lock which can be ignored unless the tide is covering the path ahead (which it may for around 30 minutes or so twice a day.). In central Hounslow the route goes down the High Street which is a great place for a curry and charity shops....

Jane Taylor

However there is one unsafe road crossing at the A315 in Hounslow, and inaccurate routing at Redlees Park in Isleworth, and I think between them this is enough to warrant not taking this version of the routing forward, instead improving it in a new version....

Jane Taylor

The route line has a random unsafe road crossing at Twickenham station, take care to cross at a safe crossing point Accessibility: There are two bridges with steps, otherwise paths are good, and apart from the crossing at Twickenham station, all other road crossings are safe....

Jane Taylor

Surprising amount of off road sections in just a urban area. The are some narrow barriers on Houslow Heath and a few steep gradient that are short....

James Emmans

Although the Hounslow end is fine, the Sunbury end is impossible. There is no throughway at Kempton Park. This is private land - a race course!...

Philipj8