Harefield & Batchworth Heights
Colne Valley Park Circular Walk 9
Encompasses beautiful views and the best of the Colne Valley, passing Rickmansworth Lakes, the Grand Union Canal and surrounding farmland
Access: Some level ground and good paths. There are also some stiles, moderate slopes and muddy patches in winter.
Refreshments: Café & public toilets at Rickmansworth Aquadrome near point 1. Three pubs, slightly off the route: The Rose & Crown (A), The Coy Carp, (B), The Kings Arms (C)
Public Transport: R21 bus (limited service) from Uxbridge via Maple Cross to Harefield stops close to Rickmansworth Aquadrome. Many other buses stop in Rickmansworth town centre which also has a train station.
By Road: From Junction 17 of the M25, head towards Rickmansworth on the A412 and follow signs for Rickmansworth Aquadrome which is in Frogmoor Lane.
Postcode: WD3 1NB (approx.) OS Grid Ref: TQ 056 938 Latitude: +51.6330, Longitude: -0.4754
What3Words: vine.barks.memo
Points of interest/history
A) Completed in 1803, the canal was originally known as the Grand Junction Canal. It provided an important transport route for carrying goods between London, Birmingham and the north by narrowboats and barges. Building the canal was an amazing achievement as there were no machines to handle the thousands of tons of earth and rock – this was all moved by men using picks and shovels and by horse and cart.
B) The listed buildings of Stockers Farm date from the 17th century. They have featured in a number of films including Black Beauty.
C) Look out for a painted metal coal tax post on your left with the City of London coat of arms. This is a boundary marker to indicate where tax was due on coal and other fuel brought into the London area under certain 19th century Acts of Parliament. Over 200 posts survive. Most are listed structures. This one marks the Hertfordshire-Middlesex boundary.
D) Maple Lodge Nature Reserve is just behind the large sewage works. From the early 1970s the site was largely undisturbed and developed naturally into mainly woodland and rank herb rich grassland. In 1980 work began, with the assistance of local volunteers and the British Trust for Conservation, to improve it as a nature reserve. Regular coppicing of willows has increased the number of shrub-associated warblers and encourages wild flower growth. Clearing of waterside vegetation maintains wader and wildfowl feeding conditions.
E) Part of Old Park Wood is a nature reserve managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. It is one of the last and best of the Middlesex woodlands, noteworthy for plants such as Bluebell and Wood Anemone and rich bird life including all three British woodpeckers.
F) The land to the right is part of Whiteheath Farm, one of the few working dairy farms in London. It has been a family-run business since 1957, and has over 200 pedigree British Friesian cows. Sales are made in the local area, including milk and Mooolicious ice cream