Outside London Is A Charming Nature Park With Rivers, Lakes, And Endless Outdoor Fun

You can be close enough to London's Heathrow Airport to watch planes overhead and still find yourself walking beside a lake in the English countryside. Just beyond the western edge of London, the Colne Valley Regional Park is more like a mosaic of countryside landscapes than a single park. Across its 43 square miles, it encompasses more than 120 miles of waterways and upwards of 60 lakes, plus woodland, farmland and wildlife habitats. Visitors can follow the Grand Union Canal on foot or by bicycle, wander along the River Colne, fish or paddle at designated sites, or explore hiking routes that circle the lakes. For a visitor based in London, the park is, quite simply, an easy way to access something greener and quieter than the bustling central city.

The Colne Valley owes its abundance of water to both nature and industry. On the one hand, it has been shaped by the River Colne and its tributaries, giving the vast park its wetlands. On the other hand, gravel extraction dug more than 70 pits that gradually filled with water, creating the string of lakes you find in the park today, as the Colne Valley Regional Park website explains. Add to that the Grand Union Canal (formed in the early 20th century from a network of earlier canals that connected London with Birmingham), which runs through the park for a touch of towpath scenery animated by narrowboats. Some locks have a long history — at Batchworth Lock, you can still watch narrowboats pass through the gates alongside preserved 19th-century buildings. The wetlands also provide habitat for kingfishers, herons, water voles, and other wildlife that rustle in the landscape.

Outdoor recreation is one of the main reasons Colne Valley Regional Park was preserved in the first place, and getting out on the water is one of the best ways to experience it. Many of the Colne Valley's lakes are managed by individual clubs, and access and activities vary from lake to lake, but the Grand Union Canal is the notable exception. Canoeists and kayakers can paddle here with the appropriate license from the Canal & River Trust, which can be purchased online. The canal (which continues into the uncrowded London neighborhood of Little Venice) offers lots of scenery through the leafy countryside and historic locks that could easily fill a half-day outing. One charity canoe event, organized by Middlesex Freemasonry, covered 10 miles between the West Drayton and Rickmansworth Aquadrome launches.

For fishing, Little Britain Lake is one of the park's publicly accessible waters. It sits between the River Colne and Frays River, surrounded by scrub and woodland. Some of the catches logged here on Fishbrain include European perch, northern pike, and common carp. You'll need an Environment Agency Rod Fishing License, and you can't fish from March 15 to June 15, per Hillingdon Council.

Outside the water, visitors can explore Colne Valley Regional Park on foot, by bike, or even on horseback. The Grand Union Canal towpath is a scenic option for a walk or cycle. The route is a 4-mile circular walk, beginning and ending at the Colne Valley Park Visitor Centre. The path passes meadows, a railway viaduct, historic locks, and the remains of a Roman well. There are numerous other "short circular walks," as the park calls them, from the Harmondsworth Moor route (just over 2 miles) up a high point with views of Windsor Castle to the 4-mile Langley route, winding among ancient trees and past a mansion.

Horse riders can take advantage of the park's network of bridleways, with local stables offering rides for visitors without their own horse. Golfers can choose from a couple of courses in the valley — Batchworth Park Golf Club and Denham Golf Club are two that offer pay-and-play for visitors, both with strong reviews on Google Maps (4.4 stars for Batchworth and 4.5 stars for Denham).

Visitors can reach the Colne Valley Regional Park via the London Underground — Rick Steves affirms that subways are the best mode of transportation for efficient sightseeing in Europe. The Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines serve Uxbridge, where you can start exploring the southern side of the park. You can take a taxi from the station at Uxbridge and reach the park's visitor center in about 10 minutes. Rickmansworth, where you'll find some lakes, is on the Metropolitan line — it's a 15-minute or so walk from the station to the Rickmansworth Aquadrome. London-based visitors looking for somewhere closer within the city can check out Hampstead Heath, home to centuries-old swimming ponds.