River Lee Walk – Tottenham Hale to Chingford

Having moved the date and route of my planned walk to avoid clashes with Weeley Music Festival and the Notting Hill Carnival, seven of us met at Tottenham Hale station at 11 o’clock on Bank Holiday Monday, 25th August 2025, for a walk along the River Lee. Sue arrived first, with Cathy, Richard and myself soon after, followed by Eileen, Louise and Madeleine. Asking about the Weeley Festival, it become clear from both Eileen and Louise that the walk there had been a “bit of an adventure” to put it kindly, hopefully today’s walk would be less traumatic (unlikely with me leading it!).

At Stonebridge LockAfter a short walk along the road we turned left onto the canal tow-path at Tottenham Hale locks, passing the locks as we headed northwards, with the river on our right. There were plenty of narrow boats moored up by the tow-path, some looking splendid, and others not quite so.

After a while we reached Stonebridge Lock, where we crossed over the river via a footbridge, continuing with the river now on our left. We went to the footbridge over a stream leading to Tottenham Marshes, where a heron was patrolling the stream. Re-tracing our steps, we continued along the River Lee, spotting a little egret (or was it large egret far away?) passing under the North Circular Road and the construction works for a new energy recycling plant on the opposite bank.

Chinese GooseAfter a while we reached our lunch stop at Picketts Lock, where there was a handy table, although I decided to lunch just downstream of the lock so I could watch a swan family, with six cygnets on the river. Finishing lunch, a couple of boats were in the lock and so I just had to help in closing the lock gates. Passing Picketts Lock, we spotted two large unusual looking geese, which Sue helpfully later found out were Chinese geese.

After a mile or so, we reached Ponder End locks where we turned off the river onto the road which runs between the William Girling and King George Reservoirs (thanks spell-check!) leading to Kings Head Hill. Fortunately, there is a pub part way up the hill, so we decided to refuel there before our final assault on the summit of the hill. Suitably refreshed we continued up the hill to arrive at Chingford, where we said our farewells and headed for buses home.

It was a very enjoyable walk of 6 miles, mostly level, except for the hill at the end with plenty of wildlife along the river, certainly a good replacement for the walk I’d originally planned.

Trev Eley,  28th August 2025