The River Lea is one of the longest, and most important tributaries of the Thames  – taking a 42 mile journey from Bedfordshire to join the Thames at Bow Creek in East London. The Lea has formed the boundary between Saxon’s and Danes, been home to medieval mills, London’s furniture industry and flows through the Olympic Park. This series of walks will look at the history of the River Lea, tracing its course on its way to the Thames.

Meet up at Harpenden Station for a short bus ride to Wheathampstead where the walk proper starts. The Lea is still a picturesque chalk stream at this point. We’ll then walk across the estate of Brocket Hall and see a fine bridge over the river. The final part of the walk takes us into Welwyn Garden City, with some very good 20th century housing to enjoy.

If you want to go straight to Wheathampstead and meet us there let me know.

The walk is about 5.5 miles in total and finishes at Welwyn Garden City Station

Harpenden is about 25 minutes from Central London by Thameslink train.