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 Cheshunt station for a walk into the Lea Valley Park – a scheme thought up as part of the Greater London Plan of 1944 to create more leisure space for London. We will be following the River Lea into London on this walk. Our route also takes in sites once important for the military , so we will pass the sites of the Royal Gunpowder Mills and the Royal Small Arms Factory where the famous Lee Enfield rifle was designed

The walk is about 4 miles in total and finishes at Enfield Lock Station.