The Lea Valley Walk

Discover one of England’s most accessible long-distance walks on The Lea Valley Walk, a gentle 80km (50-mile) route tracing the River Lea from Leagrave near Luton to East India Dock in London. Almost entirely flat and suitable for all abilities, this long-distance walk transforms the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire countryside into a perfect introduction to multi-day walking, ideal for beginners, families, or anyone seeking a trail that can be completed over a long weekend, a week, or multiple weekends. Described in five stages, with an optional alternative finish at Limehouse Basin and a 4-mile circular tour of the Olympic Park, this comprehensive Cicerone guidebook is your essential companion for planning and navigating the Lea Valley Walk. It provides you with detailed route descriptions and digital navigation tools so you can enjoy this route, which combines riverside paths, historic towns, and urban parklands just outside London. The Lea Valley Walk is split into 5 stages of between 13 and 28km (8 - 17 miles) that can easily be combined to shorten the route into a weekend itinerary, or walked as described, so you can plan a flexible, manageable multi-day walking holidayDetailed route descriptions are complemented with 1:50,000 OS mapping so you can confidently navigate your rural escape from LondonRailway stations are highlighted at key towns and villages along the route, such as Leagrave, Harpenden, Hertford and Tottenham, so you can easily begin, end, or break up the walk at any stage A bonus 6km walk around the Olympic Park is described so you can explore London 2012's legacy as a standalone walk or as an additional route highlightDownloadable GPX files are available for the full long-distance trail as a digital navigation option for use on smartphones and GPS devices Perfectly suited for first-time long-distance walkers, weekend adventurers, or anyone seeking a relatively easy flat walking route near London, the Lea Valley Walk delivers big rewards with minimal demands. With OS mapping, GPX files, flexible staging and details on transport links, this guidebook equips you to enjoy an effortless walking holiday from Bedfordshire's countryside to London's historic docks.