Gerald Colton Way 4, Radlett to Rickmansworth

Jane Rosoux writes...

"I attach photographs which I took on today's walk along Section 4 of the Gerald Colton Way from Radlett to Rickmansworth. A party of seven set out from Radlett Station at around 10.15 am, including two members of the North West London Group and one from the South Bank Group.

Once we had left the built-up area we were delighted to walk past fields of white-flowered flax plants.





The fields of ripening oats and hay meadows which we subsequently passed through seemed very dull in comparison, probably because the farmers had been all too efficient at eradicating the wild flowers which would have added splashes of colour.




Our route took us past Letchmore Heath, Stanmore Common and across Bentley Priory Open Space and we finally arrived at our lunch stop at 'The Case is Altered' public house, Harrow Weald Common after 2 1/2 hours. There we were blessed with excellent views from the adjoining car park, including Harrow Hill in the near distance.




After lunch we went through Grim's Dyke Open Space



and crossed Grim's Dyke Golf Course before arriving at the bridge over the railway line near Hatch End Station where two more left the party (the first had dropped out near the entrance to Bentley Priory).

Two further members dropped out near Pinner Hill Golf Course leaving two of us to complete the least interesting part of the walk, through Oxhey Woods, past Hampermill Lake, then a long stretch along the Ebury Way, eventually passing lakes formed from gravel-digging and crossing the Grand Union Canal at Batchworth Lock



before entering Rickmansworth and arriving at the station at 5.00 pm just in time to catch a fast train back to London. We covered just over 16 miles in around 5 hours 40 minutes, excluding the lunch stop, at an average speed, including other stops, of 2.82 mph."

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