This was a linear walk of 9 miles, from Cheshunt railway station south to Tottenham Hale tube station, entirely on the River Lee Navigation towpath.

The usual stats:

• Event led by Andy H.
• Attendance: 18 men.
• Distance: 8.71 miles (14 km).
• Altitude per GPS: low 131ft (39.9m), high 242ft (73.8m), climb 298ft (90.8m), descent 347ft (105.8m).
• Time: start 11:25, end 15:04 (sunset 21:15), lunch 14 minutes, other breaks 15 minutes.
• Speed: moving arithmetic average 2.75mph (4.4kph).
• Weather: clear skies, temperature up to 30°C, easterly wind ~13mph (20.9kph).
• Number of sewage works: 1.
• Number of churches: 0.
• Number of golf courses: 0.

Description of route:

• the route was a straight line southbound, from scrubby metropolitan Herts into deep suburban, partially industrialised north London, using only the towpath of the River Lee Navigation.
• the busy tourist areas of the northern towpath in Herts contrasted to the near empty towpath of the industrial Navigation in north London. The towpath picked up a few more people at Tottenham Hale, with a couple of cafes being the apparent attraction.
• the walk was a satisfying sample of the great outdoors, enjoyed by all attendees.

Links from the event advert:

• The Lee Valley Regional Park (history);
• A continuous change of environment, from suburban to densely urban, from water meadows to industrial sites;
• Rammey Marsh, near Enfield Lock;
• Enfield Island Village;
• Enfield power station (wiki);
• King George V reservoir and William Girling Reservoir;
• Lee Valley golf course;
• Deephams Sewage Treatment Works (!!) (engineering case study 2018);
• walking under the concrete craziness of the A406 North Circular Road;
• Banbury Reservoir, Tottenham Marshes, Lockwood Reservoir, the Walthamstow Wetlands (Low and High Maynard Reservoirs);
• Tottenham Lock.

Churches:

Sewage works:

• Deephams Sewage Works (wiki, engineers’ press report) opposite our lunch spot at Pickett’s Lock. It’s well hidden; we didn’t notice it!

15 members attended the optional pub stop at The Ferry Boat Inn, Tottenham, Haringey. The pub has a large patio behind the building, with apple trees providing mottled shelter from the sun. Very nice.