Hillingdon Trail South

The weather here was gorgeous and I was trapped by volcanic ash (and that's my excuse for not helping at home this weekend). I couldn't not go walking. Especially since I'd done this walk two years ago on the same weekend.

I went south along the Grand Union Canal, going from Uxbridge to Cranford Park, a ten kilometre hike just to get get to my starting point. The weather was glorious and there was much to see. There was a little girl blowing bubbles from a narrow boat; they lit up the waterway as the bubbles glistened and changed colour in the still air. The banks were adorned with wild plums (sloe or blackthorn to you and me) in effusive and effulgent blossom. The mallard, watchful but proud with up to twelve ducklings. It was perfectly quiet under the empty Heathrow flight path. Then I headed north on the Paddington spur, having met the intersection with the Hillingdon Trail at Bulls Bridge. There was a man in the canal, or so it first seemed. He was actually in a tiny boat like a box and he had a big filter on a scoop, arranged much like a bulldozer. He was cleaning the water and frankly, the Paddington spur needed it.

I spent a few minutes on the phone while in Willow Tree Reserve and despite serious discussions about granite paving, I will admit to being a bit distracted by a cob aggressively and repeatedly waging territorial war on two disaffected Canada Geese. Someone had removed one of the signs and I took a slight detour which meant I saw what Tesco have done to Yeading (I'm not sure outsiders are supposed to) and I won't be going back. Of course, if I'd brought a decent map it might have been easier.

So I picked up the trail again a few kilometres later and headed north along the banks of Yeading Brook. This took me to Ten Acre Wood, a small oak forest said to have been undisturbed for at least five hundred years. And back west to Cutthroat Wood which I'm assuming was a more daunting place in times past.

This is where I have to mention butterflies: peacock and orange tips were easy to identify and there were so many more, it was lovely. At this point I crossed under the A40 and headed to Ickenham Marsh. Again the absence of planes around RAF Northholt was a bit eerie. At this point I began to feel tired and decided to cut my trek and went back to Uxbridge. It took me six hours to cover 28 kilometres and I was a bit more whacked than I expected.

Amazing how a hot bath and lots of food improve things. I guess I used 1800 calories walking so a few bananas, some breakfast bars and four boxed Ribena's were probably insufficient.


Sponsored by Lia - Thank you.