Lockdown 3: Day 1: 37 kilometres

My daily step count dropped dramatically during Lockdown 1, from around 25k to 20k, due to the one period of exercise a day rule and with this rule returning for Lockdown 3 I am going to have to get into the habit of making some long walks to keep my average anywhere near the 30k I have been managing recently. So today I went to Hayes and back.

I had done several sections of this route several times before, including a walk to Hayes and most of the way back before catching a bus last week, so I had a vague idea of how long it would take and so I did not do my usual distance calculation o Google Maps. In the end that was OK but I did end up walking for longer than I expected, almost seven hours when I was hoping for between five and six.

I could blame the considerable mud for my slow pace of around 11 minutes a kilometre instead of just under 10 but the main error was my lack of planning.

The route I chose was pretty simple, join Grand Union Canal at Brentford, follow it to Hayes and return via River Crane.

Both legs included sections of established walks including London Loop, London Capital Ring, Grand Union Canal Walk, Hillingdon Trail and River Crane Walk, so it was well signposted almost all the way and the tricky bits I had walked before so I was confident of the route.

I was also confident that I could get an early coffee and cake at the cafe in Syon Park after about an hour and a quarter but that was closed and I was pretty sure that the next cafe was Costa in Hayes, which it was so I had a very late coffee instead.

Following the canal to Hayes was easy enough, there was a towpath all the way (unlike Regents Canal which goes underground through Islington), if uneventful. Rural canals can be quite barren of features and the only really interesting section of this part of the walk was the series of locks at Hanwell, known collectively as Hanwell Lock Flight. 

One of these is charmingly named Asylum Lock because it is next the former St Bernard's Hospital, also known as Hanwell Insane Asylum and the Hanwell Pauper and Lunatic Asylum. The old hospital wall and buildings add nicely to the industrial feel of that section.

Hayes was the half-way point, mentally if not physically and finally gave me the chance to get a coffee and cake, even if it was from a Costa.

I knew that the return leg would be more tricky as I had only ever walked it the other way round and had several problems in doing so. My fears were unfounded and I found my way home without a hitch.

The first section of the walk, following River Crane from North Hyde to Hounslow Heath was the best part of the walk. It was the wildest and the quietest. What's not to like?

The worst part of the walk was also in this section. River Crane flows easily under Piccadilly Line and Great South-West Road (A30) but pedestrians are meant to walk a few hundred metres one way to a crossing and then all the way back again. That was my plan too until the lack of traffic tempted me to walk across the dual carriage way and to climb across the barrier in the middle. There really ought to be a request pedestrian crossing at that point.

Hounslow Heath was the muddiest part of the walk and my pace dropped to about 12 minutes per kilometre. That is still 5 km/hr which I am very happy with on a walk as long as this one.

It was just after 4pm when I got home and that was the ideal time for a cup of tea and some more cake. I deserved it.