Greenford to Osterley Walk

A walk through attractive open spaces in West London, visiting parks, a viaduct, a series of locks and a NT stately home.

Length	Around 12 km (7.5 miles), 3 hours, plus optional walking to explore Osterley Park. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow up to 8 hours.
Maps	London A-Z Map, p61 & p79.
Toughness	1 out of 10.
Features	This walk offers a brisk stroll close to London. In the morning, after exploring the Brent River Park, there is a short section on the towpath of the Grand Union Canal, passing a series of locks and a point where road, rail and canal bridges pass over one another in an intriguing manner. After lunch, the walk passes through the grounds of Osterley, a stately home in West London run by the National Trust. A short final section allows for either an early finish or a visit to Osterley House and its the extensive grounds.
Walk Options	A pleasant section can be added by taking the tube from Osterley to Northfields and walking back to Ealing Broadway via Lammas Park and Walpole Park, guided by a London A-Z Map. Boston Manor, which is to be found close to Boston Manor Tube Station. is a further attraction of the area and is open to visitors in the summer months.
Opening Times	The walk passes through the grounds of Osterley Park, which were open in 2008 as follows: 1 Feb - 29 Mar, 8-6; 30 Mar - 25 Oct, 8-7:30; 26 Oct - 31 Jan 09, 8-6. Osterley House itself is open to visitors as follows: 12 Mar - 2 Nov, 1-4:30, Wed-Sun; 6 Dec - 21 Dec, 12:30-3:30, Sat & Sun only.
Saturday Walkers Club	Take the first train after 10.15am (departs at 10:33am at time of writing) from Paddington Station and change at West Ealing for the train to Greenford. Journey time around 30 minutes. On Sundays, there is no British Rail train service, but Greenford station can also be reached by London Underground. The return to London is by tube from Osterley. Both Greenford and Osterley are in Zone 4.
Lunch	The Plough, Tel 020 8574 1945.
Tea	Osterley Park Tea Room is open for Tea most of the year (in 2008, 12 Mar - 2 Nov: Wed-Sun, 11-5, 5 Nov - 21 Dec: Wed-Sun, 12-4; lunch is also served, 12-2:30.

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Walk Directions

The directions for this walk are also in a PDF (link above) which you can download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.

Leaving Greenford BR & LU Station, turn right to pass Uneeda Drive on your left in 40m.
In a further 100m, turn left into "Oldfield Recreation Ground".
Walk straight across it to reach a road.
Turn left for 100m and then right into "Bennetts Avenue".
Ignore ways off and follow the road around to the right reach bollards in 300m.
Turn left here towards the railway, walking between fences.
In 40m, follow the path as it turns right.
In 200m, ignore a path under the railway, but in a further 40m turn right with the path.
In 40m, turn left beside the red-brick buildings of "Northolt RFC".
In 100m, turn left on a side road beside the Western Avenue and go over a footbridge.
Descend from the bridge using the ramp and turn left in 20m to follow the green "Capital Ring" footpath sign.
In 30m, follow a footpath sign on a post to enter a lightly wooded area.
In 100m, you pass changing rooms and turn right, initially with tennis courts on your right.
In 400m, you reach a "Capital Ring" footpath sign, which you follow to turn left.
In 200m, the path bends to the right.
In 100m, cross a bridge and follow the main path round to the left, ignoring a track to the right.
In 50m, follow the main path as it bends to the right and ignore a fork to the left.
In 150m, reach a road.
Turn left on this road to reach a main road in 100m.
Cross the main road with care and turn left, following the road across the bridge.
In 20m, turn right to follow the "Capital Ring" footpath sign, passing through a break in the fence.
In 200m, pass a sign for "Bittern's Fields" and fork left after you pass into the next field.
In 60m, fork right with the field edge on your left .
Continue for 400m to reach a junction where you turn left on a shingle path.
In 50m, pass a barrier to reach a road and follow the road past Mayfield Primary School on your right.
Just after the school, turn right on the path to "Grenford 1" and "Southall 2".
In 150m, cross a bridge and fork half left.
In 60m, turn left to follow the footpath between bushes.
Follow this clear but winding path for 500m, ignoring all ways off, and pass golf links to reach a cricket ground on the right.
Shortly after this, turn left to cross a bridge.
Turn right up steps and then half right on a path by a river.
Follow this, always with the river on your right, for 500m until you reach a T junction with a shingle path. (On this section, you pass a cafe by a children's playground on your left, offering a pleasant coffee break when open.)
At a sign post and after a few steps, turn right onto the shingle path, again following the river.
In 300m, you reach a T junction and turn right under the viaduct, following a sign to "Osterley Lock 1 3/4 miles".
In 60m, pass under the viaduct.
Follow the path around to the right, cross the footbridge and then follow the path around to the left.
In 30m, fork left and follow the path by the river.
In 250m, fork left to pass under the Uxbridge Road and in 20m fork left to follow the river. (Alternatively, cross the Uxbridge Road with care and, slightly to the right, follow the path signposted as "Brent River Park Fitzherbert Walk".)
Walk by the river for 500m, passing allotments on your left, and then fork right to reach the canal towpath and turn right. (Or turn left if you wish visit The Fox, a pub in Green Lane, Hanwell, which is signposted from the canal tow-path.)
In 500m, after passing the flight of six Hanwell Locks, pass under the road bridge, noting that you are passing over the railway at a well-known local landmark courtesy of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
In 50m, at the sign, "Welcome to Glade Lane Canal Side Path", fork right.
In 130m pass between posts and through a gate. Walk initially towards a large aerial, then bear left with the path to pass it.
In 150m, fork left and in a further 30m continue staight ahead at a path junction.
In 130m,. turn left to follow a path between hedges.
In 100m, pass to the right of a gate to return to the canal and turn right.
In 170m, pass under a white bridge at Top Locks Cottage and then cross it and continue straight ahead.
In 60m, at the road junction, turn left.
In 130m at a further road junction, pass across a semi-circular grassy area to cross the main road with care.
Enter the car park of Osterley Cricket Club and, in 30m, bear right to pass a sign to "Tentelow Wood and Meadow".
In 200m, fork left. The cricket ground is visible through the trees.
After 70m following the main path, fork right and in a further 40m pass through a kissing gate into a large meadow and continue straight ahead.
In 230m, pass through a kissing gate and turn left into Tentelow Lane.
In 50m, ignore St Mary's Avenue North.
In 100m, ignore St Mary's Avenue Central.
In a further 100m, you reach The Plough, the recommended lunch-time stop.
After lunch, follow a "Footpath Leading to St Mary's Avenue", which you reach immediately before The Plough.
In 70m, after walking between fences, cross St Mary's Avenue.
In 80m, after another narrow path, cross a field straight ahead.
In 350m, go up the steps and through a gate.
Turn left, to follow a road over a motorway bridge.
In 200m, turn right at the pedestrian entrance to Osterley Park.
In 20m, go through a side gate.
In 400m, follow the path around to the right to pass toilets on your right.
In 40m, turn right into the stable-yard to reach Osterley Park Tea Room. This is open for tea for most of the year and you can visit the house and gardens or explore Osterley Park from this point. For non members of the National Trust, entrance tickets, currently needed for visiting the house and gardens but not for exploring Osterley Park, are available here.
After tea, go straight ahead past Osterley House.
In 100m, turn left.
In 150m, follow the path as it bends right around the end of the pond.
In 100m, go through a gate an carry on.
In 300m, turn right through a kissing gate, just after a house on the right, to walk between fences.
In 130m, carry straight on with the fence to your left.
In 300m, turn left to leave the field by a gap in the wall.
Cross the road into "Bassett Gardens".
In 150m, turn right.
In 70m, follow "Public Footpath to the Great West Road" between fences.
In 70m, go up steps.
In 30m, turn left to reach "Osterley" station, where you can catch London Underground trains to Central London.

Greenford to Osterley Walk

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Osterley Park

Osterley Park

Osterley Park

Be seated

Walk Directions