The River Lee Navigation - England.

Guide about cycling, walking and enjoying the River Lee Navigation waterway which makes it's trip from Hertford to London's East End near Limehouse Basin.

The River Lee Navigation is navigable for narrowboats and small craft from the centre of Hertford by the weirs at Hertford Town Mill Bridge on into London's East End. At Hackney there are several routes available for onward progress:-
The Hertford Union Canal heads off right to meet up with the Regents Canal by Old Ford Road Bridge - from there following the Regents Canal into West London gives a connection to the Paddington Arm and then the Grand Union Canal or the River Thames at Kew. Carry further south on the Lea and at Bow where Abbey Creek joins boats can take the Limehouse Cut down into Limehouse Basin and again connect with The Regents Canal or go on the few 100 metres to reach The Thames. Also at Bow The River Lea ceases to be fully navigable all the time as it becomes affected by the tides i.e. unuseable during low tides.

Apart from narrowboats the banks of the River Lee Navigation are used extensively by walkers, cyclists and fishermen - the river's tow path is generally quite wide and well surfaced. There are 19 locks on the system with double locks available towards the River Lee Navigation's London end.

Limehouse Cut starts	Limehouse Cut Bridge	Footbridge at Bow Lock	Bow Lock	Gas Works Bridge	The Mill House
The Mill House	3 Mills Lane Bridge	The Navigation at Bromley	Northern Outfall Sewer Bridge	Old warehouses by Old Ford Lock	Gates at Old Ford Lock
Old Ford Lock	Old Ford Lock second chamber	Hertford Union and the Lee meet	Hertford Union Bottom Lock 1	Hertford Union MiddleLock gates	Parnell Roadbridge
Toplock - Hertford Union	Three Colts Bridge	Hertford Union Canal views	Hertford Union - Regents Canal end	Victoria Park	Victoria Park Lake
Victoria Park	Victoria Park	Bridge 11 and Pipe	The Lee at Hackney Wick	Cable Bridge	Pond Lane Bridge
Lea Bridge weirs	Clapton Railway Bridge	Markfield Beam Engine House	Markfield Beam Engine	Markfield Beam Engine	Markfield Beam Engine

Tottenham Lock Sidebridge	Bridge 24	Tottenham Lock 17	Tottenham Lock 17	Pipe Bridge	Stonebridge Lock + footbridge
Stonebridge Lock16	Stonebridge Lock	Green pipebridge	Pipebridge	Chalk Bridge 27	Edmonton Wharf
Wharf warehouse	Bridge 28	Bridge 28a	Cable Bridge and Pipe Bridge	Bridge 30	Picketts Lock 15
Cable Bridge	Sidebridge 31a	Bridge sign	Ponders End Footbridge 32	Ponders End canal siding	Ponders End Bridge 33
Bridge 34	Ponders End Lock 14	Ponders End lock gates	Bridge 35	Navigation Inn former pumphouse	Overhanging Canal Warehouse
Bridge 35a	Brimsdown Wharf	Pipebridge	King George Reservoir Pumphouse	Footbridge 36 and Pipes	Footbridge 36 and Pipes

From Walthamstow Marshes to Edmonton the Lee Navigation is accompanied by built up areas and factories on it's left and quite a few small reservoirs on it's right. Just after Edmonton The Lea has on it's right huge embankments containing the massive King George's Reservoir and then the William Girling Reservoir. This all ends just before Enfield Lock where a British Waterways Yard is located. Enfield is famous for it's Royal Small Arms Factory which made swords, muskets, rifles (including the Lee Enfield rifle) and machine guns (including the Bren and Sten) for the Military from 1816 until production ended in 1988. One of the reasons for this location was the ability to move parts, materials and finished products along the adjacent River Lee Navigation. This gave access to The Thames as well as factories on other waterways which produced parts including the London Small Arms Factory situated on the connecting Regents Canal at Gunmakers Wharf.

Enfield Dock area

Enfieild Dock Sidebridge

Enfield Dock

B.W. Enfield Yard

Bridge 37a + Pipe

Enfield Lock 13

Enfield Lock 13 + Bridge 38	Lee River Bridge 39	General Views	Ramney Marsh Bridge 40	Ramney Marsh Lock 12	Ramney Marsh Lock 12
A swan	Waltham sidebridges	Waltham roadbridge 42	Waltham Abbey Church	Waltham Lock Bridge 43	Waltham Town Lock 11

The Lee Valley Regional Park stretches from near The Thames right up to Ware in Hertfordshire and really comes into it's own from Waltham Abbey - there are woodlands, marshes and lots of water for birdwatchers, for sailing and rowing and on land walking and cycling opportunities on many paths everywhere in the area - it really is a beautiful location to visit. Parking is widely available and as far as could be seen free of charge - another bonus for getting to and around the area is that the railway accompanies the Lee Navigation for nearly all of it's course - and the trains are frequent even on Sundays so train ride and then walk back days-out are easily possible.
Waltham Abbey. Dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1540 there is not a lot to be seen of Waltham Abbey itself apart from some old walls and gates, however Waltham Abbey Church (Holy Cross and St. Lawrence) which was erected in the 12th century has various materials from the original Abbey - for instance the tower built in 1556. The grounds are easily reached by leaving the Lee by footbridge 45 near Waltham Town Lock and along the high street - the grounds are fairly extensive and pleasant for a stroll. Waltham Abbey is also the location of the Royal Gunpowder Mills which are open from the last weekend in April to the end of September (this is their 2010 published times - check their website). The location has been producing gunpowder since at least the 17th century and was finally closed in 1991.

Bridge 44	Sidebridge	Lock Footbridge 45	Waltham Common Lock 10	Friday Lake	Windmill Lane Bridge 46
Cheshunt Lock 9 and bridge 47	Fishers Green Footbridge 47a	Dismantled railway bridge	Aqueduct Lock footbridge	Aqueduct Lock 8	Aqueduct Bridge
Aqueduct Lock+ Bridge	Bridge 49	Side Bridge Arm Bridge 50	Side Bridge Arm pipebridge	Crown Bridge 51	Refuel Centre
New Nazeing Roadbridge 52	Carthagena Lock7+footbridge	Dobbs Weir Sidearm	Foot Bridge 54	Dobbs Weir Lock 6	Dobbs Weir Bridge 55

Dobb's Weir. The area around Dobb's Weir is particularly favoured by fishermen - bream, perch, roach, barbel and carp are caught from time to time and in 2003 a record size chub was caught there. A large old public house is right on top of the weir and there is a reasonable amount of parking available in the car park oppposite the pub. Less than a mile from Dobb's Weir the Lee Navigation meets the River Stort Navigation at Feilde's Weir - The Stort is another river navigation and creates a navigable 22km route to Bishops Stortford. Rye House Gatehouse. Just a short distance from the Weir the Lee passes the remains of Sir Andrew Ogard's Rye House Gatehouse. This Grade 1 listed building was built around 1443 and is one of the first brick-built buildings in England. The manor house is famous for the Rye House Plot of 1683 - a conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II and his brother the Duke of York.

Dobbs Weir

Dobbs Weir

Dobbs Weir area

Dobbs Weir Bridge 55a

Bridge 55b

Bridge 56

Feilde Lock side-sluices	Feilde's Lock 5	Railway Bridge 57	Bridge 58	Bridge 58 + Pipebridge	Rye House Gatehouse

Rye House Gatehouse	Gatehouse gargoyle	Rye Gatehouse area	a414 Roadbridge 59	Stanstead Abbot Sidearm	Stanstead Abbots area
Bridge 59a	Stanstead Lock4+footbridge 60	Stanstead Lock swingbridge 60b	Footbridge 61	Footbridge 62	Footbridge 63
Hardmead Lock 23	Footbridge 64	Weirs	Ware Town Bridge 65	Footbridge 66	Ware Town Footbridge
St Marys, Ware	St Mary the Virgin	Ware Town Footbridge	Ware Lock footbridge	Ware Lock 2	Bridge 68
Ware Weir Bridge	Ware Weir bridge	Bridge 68a	Bridge 68b	New Gauge Intake House	New Gauge Intake House

The Lee Navigation - New River. The 20 mile long New River was designed to provide London with drinking water which it mostly took from The River Lee but also from various springs - New River was opened in 1613. New River starts just over a mile away from Hertford at New Gauge Intake House and initially goes at right angles away from The Lee Navigation crossing Meads Nature Reserve and then turns sharp left and follows the contours (and the railway line for a while) as it sets off via Ware, Stanstead Abbots and Broxbourne before eventually ending up at Stoke Newington. There is generally a good path alongside New River and several nice circular walks are possible particularly between Hertford and Broxbourne by using both The Lee Navigation and New River.

A New River Bridge

New River reflections

Various workings on New River

New River Pumphouse

A New River Swan

New River Bridge

Built in 1856 to control the water flow allowed into New River, New Gauge Intake House is a really beautiful building and there are also several pump houses and so on to be seen along this part of the route. Lots of ducks, swans, coots, moorhen etc. live on New River so if going for a walk don't forget to take them some bread. One other inhabitant of interest particularly on the stretch between the start and Ware are the quite large crayfish living in the river and there are often quite a few people with their bits of spam tied to string trying to get them.

Foot Bridge 69	Hertford's Deep Lock 1	Bridge 70	Bridge 71	Park sidebridge	Sidebridge and  Weir

Pipe Bridge	Folly Bridge 74	End of the Lee Navigation	Hertford Castle's Postern Gate	Hertford Castle

Narrowboats over 40 feet long need to do their winding above Folly Bridge by the Basin - under 40 footers need to turn just before Mill Bridge and much smaller craft can turn at Mill Bridge. Hertford Castle (Norman) no longer hardly exists - the Gatehouse is sort of known as Hertford Castle these days and is used by the Town Council for offices. There are however some parts of the old castle walls as well as a nice Castle Gate still to be seen in the grounds (which are mostly grassed but do have some flower beds and also a few bench seats).
Incidentally if either walking, cycling or narrow-boating along river navigations is of interest the fairly long Kennet and Avon Canal which goes from Reading in Berkshire to Bristol might be of interest too - with quite a lot of it's route being on the two rivers rather than "cut" canal.

We have picked out a few Books about England - Churches, Canals and Rivers as well as walks in England and English Nature. The Nicholsons Waterways Guides are a "must take" for anyone going on a Canal Barge or Narrowboat holiday (as well as anyone visiting the canals) as they are packed with really useful information. If the development and history of our Canals is of particular interest consider the Anatomy of Canals series - really good reading!. (The relevant Nicholoson Guide covering The Lee Navigation is BOOK 1.)