The River Lee Navigation, England.

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

The 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 as it becomes tidal thus unuseable at low tide.

Apart from narrowboats the Lee Navigation is used extensively by both walkers and cyclists - the tow path is generally quite wide and well surfaced. There are 19 locks on the system with double locks available at the London end.


Tottenham Lock Sidebridge	Bridge 24	Tottenham Lock 17	Tottenham Lock 17	Pipe Bridge

Stonebridge Lock and foot Bridge	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 Warehouse

Bridge 35a	Brimsdown Wharf	Pipebridge	King George Reservoir Pumphouse	Footbridge 36 and Pipes

Footbridge 36 and Pipes	Enfield Dock area	Enfieild Dock Sidebridge	Enfield Dock	B.W. Enfield Yard

From Walthamstow Marshes to Edmonton the Navigation is accompanied by built up areas and factories on it's left and quite a few fairly small reservoirs on it's right. Just after Edmonton The Lea has on it's right huge embankments which contain the massive King George's Reservoir and then the equally huge William Girling Reservoir. This all comes to an end just before Enfield Lock where a British Waterways Yard is located.
Enfield. The town is famous as the location of the Royal Small Arms Factory - which produced swords, muskets, rifles (including the Lee Enfield rifle produced from 1895) and machine guns (including the Bren and Sten) for the British Military from 1816 until production ended in 1988. One of the reasons for this location was the ability to move necessary parts, materials and finished products along the adjacent River Lee Navigation - which enabled access to The Thames as well as other factories on other waterways which produced parts including the London Small Arms Factory situated on the connecting Regents Canal at Gunmakers Wharf.


Bridge 37a and 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	Bridge 44

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.


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 and Bridge	Bridge 49	Side Bridge Arm Bridge 50	Side Bridge Arm pipebridge

Crown Bridge 51	Refuel Centre	New Nazeing Roadbridge 52	Carthagena Lock7 and footbridge 53	Dobbs Weir Sidearm

Foot Bridge 54	Dobbs Weir Lock 6	Dobbs Weir Bridge 55	Dobbs Weir	Dobbs Weir

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 (Hoddesdon) - The Stort is another very old river navigation and creates a navigable 22km route route to Bishops Stortford.


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 and Pipebridge	Rye House Gatehouse

Rye House Gatehouse. Just a short distance from the Stort Navigaton junction The Navigation passes all that remains of Sir Andrew Ogard's manor house - Rye House Gatehouse. The Gatehouse was erected around 1443 and is one of the first brick-built buildings in England and now a Grade I listed building. The manor house is infamous for the Rye House Plot of 1683 - a conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II and his brother James, the Duke of York. The Gatehouse is set in the centre of a large grassy area.


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 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 - it was opened in 1613. New River starts just over a mile from Hertford at New Gauge Intake House - it initially goes at right angles away from The Lee Navigation crossing Meads Nature Reserve then turns sharp left and follows the contours on down via Ware, Stanstead Abbots, Broxbourne and eventually ends 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 The Lee Navigation and New River. 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.


Foot Bridge 69	Hertford Deeplock 1	Bridge 70	Bridge 71	Park sidebridge

Sidebridge + Weir	Pipe Bridge	Folly Bridge 74	End of Lee Navigation	Hertford Castle Postern Gate

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).

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