A walk of 12 miles along the River Pinn from Pinner to the Grand Union Canal at Cowley. Through green spaces, conservation areas and wildlife havens

Pinner to Cowley

Saturday 24 March 2012 - 12 Miles

ID24032012#15a

A walk that was supposed to have been done up to a month previously, but finally got to it.  A nice comfortable day for a great walk.  At Pinner station I walked through Pinner Memorial Park, then soon passing Eastcote House, Kings College Playing Fields, Ruislip Golf Course, Hillingdon Trail, Ickenham, then on to cross the A40, which was a complete mess, as on the ground there is a new route, to the West - but it is not properly waymarked and contradicts with the online pdf, so I will have to send a rocket up Hillingdons ass... anyway when you do successfully get on the other side of the A40, you rejoin the Pinn, for a while, before diverting away again for the RAF station and another golf course, but at the bottom of Hillingdon Hill you walk by the river again through the Brunel University Campus.  A small section of road walking then the Pinn again through Meadow Land from Robbie Bell Bridge to Cowley High Road.  After a brief detour into Tesco's I followed the short section behind new units to reach the Grand Union Canal at Cowley Peachey.  This then led on to me continuing along the Slough Arm of the Grand Union to Slough to end up walking 17 Miles

Pinner Underground Station, here it is overground...whatever (Wombling Free even)

The Pinn

Park dedicated to the memory of the dead who died fighting

Nice little lake

Quite touching remains of Dog Cemetary

Just past Cuckoo Hill Allotments

Waymarker

I was thrilled to actually find some Celandines

Long Meadow Open Space

Eastcote House

Sequoia at Haydon Hall Grounds

Eastcote Village Constervation Area - Forge Green Open Space.  A Blacksmiths once stood here

Tempted to go for a spin or two on the running track

Crossing the Hillingdon Trail

Interpretation Board for Pynchester Moat

Swakeleys House.  Shortly after it all went Monkey at the A40

This is the correct way - when you reach Swakeleys Drive a waymark takes you across to this crossing of the A40 - but then the waymarks cease - however, when you reach the western side, you should try to then walk south east to regain the river.  I muddled through and luckily managed to get back on track using what was left of the old route to the east

This is the Pinn on the south side of the A40, looking North

Going under the Picadilly and Metropolitan Line

One of the Route Maps - these show the correct route to follow

this close up shows the rerouted section from Swakeleys Drive to the Pinn

RAF depot thing at Vine Lane

Joining Hillingdon Hill

The Pinn flows through Brunel University Campus

Robbie Bell Bridge

Funfair near Cowley High Road

Finally at the Grand Union - formerly visited when doing the LOOP.  Now it's Slough Arm time