West London waterside ride: Crane River, Duke's River and Grand Union Canal

I like exploring quirky parts of London by bike, seeking out quieter byways. In this ride I literally explored some quiet backwaters, by making a circuit following three waterways:  the Crane River, from Cranford Country Park to Twickenham, the Duke of Northumberland's River to its meeting with the Thames at Isleworth, then the Grand Union Canal from Brentford back to the start via Bull's Bridge in Southall. Here's a map.


I started from the car park in Cranford Country Park. The Park was the site of Cranford House: I started by looking round the restored stable block which is all that survives, and also St Dunstan's Church, now severed from its parish by the M4.

Restored stable block, Cranford Park

St Dunstan's Church

Then I set off following the Crane Valley Cycle Path through a riverine ribbon of woodland and green spaces threaded amongst the sprawl of light industrial development, housing estates and busy roads under the Heathrow flightpath. (There were few planes landing today, as we are still emerging from lockdown.) From the GPS track on the map, you can see there were some places where it took me a while to find the right direction, but on the whole it is a surprisingly complete traffic free greenway.

Typical path, under the Heathrow flight path	Typical River Crane
Board walks cross marshy ground	Typical large kissing gates

I deviated to take a look round the surviving remnant of Hounslow Heath. Devotees of Ordnance Survey maps will know that the original baseline for the Survey of England was measured on the Heath in 1784, by Major General William Roy. Hounslow Heath was chosen for the location of the baseline for the same reasons that Heathrow Airport is located there today, namely it is flat, and close to the capital. The fact that the ends of the baseline now lie respectively on the North Perimeter Road of the airport, and Roy Grove, Hampton show how extensive the heath once was. (The baseline was measured at 5.19 miles, and its ends are now marked with cannon barrels buried muzzle downwards.)

Path leading to Hounslow Heath

Hounslow Heath

It took me some time not to find a way out from the Heath, since my way seemed blocked at every turn by the railway, and eventually I returned to my entry point. (I have marked an alternative following the London Loop path, though this does involve riding beside the A314.) Having rejoined the main path, I found it goes under the railway by the so-called Cavalry Tunnel. This was built as a flood relief tunnel adjacent to the culvert which took (and still takes) the Crane under the Feltham railway marshalling yards, which were at one time the biggest in the country. The full tunnel is 750 feet long, but a side opening has been cut so that only 20 yards or so must be traversed. Even so, going through this rather dingy space was a bit unnerving.

The Crane enters a long tunnel under the old marshaling yards

I took the next door flood tunnel

I soon entered Crane Park, where a good track has been installed on both sides of the river. I took the southern, though I later realised the northern path passes the so-called Shot Tower. As its name suggests, this was originally thought to be used to make shot by dropping molten metal (the Park was originally the site of a gunpowder works and ammunition factory.) But recent research has shown it was more likely a windmill.

Good new path	In Crane Park
In Crane Park	Crossing to Kneller Gardens

When I reached Kneller Gardens, I joined the Duke's River Path. This was opened quite recently, and follows the Duke of Northumberland's 'River', which was built as early as the 16th century to channel water from the Crane (and Colne) to mills at Isleworth. I followed it passing the more modern structures of the Stoop and Twickenham Rugby stadia on the way, not forgetting the Mogden sewage works.

Duke's River info board	Twickenham Rugby Stadium
Typical Duke's River Path	Path through Mogden Sewage Works (poo!)

From Isleworth I cycled through Syon Park to reach the Grand Union Canal at Brentford: the towpath provided a straightforward way to reach Bull's Bridge, from where I re-entered Cranford Country park, passing under the M4 to return to my start point. The only downer was the large quantities of litter which had been left along the towpath, presumably by people passing the time in this green space during lockdown - how people can do that just defeats me.

Thames riverside at Isleworth	Syon Park
GUC Towpath alongside the wall at Hanwell	At Bull's Bridge

About 22 miles, mostly traffic free!

For a ride around Bull's Bridge, see this blog.

For more about cycling the whole Grand Union Canal towpath, see this blog.

For another ride in this area of London (including Bushy Park and Osterley Park ) see this blog.

For a ride around the Western side of Heathrow Airport, see this blog.