Health walks in Acton and Ealing
The following short walking routes can be explored independently using the maps and directions provided.North Acton Playing Fields
Start and finish: Tennis Centre Sports Shop at the corner of Noel Road and Eastfields Road, North Acton
Distance: 1.18 km (0.7 miles) per circuit
Transport: Bus 440, underground West Acton, rail Acton Main Line
Parking: Easy in surrounding streets
Facilities: The sports shop sells ice creams and drinks when open. The shop is often closed in bad weather, and opening hours are shorter in the winter.
Accessibility: This walk is suitable for wheelchairs
Route map (pdf)
This is an easy and level walk around North Acton Playing Fields. One circuit should take 20 minutes.
Directions
From the Tennis Centre Sports Shop or the information
board walk north along Eastfields Road, but inside the park, past
the entrance to the tennis courts. Go past the pavilion, and at the
corner of the park turn left along the orange hoggin path. At the
next corner go outside the park (as there is no path inside the
park), and walk down the pavement of Westfields Road. After the
building called Westfield Lodge, cut back into the park and walk
down the path that's parallel to the road. After the playground,
turn left, and this path will take you back to your starting point.
Do another two circuits to make up an hour's walk.
Route map (pdf)
Pitshanger Park and Ealing Golf Course
Start and finish: Outside the lych gate of St
Mary's Church, Perivale Lane
Distance: 3.5 km (2.2 miles)
Transport: Bus 95 on A40 (Western Avenue), 297, E2, E7 and E9 on
Argyle Road;
Underground Perivale (five-minute walk south down Horsenden
Lane South and across the footbridge over the A40)
Parking: Fairly easy in Perivale Lane. There's also a car park in Pitshanger Park at the end of Perivale Gardens.
Facilities: The Myllet Arms is right at the start point; there are shops at the A40 up Old Church Lane; and Tesco's at Perivale is not far away.
Accessibility: Only suitable for wheelchairs if you skip the
section round the football pitch, and the small section to and from
St Mary's Church
Route map (pdf)
A walk that is almost level all the way round in the semi-rural surroundings of the River Brent.
Directions
Go past the lychgate and down the path to the church. Be
wary of cyclists on this path. The church of St Mary the Virgin is
mostly twelfth-century with a seventeenth century south porch. Go
past it and across the footbridge over the River Brent and, at the
first junction, turn right to go through Ealing Golf Course. Then
turn left at the next junction, keeping the allotments on your
right-hand side. Follow the path straight on up past the fenced
football pitch and fork right past the pitch. This area used to be
known as Scotch Common and was covered by ancient woodland until as
late as the eighteenth century.
Just before the steps, turn right and walk inside the hedge. If the ground is wet, you might need to go up the steps and walk along the pavement. At the road roundabout, walk down through the avenue of trees back to the allotments and turn right when you meet them. Follow this path straight on to the car park, turn left at the information board and then first right by the bowling greens. Continue past the tennis courts and then the play centre.
The walk continues round the perimeter of the park down to and along the River Brent. After walking past the tennis courts again on their other side, and then a wooden shelter, take the first turning on the right just at the bowling green. This path takes you through more of Ealing Golf Course, back over the River Brent and past the church back to where you started. Again, you'll need to look out for cyclists here.
Elthorne
Park and Waterside
Start and finish: Main entrance to Elthorne Park on
Boston Road
Distance: 3.2 km (1.98 miles)
Transport: Bus E8; tube Boston Manor (ten-minute walk north
from the station up Boston Road)
Parking: Fairly easy outside the park
Facilities: Corner House Café and shops on Boston Road a
short distance from the park entrance towards Hanwell; Harvester
restaurant 0.5 km in the other direction
Accessibility: This walk is not suitable for wheelchairs
Route map (pdf)
An attractive walk around meadows, woodland and the Grand Union Canal with a few information boards on the route.
Directions
Turn left at the Sarsen Stone (where there is an
information board) and follow the perimeter of the formal park
until you see two yellow bollards. Go through these, turn right and
go past a metal gate into the large area known as Elthorne
Waterside where you should beware of rabbit holes, as they are
abundant here. Keep to this gravel path as it goes past the
brick-built 'Mosaic Trail' plaque and a granite sculpture, and then
goes downhill. At the bottom, go straight across at the junction,
and then, near the road, go down some steps on to the canal towpath
and turn left. Be careful here – the path is a bit narrow
initially.
Follow the path between the canal and a ditch (where you might see water voles) until you come to Osterley Weir, where you cross over the weir on a footbridge to Osterley Lock Island. Here you might see herons, kingfishers or cormorants and there is a picnic spot beside Osterley Lock on the island, which is an attractive wooded spot with a maze of little paths.
Carry on the towpath until you cross another footbridge and then turn left before the motorway flyover. Take the path beside the river and then follow it uphill through woodland. At the first junction (at the top of the hill), turn left and follow the path round the edge of a plateau with woodland on your left and playing fields and meadows on your right. This whole area used to be a rubbish dump with refuse arriving from central London along the canal and now it's a haven for birds and wildlife.
Walk past the sculpture of a deer, which was erected in the park in 2000, then on in between two fenced-off areas. After the path goes downhill, go straight across at the junction and keep the scout hut on your left. Go uphill and, at the first junction, turn right to stay inside the park. After the houses, turn left through a wooden gate into Elthorne Park again. Keeping to the left, walk past the tennis courts and the playground around the edge of the park till you come to where you started. If you've time to spare to make up an hour's walk you can always do another circuit of the small formal park.
Walpole and Lammas Parks
Start and finish: War memorial in front of
Pitshanger Manor, Ealing Green
Distance: 3.2 km (1.98 miles)
Transport: Bus 65; tube and rail Ealing Broadway
Parking: Limited –meters and chargeable car parks nearby
Facilities: The kiosk in the park sells ice creams and drinks
when open. It might be closed in bad weather, and opening hours are
shorter in the winter.
Accessibility: This walk is suitable for wheelchairs
Route map (pdf)
This is an easy and level walk linking two parks. The walk can be varied easily by taking different paths.
Directions
From the war memorial, turn left in front of Pitshanger Manor
to enter Walpole Park. There is a walled garden on the left – great
in June when the roses are in bloom. Take the path on the left,
cross a bridge over a water feature and continue with the
playground on your left. Keep straight ahead, passing a lake on the
right. At the end turn onto the left path around the park edge.
Turn right out of the main gate into Lammas Park Gardens. Carefully
cross Culmington Road into Elers Road. After a few yards turn left
through a gate into Lammas Park. Turn right onto the path and
follow it round the park, passing the play centre on the right.
Continue past the playground on the left. Pass the lodge house and
the gate onto Northfields Avenue and continue on the path round the
edge of the park, passing a gate on the right and a bowling green
on the left. Go through the gate onto Culmington Road and cross
carefully into Beaconsfield Road. Turn left into Lammas Enclosure.
Follow the path straight ahead between a meadow area and tennis
courts. Cross Lammas Park Gardens and re-enter Walpole Park through
the main gate. Turn right and follow the path round, passing Ealing
Studios on the right and a playground and shelter on the left. Turn
right to cross the bridge back to the war memorial and the starting
point.
Three Woods
Start and finish: Entrance to
Hanger Hill Wood at the junction of Chatsworth Road and Chatsworth
Rise
Distance: 3.9 km (2.4 miles)
Transport: Buses 83 and 112 to Hanger Lane; tube Hanger Lane
(Central Line) or Park Royal (Piccadilly Line)
Parking: Limited in surrounding streets
Facilities: Small kiosk at Hanger Hill Park pitch and putt in
summer
Accessibility: This walk is not suitable for wheelchairs
Route map (pdf)
There are many interesting trees to enjoy on this walk, and
there may be woodpeckers or foxes to spot. Take care crossing the
roads, and the paths and steps could get slippery in wet
weather.
Directions
Take the path ahead into Hanger Hill Wood. Here you can
either walk straight on to Hanger Lane, or explore the wood by
taking the side paths – maybe to the left on the way out and the
other side on the way back. All side paths meet up with the main
path. Cross carefully at the pedestrian crossing then turn right
along Hanger Lane, crossing Hillcrest Road. Turn left into Hanger
Hill Park. Take the path ahead continuing straight across at the
path crossroads, not right by the small bandstand. Ignore the gate
out of the park and follow a path round to the right. Leave the
park at the next exit on the left into Hillcrest Road. Pass Fox
Wood on the right and continue straight down an alleyway. Ignore
the left turn into West Road and continue into Mount Avenue.
Carefully cross Birkdale Road and continue along Mount Avenue.
Cross Brentham Way, passing Montpelier Primary School on the right.
Cross over to walk alongside Montpelier Park. Opposite a block of
flats, Avenue Court, turn left through a wooden fence into
Montpelier Wood. Follow the path through the woods into Montpelier
Park. Turn right onto a path and follow it round the park. At the
school gate leave the park and turn left onto Montpelier Road.
Continue ahead, crossing Helena Road. Turn left at the end into
West Road, then right into Hillcrest Road. Just as you turn the
corner, go through a gap in the fence before the pavilion into Fox
Wood. Turn left and skirt around the edge of the wood to a welcome
notice board in the opposite corner. Go down the steps, taking care
of the nettles, and follow the path round to the right. Stay on the
path, taking the steps down to the bottom, and follow the path
round to a wooden gate at the end into Fox Lane. Continue along the
lane, passing the pitch and putt on the left, and through an
opening on the left into Hanger Hill Park. Turn left and follow the
path past the kiosk, keeping straight ahead, not right in front of
the bandstand. Follow the path round onto Hanger Lane. Cross at the
crossing and go back through Hanger Hill Wood to the start.
Acton Green Common, Gunnersbury Triangle Local Nature
Reserve and Chiswick Common
Start and finish: Turnham Green tube station
Distance: 3.13 km (1.9 miles)
Transport: Bus 94, 440, E3; tube Turnham Green, Chiswick Park
Parking: Parking meters in a few streets around Turnham Green
station.
Facilities: Several cafés and shops in Turnham Green Terrace
around the station. Toilets in Acton Green Common at the junction
of South Parade and Beaconsfield Road.
Accessibility: This walk is not suitable for wheelchairs.
Route map (pdf)
A walk that joins up three open spaces which are all close to rail or underground lines. The walk is mostly quite level but it does go over a footbridge at one point, and there are some steps in the nature reserve.
Outside the tube station, cross Turnham Green Terrace carefully at the traffic island, and walk into Acton Green Common. The main path here once formed part of the Roman road between London and the West. Follow the path by the railway line and, with due caution, cross Fishers Lane into the second part of Acton Green Common. Take the path directly in front of you and then the left-hand fork past the playground. Go out into a quiet road that carries straight past the rest of the park and head for a railway bridge that you'll soon see in front of you.
After the bridge, cross the road at the zebra crossing, walk past the front of Chiswick Park station, and then cross over another zebra crossing. Turn right and then left into Gunnersbury Triangle Local Nature Reserve. The woodland here has grown up naturally and was declared a local nature reserve in 1987. Go down the slope after the hut into the wood. The walk largely goes round the circumference of the reserve. In other words, take the first path on the left (where there is a post numbered two), then the first on the right (post number three). It's now straight ahead until you take the right-hand path at a T-junction (post number seven). Just follow this path past the ponds and the meadow and it will take you back to the hut at the entrance.
Now retrace your steps towards the children's playground in Acton Green Common. At the playground, take the road to the right, which leads under the railway lines. Cross the footbridge, go down a little road and take the first left into Belmont Road. Cross over when the road is quiet, and follow it around till you come to Fishers Lane. Cross with care, and take the path through Chiswick Common along the lines of poplars and hollies. Cross Turnham Green Terrace at the zebra crossing and turn left. You will be back at Turnham Green station once you go under the railway lines.
Ealing Common
Start and finish: Ealing Common tube station
Distance: 3.1 km (1.92 miles)
Transport: Bus 83, 112, 207, E10; tube Ealing Common
Parking: Limited in surrounding streets where there are
parking regulations at certain times.
Facilities: Cafés and shops around Ealing Common station, and
the Grange Tavern on the route. Toilets on Ealing Common facing
Uxbridge Road at the beginning of the route.
Accessibility: This walk is not suitable for wheelchairs.
Route map (pdf)
This is a pleasant walk that goes twice round the avenues of
horse chestnuts that line Ealing Common. The walk is mostly on
grassed areas but pavements are always nearby, even if sometimes
they are on the other side of the road.
Directions
Turn left out of Ealing Common station. Cross over the first
road you come to and take the path going through the middle of the
park. Cross over the North Circular Road at the pedestrian crossing
but take care – this is a very busy road. Walk on down the road
ahead of you (Warwick Road) under the horse chestnut trees. These
magnificent trees were mostly planted in the 1880s after the heath
scrub, which once covered Ealing Common had been cleared. At the
drinking fountain you'll see the Grange Tavern across the road, but
walk along the grass inside the park all the way up to the Uxbridge
Road and bend right. The cement blocks that you can see near this
corner mark the entrances to underground air raid shelters, which
were in use in the Second World War.
Walk along the edge of the common, crossing over a footpath
and passing by another old drinking fountain until you reach the
junction of the Uxbridge Road and the North Circular. Carry on to
the right and walk under the trees until you come to the crossing
over the North Circular. Do another circuit of Ealing Common (the
whole of which was registered as an ancient common in 1965) until
you come back to this point again and then take the pedestrian
crossing over the road. Follow the footpath directly in front of
you and it will take you back to Ealing Common station.
Acton Park and Southfields Recreation Ground
Start and finish: Welcome sign inside entrance to
Acton Park on The Vale (Uxbridge Road) opposite Mansell Road
Distance: 2.8 km (1.74 miles)/accessible route 1.27 km (0.79
mile)
Transport: Bus 70, 207, 266; rail Acton Central
Parking: Meters in East Churchfield Road and East Acton Lane
Facilities: Acton Park Café in centre of park, and other
cafés and shops in The Vale east of the park. Toilets in The Vale
opposite Stanley Gardens.
Accessibility: This walk is only suitable for wheelchairs if
you stay on the paths inside Acton Park
Route map (pdf)
This is a fairly level walk joining up two parks to the east of Acton town centre with only a short uphill section in Acton Park.
Directions
From the welcome signboard, walk up the large driveway
past the 'Twilight Tree', which has its own information panel. Be
careful of traffic from the park contractor's depot. After the rose
gardens, turn right and walk round the perimeter of the park.
You'll pass the bowling green on your right and the Derwentwater
Memorial (again with an information panel) on your left.
As you go round, keep the playgrounds on your left and then
follow the path around to the right, past the tennis courts. At a
junction, take the orange hoggin path on your left. After the
houses, turn left out of the park and walk down to The Vale (the
Uxbridge Road). Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and turn
left. Take the first road on the right (Stanley Gardens), walk
along it on the pavement and continue through the alleyway straight
ahead of you to Rugby Road. Take the first road on the right
(Hatfield Road).
At the end of the road, go through the gate into Southfields
Recreation Ground and take the orange hoggin path on your left.
Keep the small woodland on your right and, where it turns a corner,
turn with it. The meadow on your left here is filled with flowers
in the springtime and, if you take a small detour, you can look at
the 'Enchanted Tree', which was carved by the same chainsaw
sculptor as the tree in Acton Park.
At the end of the woodland, turn left when you come to a
large tarmac path. Follow this around the perimeter of the park
past the changing rooms and the playground. Walk on the grass round
the rest of the park (although a hoggin path might be put in soon)
and, after the houses, take the path on your left into Mansell
Road. At the end of Mansell Road, turn left and cross the Uxbridge
Road at the pedestrian crossing. On the other side of the road,
turn right and a short walk past Acton Park Lodge brings you back
to your original starting point.
Gunnersbury Park
Start and finish: The Museum in the large mansion
in Gunnersbury Park
Distance: 3.2 km (1.98 miles)
Transport: Bus E3; tube Acton Town, rail Kew Bridge then a
ten-minute walk from the station across Lionel Road bridge
Parking: Car Park in Gunnersbury Park, entrance off Popes
Lane
Facilities: Toilets (disabled accessible) and café in park
Accessibility: This walk is suitable for wheelchairs if
Princess Amelia's Bath House is left out.
Route map (pdf)
Gunnersbury Park began as a walled garden around a mid seventeenth century Palladian house. Princess Amelia, daughter of George II, lived in the old Gunnersbury House from 1763-1786 and landscaped the park to eighteenth century tastes. The house was rebuilt in the early nineteenth century and Nathan Rothschild bought it in 1835. The boroughs of Ealing and Acton acquired the 190-acre park and house in 1925, with the help of Middlesex County Council and it was opened to the public in 1926.
This is a level walk around the park.
Directions
From the main house, walk on past the small mansion and
public toilets to take a look at Princess Amelia's Bath House (this
involves going down some steps). Return to the main path and turn
left. You will pass a mock Gothic ruin on your left before coming
to the stables. Keep left and follow the path through a long avenue
of trees. Keep straight on, eventually passing a shelter. Follow
the path into a wooded area where there is another mock gothic ruin
on your right. Keep straight ahead, with the lake on your right.
Follow the path right round the lake, then keep left to follow the
path round the edge of the formal part of the park. You will pass
the toilets and the Farm Dressing Room on your right, then the main
playground. Up ahead, turn right in front of the bowling green,
then take the path straight ahead (the car park is just beyond the
horticultural nurseries on the left here). Walk ahead keeping the
Round Pond on your right. Continue around the pond. The Italian
gardens will appear on your left. The café is on your right just
before the large mansion and the start point.
With thanks to the London Borough of Hounslow.
Wormwood Scrubs
Start and finish: Corner of Old Oak Common Lane and
Du Cane Road, opposite Acton Snooker and Pool Club and St Aidan's
Catholic Church
Transport: Bus Scrubs Lane, 220, Du Cane Road 7, 70, 72, 272,
283; tube East Acton
Parking: Pay and display car park at rear of Hammersmith
Hospital
Facilities: Cafés and toilets at start point and in
Hammersmith Hospital
Accessibility: This walk is not suitable for wheelchairs
Route map (pdf)
The vast open grassland of Wormwood Scrubs Park (known as the
'Scrubs') is Hammersmith and Fulham's first designated local nature
reserve. It has a sense of space, a rugged feel and valuable
wildlife. The land was part of the Great Middlesex Forest but had
become arable or pasture by the early nineteenth century, with a
tradition of recreational and military use. In the 1980s the GLC
planted a number of areas with native whips. These have now grown
up into scrub and immature woodland, adding considerable interest
to the landscape, whilst also providing cover for a variety of
birds. Most of the walk is on tracks around the perimeter, which
can be very muddy after wet weather.
Directions
From the start walk up Erconwald Street past East Acton
tube station. At the end of the street cut around Old Oak Primary
School and into Wormwood Scrubs at the entrance next to the prison,
taking care crossing the roads.
Walk along behind the prison to Hammersmith Hospital. From
the car park behind the hospital follow the path round the outer
edge keeping the grass on your left. Turn right to pass the Linford
Christie Stadium on your right. Continue along the avenue of trees.
Follow the avenue which curves round past the Pony Centre on your
right. Take a sharp left just after the parade ground, which is on
your left. Turn left into Wormwood Scrubs car park and walk through
the car park to the beginning of the brick path straight ahead.
Follow the brick path through the wooded area. At the end of the
brick path, walk along the track. Follow the track and pass between
a separate wooded area on your left and the main wooded area on
your right. Pass through to the edge of the playing fields on your
left and follow the edge as it curves around (there are
opportunities to take paths into the wooded area and loop back
out). At the beginning of the wooden fencing, turn hard left and
set out across the playing field towards the central wooded area.
(If you would like to take a longer walk of approximately two
miles, which crosses rough ground, follow the perimeter track all
the way round back to the start.) You will pass the area designated
for flying model aircraft. Loop around the left-hand edge of this
central copse and head straight for the hospital car park ahead of
you. From here walk behind the prison back to the start.