Health walks in Acton and Ealing

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

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.