London Loop section 17 page 1 LONDON LOOP Section 17 of 24 Cockfosters to Enfield Lock Section start: Cockfosters Nearest station to start: Cockfosters (Piccadilly Line) Section finish: Enfield Lock Nearest station to finish: Enfield Lock (Rail) Section distance 8.6 miles plus 0.2 miles of station links Total = 8.8 miles (14.0 km) Introduction This is a rural section through an area alive with history that provides newcomers with an excellent introduction to the Loop. It goes through Trent Park, once the home of the Sassoon family, and continues through the farmland of Enfield Chase, Hilly Fields Park and the Forty Hall Estate. There are several gentle ups and downs. There is also one high-stepped footbridge - but it can be avoided. The walk is mostly on rough and sometimes muddy paths, tracks and grassland. There is one stile. Some sections are suitable for the less mobile and for pushchairs, including part of Trent Park, Forty Hall and Albany Park. There are pubs and cafés at Trent Park, Forty Hall, Clay Hill, Hertford Road and Enfield Lock. There are public toilets by the café and car park in Trent Park and also at Forty Hall. There is a National Rail station at Turkey Street. The Loop crosses bus routes at Clay Hill, Great Cambridge Road and Hertford Road. At the moment his section ends in Albany Park with a temporary route to Enfield Lock station - not at Enfield Lock itself. This version by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2021, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: https://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/loop Published: May 2021 London Loop section 17 page 2 Walking directions Leave Cockfosters station by the main exit on Cockfosters Road, turn right Did you know? then immediately right again, and go through the green metal gate to the This area was once left of the station car park passing a Loop signpost. Follow the wide path Enfield Chase, a 12th century royal hunting between the car park and the cemetery. Cross the drive leading to the forest. Enfield's cemetery extension on your right. woodland was described in the Go through the gap in the bushes into an open field, then after about 25 Domesday Book as yards turn left. There is no waymark here or at the next junction. Cross the providing food for four thousand swine. ditch and go across the top of a field into Church Wood. At the T-junction of paths turn left and exit the wood across another, probably muddy ditch with plank bridge. The path now bears right between a small new plantation and the edge of the old wood, and leads on to a field. The well-worn part of the path then bears right but the Loop goes straight ahead, up a small slope to meet the main drive into Trent Park. There is a signpost by a gap in the railings at this point. Turn right along the drive, then fork left past the little obelisk. There are toilets beside the main car park to your right and a Go Ape Tree Top Adventure. A café is to your left. Straight ahead are Enfield Council and Loop information boards. At the information boards take the path to the left between bollards into the pleasant area of mixed woodland known as This version by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2021, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: https://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/loop Published: May 2021 London Loop section 17 page 3 Oak Wood. This area is Trent Country Park. The park has country walks, Did you know? Camlet Moat is a small bird watching and nature study. Follow the path as it gradually descends moated island and and curves right just before a ditch. Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is thought The path leaves the wood across the ditch on a plank bridge. The gravel to have been the seat of path then runs alongside a boundary fence to the left. At the T-junction of Geoffrey de Mandeville during the reign of paths (not currently signposted), do not go through the gate into the William the Conqueror. woods, but turn left onto a broad path that soon curves to the right close to Excavations carried out a lake. After a few hundred yards, there is a view to the right of Trent by Sir Philip Sassoon in House which is being converted to provide flats and a small museum, the 1920s discovered stone foundations, oak commemorating its use for housing German officers during WW2. beams thought to be from the drawbridge Passing two wooden signposts, keep in the direction of Hadley Road to and Roman shoes and curve left on the main path up the hill with woods to your right and a field daggers. on the left. Enter the woods and after about 100 yards, fork left at the Did you know? waymarker. As the Loop path curves to the left, with another main path The obelisk was moved leading off to the right, the enclosed area of Camlet Moat on the right to Trent Park from Wrest Park in 1934. The become visible. date 1702 in the inscription is wrong. Follow the path to the edge of the wood and then take the small right fork George Grey, Earl of which is waymarked. Go through the open gate about 20 yards along. Look Harold was born in left along the woodland edge from the gate to see a tall obelisk. 1733 and died in infancy. It is worth making the short detour Turn left at the road and walk for about 100 yards. Cross at the lay-by and left at the top of the go through the kissing gate by a Loop signpost. Head off down the hill on wood to enjoy the fine the Jubilee Path. At the bottom of the hill, where there is a bench seat, turn view of the course and right and follow Salmon's Brook. grounds from the obelisk. This version by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2021, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: https://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/loop Published: May 2021 London Loop section 17 page 4 The route is now close to the brook for over a mile. Keep following the Note A major Enfield Chase footpath, which can be very muddy when wet or rutted when dry. At a improvement project is corner, go right with the path and shortly left through a gap to continue with underway in this area in the brook on the left and fields on the right. 2021. There has already been extensive The path bends left to a bridge over the brook. Cross over Salmon's Brook tree planting. A new path for walking and then turn immediately right through the kissing gate by a wooden signpost cycling is under with Loop waymark. construction. The bridge is due for repair or Keep following the field edge with the brook close by now on the right. The replacement. Some path leads through two more gates and through several fields passing gates may be replaced or disappear and the occasional waymarks. After passing an unused stile, the path comes to a waymarking may well corner with a signpost. Here bear round to the left to follow the fence line change. The Loop will up the hill, with the mature trees of Brooke Memorial Wood on the right and remain open and these a new plantation on the left. changes should make walking easier. Go through the kissing gate on the right just before reaching the road along the brow of the hill. There is a bench seat near the gate. Follow the path through trees towards the road. Come out of the wood through another Note gate. Continue along the left side of a field, with a fine view to the right, The new walking and until you reach the only stile on the route at the bottom of a slight dip. cycle way will, in time, allow you to go straight ahead from a new Go over the stile and carefully cross the road (The Ridgeway). Turn right pedestrian road continuing along pavement on the other side of the road. Note that from crossing of the here to Enfield Lock station, the route follows the National Cycle Network Ridgeway, through route NCN 12. This route is clearly marked with blue stickers on lamp more planted trees, to meet the Turkey Brook posts. at the bottom of Rectory Farm Road. Break point A few hundred yards further on is a bus stop for route 313 which goes to Did you know? Enfield or Potters Bar. This part of London was once a mass of Turn left down Rectory Farm Road just beyond the Royal Chace Hotel and glasshouses that produced huge immediately opposite the bus stop on the other side of the road. (Note that quantities of tomatoes the hotel facilities are only available to guests.) The Enfield Greenways and cucumbers for all signpost points towards the Forty Hall and Lee Valley parks. the country. The glasshouses by Follow the drive to the sheds, bear right behind them and continue Strayfield Road are the few left. They now crossing the bridge over Turkey Brook. Follow the track up the hill, passing produce water plants for between bollards and then under the railway bridge. Turn right at the T- gardens. junction still following the Enfield Greenways. This version by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2021, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: https://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/loop Published: May 2021 London Loop section 17 page 5 After some glasshouses on the right, continue ahead along the road (Strayfield Road) until you reach the church on the left.