Introduction
May Day; unsurprisingly, Dad was up in town photographing parades. But Mum and I walked the next section of the London Loop, from Donkey Wood to Uxbridge.
We started at Hatton Cross, with planes from Heathrow roaring overhead. The walk began through a park by the River Crane, which looked like the kind of place local schoolkids had to visit; information boards about the wildlife, burnt-out wooden benches.
After that there was a brief hop through suburban streets - right under the flightpath, with 747s making the ground quake every one-and-a-half minutes. Then back to the riverside.
St. Dunstan's Church
The river led next to a large 'country' park (near the M4 motorway). That's where we finally left the Crane, turning away toward a church.
Grand Union Canal
The route led us to some very busy roads (giant concrete flyover stylee) and finally down to the Grand Union Canal. Felt almost like home! Fifty miles along the towpath and I'd be back in Milton Keynes.
Business park
The route took a long way around through a large park with various offices in. We stopped atop a very windy hill on the non-business side of the park to eat our lunch. Some people arrived to fly their large turtle kite, which was pretty cool (it sort of inflated with the air, to become a three-dimensional flying turtle with neat twisting streamers).
Canal again
A little further on, through a boring industrial estate, and we rejoined the canal.
We turned off the main canal at a canal junction, following another branch (the Slough Arm, apparently).
A little fun was had jumping onto an old unpowered barge (possibly called a 'butty' or a 'lighter'), which was just storing rubbish. There was also an inexplicable concrete bunker, which reminded us of the pillboxes that are scattered across the Southern countryside - did somebody think Hitler would invade along the canal from Slough? Hrm.
River Colne
Then to the River Colne, which actually comes out into the Thames in Staines; so the walk had direct waterway connections to the places where both of us live.
Son of Canal
Eventually we got back to the canal yet again and followed it into Uxbridge.
Then into Uxbridge and onto the tube (which was totally not working in so many ways, since they pick bank holidays to repair everything, but did get me back to Euston station after about 74 changes). That's it!