Lee Valley Regional Park is a long linear park, much of it green spaces, running through the northeast of Greater London,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

and Hertfordshire from the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

Ware Ware may refer to: People * Ware (surname) * William of Ware (), English Franciscan theologian Places Canada * Fort Ware, British Columbia United Kingdom * Ware, Devon *Ware, Hertfordshire * Ware, Kent United States * Ware, Elmore County ...

, through areas such as Stratford, Clapton,

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Wal ...

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

, Walthamstow,

Waltham Abbey Waltham Abbey is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, within the metropolitan and urban area of London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. It lies on the Greenwich Meridian, between the River Lea in the west and ...

Cheshunt Cheshunt ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London on the River Lea and Lee Navigation. It contains a section of the Lee Valley Park, including much of the River Lee Country Park. To the north lies Broxbourne and Wormley, ...

Broxbourne Broxbourne is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Hoddesdon, in the Broxbourne district, in Hertfordshire, England, north of London, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census.Broxbourne Town population 2011 I ...

and

Hoddesdon Hoddesdon () is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. The area is on the River Lea and the Lee Navigation along with the New River. Hoddesdon ...

in an area generally known as the

Lea Valley The Lea Valley, the valley of the River Lea, has been used as a transport corridor, a source of sand and gravel, an industrial area, a water supply for London, and a recreational area. The London 2012 Summer Olympics were based in Stratford, in ...

. Greater London's largest park, Lee Valley Park is more than four times the size of

Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of London's Royal Parks, and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I in the 17th century as a deer park ...

, extending beyond Greater London's borders into the neighbouring counties of Hertfordshire and Essex. The park follows the course of the River Lea (Lee) along the

from Ware in Hertfordshire through Essex and the north east of Greater London, through the

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a sporting complex and public park in Stratford, Hackney Wick, Leyton and Bow, in east London. It was purpose-built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, situated adjacent to the Stratford City developm ...

to East India Dock Basin on the River Thames. The park is managed by

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) is a statutory body that is responsible for managing and developing the long, Lee Valley Regional Park. The park was established by Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1967. The headquarters of the ...

and is made up of a diverse mix of countryside areas,

urban green space In land-use planning, urban green space is open-space areas reserved for parks and other "green spaces", including plant life, water features -also referred to as blue spaces- and other kinds of natural environment. Most urban open spaces ar ...

s, heritage sites, country parks, nature reserves and lakes and riverside trails, as well as leading sports centres covering an area of over . It is crossed by a number of roads and railways. There are several major reservoirs and multiple water courses (rivers and canals) within Lee Valley Park, both to carry the river flow, and also to provide navigable waterways and flood relief channels.

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

From London's Olympic bid success in summer 2005 until summer 2012, much of the southern half of the Lee Valley Park was developed to form the

Olympic Park An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics ...

for the 2012 Summer Olympics and the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

. Lee Valley Park was extended through the Olympic Park down to the River Thames, adding a further two miles (3 km) of open space. Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will own 35 per cent of the Olympic Park and will fund, manage and own three venues following the London 2012 Games –

Lee Valley White Water Centre Lee Valley White Water Centre (previously known as Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre) is a white-water slalom centre, that was constructed to host the canoe slalom events of the London 2012 Olympic Games. On 9 December 2010, Anne, Princess R ...

in Hertfordshire,

Lee Valley VeloPark Lee Valley VeloPark is a cycling centre on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London, England. It is owned and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, and it was opened to the public in March 2014. The facility was one of the ...

and the

Eton Manor Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre is a sports and leisure venue located in Leyton, London Borough of Waltham Forest, to the north of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is regularly used for international field hockey fixtures by both the Great ...

hockey and tennis centres located at the northernmost end of the

. The park is working with a range of partners including the

Olympic Delivery Authority The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) was a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, responsible for ensuring the delivery of venues, infrastructure and legacy for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games ...

London Development Agency The London Development Agency (LDA) was from July 2000 until 2012 the regional development agency for the London region in England. A functional body of the Greater London Authority, its purpose was to drive sustainable economic growth within ...

and the

London Thames Gateway Development Corporation The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC) was a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government, with directors appointed by the Secretary of State, including some democratically elect ...

to deliver a major linear park at the heart of a new urban district in the

Lower Lea Valley The Lower Lea Valley is the southern end of the Lea Valley which surrounds the River Lea. It is part of the Thames Gateway redevelopment area and was the location of the 2012 Summer Olympics. A 2005 documentary ''What Have You Done Today, Mer ...

. These venues will join the existing centres the Regional Park currently owns including Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Lee Valley Riding CentreLee Valley Riding Centre
Retrieved 19 November 2009 and Lee Valley Ice Centre. Notable parts of the park include: Myddelton House Gardens,

Temple Mills Temple Mills is a district located on the boundary of the London boroughs of Newham and Waltham Forest, with a small part also in Hackney in east London. Temple Mills was home to a marshalling yard and wagon works belonging to the Great Eastern ...

, Hackney Marshes, Walthamstow Marshes,

Tottenham Marshes The Tottenham Marshes are located at Tottenham in the London Borough of Haringey. The marshes cover over and became part of the Lee Valley Park in 1972. The marsh is made up of three main areas: Clendish Marsh, Wild Marsh West and Wild Marsh Ea ...

River Lee Country Park The River Lee Country Park is located in the Lee Valley Park and is managed by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. Covering on either side of the River Lee Navigation between Waltham Abbey and Broxbourne, it is an area of lakes, watercours ...

, Bow Creek Ecology Park and

Lee Valley Reservoir Chain The Lee Valley Reservoir Chain is located in the Lee Valley, and comprises 13 reservoirs that supply drinking water to London. The Reservoir Chain is a major geographic constraint; together with the Thames it is one of the two significant topogr ...

Gallery

Image:Springfield Marina.JPG, Springfield Marina near the southern end of the park Image:Walthamstow Marshes.JPG, Walthamstow Marshes Image:Sludge main.JPG, The park in

Image:Tottenham Marshes.JPG, Looking north from

towards

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Image:Waltham Abbey Gardens.JPG, View across Cornmill Stream towards

Image:Lee Valley Athletics Centre.jpg, View of the award-winning Lee Valley Athletics Centre Image:River lee Country Park.jpg, View of the River Lee Navigation flowing through the

Image:Lee Valley Golf Course.JPG, Golfer at Lee Valley Golf Course Image:Ice Centre - Christmas show.JPG, Ice skaters at Lee Valley Ice Centre Christmas show File:Lee Valley-Park.JPG, Sign of Park Image:Lee Valley Park Marshes from Tottenham Hale.jpg, Lee Valley Park Marshes from Tottenham Hale Image:Tottenham Hale Canals Lee Valley Park.jpg, View from the Tottenham Hale bridge in Lee Valley Park

References

External links

Ramblers Association
{{coord, 51, 41, 50, N, 0, 00, 58, W, type:forest_region:GB_dim:10500, display=title, format=dms Walking in London Long-distance footpaths in England Parks and open spaces in Hertfordshire Parks and open spaces in London Parks and open spaces in Essex Linear parks

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

See also

Gallery

References

External links