Bridge over Pymmes Brook, south of Parkside Gardens (2)

The Pymmes Brook Trail is located in the London Boroughs of

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

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) ...

and

Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of ...

and is just under long. The brook is named after William Pymme, a local landowner. The trail goes from Hadley Green to

Tottenham Hale Tottenham Hale is a district of north London and part of the London Borough of Haringey, bounded by the River Lea and located to the south/south-east of Tottenham proper. From 1850 to 1965, it was part of the Municipal Borough of Tottenham, in Mi ...

, where the trail connects with the

Lea Valley Walk The Lea Valley Walk is a long-distance path located between Leagrave, the source of the River Lea near Luton, and the Thames, at Limehouse Basin, Limehouse, east London. From its source much of the walk is rural. At Hertford the path follows t ...

. Most of the first half of the trail, as far as

Arnos Park Arnos Grove () is an List of areas of London, area of north London, England, within the London Borough of Enfield. It is centred north of Charing Cross. It is adjacent to New Southgate. The natural grove (nature), grove, larger than today, ...

, runs beside

Pymmes Brook Pymmes Brook is located in North London and named after William Pymme, a local land owner. It is a minor tributary of the River Lea. The brook mostly flows through urban areas and is particularly prone to flooding in its lower reaches. To a ...

, but after that the brook is only encountered intermittently as much of the brook passes through private land which is not open to the public. In its lower reaches sections of the brook have been

culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. In the United Kingdom ...

ed to alleviate the risk of flooding.

Course

The trail starts on Hadley Green, where the headwaters of Pymmes Brook rise, with a link from

High Barnet tube station High Barnet is a London Underground station, and former railway station, located in Chipping Barnet, North London. The station is the northern terminus of the High Barnet branch of the Northern line and is in Travelcard Zone 5. It is situated 1 ...

. Together with the

London Loop The London Outer Orbital Path — more usually the "London LOOP" — is a 150-mile (242 km) signed walk along public footpaths, and through parks, woods and fields around the edge of Outer London, England, described as "the M25 ...

, it then drops through

Monken Hadley Common Monken Hadley Common lies within the Monken Hadley Conservation Area, and is listed as a “ Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade I,” by the London Borough of Barnet. It is registered common land, and it is owned by the Tr ...

to Jack's Lake, to meet another link from

Cockfosters tube station Cockfosters is a London Underground station on the Piccadilly line, for which it is the northern terminus. The station is located on Cockfosters Road ( A111) approximately nine miles () from central London and serves Cockfosters. It is on the b ...

. Pymmes Brook proper starts here as it flows out from Jack's Lake. The trail detours through Victoria Recreation Ground, where Pymmes Brook is joined with Shirebourne brook, then follows a short street section to rejoin the brook at East Barnet Village. It then runs beside the brook through

Oak Hill Park Oak Hill Park (OHP) is a residential subdivision located in the Oak Hill village of Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Oak Hill Park is shown as a separate and distinct village on some city maps, including a map dated 2012 on the official ...

and

Brunswick Park Brunswick Park is a neighbourhood, public park and electoral ward in the London Borough of Barnet. It is north of New Southgate and to the south of Oakleigh Park. Roads include Brunswick Park Road, Brunswick Avenue and Brunswick Crescent. Amen ...

to the halfway point in

, with a link to

Arnos Grove tube station Arnos Grove is a London Underground station located in Arnos Grove in the London Borough of Enfield, London. It is on the Piccadilly line between Bounds Green and Southgate stations and is in Travelcard Zone 4. The station opened on 19 Septem ...

. It is also where Pymmes Brook is joined by Bounds Green Brook. The trail then leaves the brook to pass through

Broomfield Park Broomfield Park was a association football, football stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, home of Airdrieonians F.C. (1878), Airdrieonians from 1892 until it was closed after the 1993–94 in Scottish football, 1993–94 football season. Aird ...

and

Palmers Green Palmers Green is a suburban area and electoral ward in North London, England, within the London Borough of Enfield. It is located within the N13 postcode district, around north of Charing Cross. It is home to the largest population of Greek Cy ...

. It crosses over the New River at Oakthorpe Road, then the

North Circular Road The North Circular Road (officially the A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular) is a ring road around Central London in England. It runs from Chiswick in the west to Woolwich in the east via suburban North London, connecting ...

, to divert through two new public open spaces - Bowes Meadow and Tile Kiln Lane Open Space - where Pymmes Brook can be followed again. The trail recrosses the North Circular Road onto Silver Street,

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 ...

, where the path enters the gardens of

Millfield House Millfield House is a Grade II* listed building located in Silver Street, Edmonton, London. Previously a private house, it has been used as an arts centre since 1979. History The house is first mentioned in 1796 when it belonged to John Wigston of ...

. From here the trail leads to

Pymmes Park Pymmes Park is located in Edmonton, London and is bordered by the North Circular Road. The park is a Metropolitan Open Space, Local Importance of Nature Conservation, and a site of Archaeological Importance. History The area known as Pymmes Park ...

and another brookside section, then to Fore Street, where the brook flows underground to merge with

Salmons Brook Salmons Brook is a minor tributary of the River Lea, located in the London Borough of Enfield. Etymology Salmons Brook is marked thus on Rocque's map of 1754, probably named from the family of John ''Salemon'' of Edmonton mentioned in 1274 ...

to the south of

Angel Road The North Circular Road (officially the A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular) is a ring road around Central London in England. It runs from Chiswick in the west to Woolwich in the east via suburban North London, connectin ...

. As of 2018, the trail must temporarily follow public throughfares for a short distance, but will eventually take a new route when access to the brook is opened up in the

Meridian Water Meridian Water is a £6bn, 20-year regeneration programme in Upper Edmonton, in the south-east of the London Borough of Enfield, North London. Led by the council, the project will build 10,000 homes next to the Lee Valley Regional Park. The dev ...

development. Finally, the trail passes through

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 ...

, beside Pymmes Brook and past Stonebridge Lock on the

Lee Navigation The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea (also called the River Lee along the sections that are navigable). It flows from Hertford Castle Weir to the River Thames at Bow Creek; its first lock is Hertford Lock and its ...

, to reach the point where the brook joins the

River Lea The River Lea ( ) is in South East England. It originates in Bedfordshire, in the Chiltern Hills, and flows southeast through Hertfordshire, along the Essex border and into Greater London, to meet the River Thames at Bow Creek. It is one of t ...

. The trail connects with the

Tottenham Lock Tottenham Lock (No17) is a paired lock on the River Lee Navigation in the London Borough of Haringey, England and is located near Tottenham, London. Like other locks as far as Ponders End it is large enough to take barges of up to 130 tons. The p ...

, with a link to

Tottenham Hale station Tottenham Hale is a National Rail and London Underground interchange station located in Tottenham Hale in north London, England. On the National Rail network it is on the West Anglia Main Line, from London Liverpool Street, and is served by G ...

Gallery

File:Pymmes Brook Trail, Jacks Lake.JPG, Jack's Lake on Monken Hadley Common File:Pymmes Brook in Arnos Park.JPG, Pymmes Brook in Arnos Park File:Pymmes Brook Trail, Broomfield Park lake.JPG, Broomfield Park lake File:Millfield House.jpg, Millfield House File:Stonebridge Lock and River Lea.JPG, Stonebridge Lock on the Lee Navigation

References

External links

Pymmes Brook TrailPymmes Brook Trail official guidePymmes Brook Trail
on the

LDWA The Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) is a British not for profit, volunteer-led association whose aim is "to further the common interests of those who enjoy long distance walking". The LDWA is an association of people with the common inte ...

website {{authority control Footpaths in London River Lea