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

The Pymmes Brook Trail is located in the London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield 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 t ...

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 ...

, 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 follow ...

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

, 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 Kingdo ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

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 ...

. Pymmes Brook proper starts here as it flows out from Jack's Lake. The trail detours through

Victoria Recreation Ground Victoria Recreation Ground is a park located on Recreation Ground Road, just off Carisbrooke Road, in Newport, on the Isle of Wight, England. It was opened in 1902. The park comprises a cricket pitch, tennis courts, petanque terrain, pavilio ...

, 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 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. Ame ...

to the halfway point in Arnos Park, with a link to Arnos Grove tube station. 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 football stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, home of Airdrieonians from 1892 until it was closed after the 1993–94 football season. Airdrieonians F.C. was formed in 1878 and the club opened Broomfield in 1892. The B ...

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, connecti ...

, 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 anc ...

, where the path enters the gardens of Millfield House. 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. 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 development. Finally, the trail passes through Tottenham Marshes, 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 it ...

, to reach the point where the brook joins the River Lea. The trail connects with the

at Tottenham Lock, 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 ...

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 website {{authority control Footpaths in London River Lea