The Small River Lea is a minor tributary of the

River Lea The River Lea ( ) is in the East of England and Greater London. 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 Cr ...

, which flows through the

Lee Valley Park Lee Valley Regional Park is a long linear park, much of it green spaces, running through the northeast of Greater London, Essex and Hertfordshire. The park follows the course of the River Lea (Lee) along the Lea Valley from Ware in Hertfords ...

between

Cheshunt Cheshunt (/ˈtʃɛzənt/ CHEZ-ənt) is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, situated within the London commuter belt approximately north of Central London. The town lies on the River Lea and Lee Navigation, bordering th ...

and

Enfield Lock Enfield Lock is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, north London. It is approximately located east of the Hertford Road between Turkey Street and the Holmesdale Tunnel overpass, and extends to the River Lee Navigation, including the En ...

. It forms part of the

Turnford and Cheshunt Pits The Turnford and Cheshunt Pits is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Cheshunt in Hertfordshire and Essex and covers a total of 428.17 acres (173.28 ha).Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI) as it flows through the

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 (town), Waltham Abbey and Broxbourne, it is an are ...

Course

The river leaves the Old

below Kings Weir to flow through an aqueduct under the

River 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 i ...

at Aqueduct Lock. It is joined by Turnford Brook at

Turnford Turnford is a village in the Borough of Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire, England, in an area generally known as the Lee Valley. It is bounded by Wormley to the north, Cheshunt to the south and west, and its eastern boundary is formed largely by ...

before meandering in a southerly direction past various lakes including the North Metropolitan and Cheshunt Lake and parallel with the

West Anglia Main Line The West Anglia Main Line is one of the two main line railways that operate out of (the other being the Great Eastern Main Line to Ipswich and Norwich). It runs generally north through Cheshunt, Broxbourne, Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and ...

railway line. The river forms a boundary with the Lee Valley youth hostel at

before flowing under Windmill Lane close to

Cheshunt railway station Cheshunt is an interchange station for London Overground ( Weaver line) and Greater Anglia services on the Lea Valley lines, located in Cheshunt in the Borough of Broxbourne. It is on the West Anglia Main Line section of the Lea Valley lines ...

. It flows close to the

Lea Valley The Lea Valley (also spelt Lee 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 wer ...

railway line and then between Bowyers Water and the River Lee Navigation before passing under the A121 road close to

Waltham Cross Waltham Cross is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, located north of central London. In the south-eastern corner of Hertfordshire, it borders Cheshunt to the north, Waltham Abbey to the east, and Enfield to the sout ...

to the west and

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

to the east. The river passes under the

M25 motorway The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major ring road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 th ...

into

Rammey Marsh Rammey Marsh is located in the Lee Valley Park at Enfield Lock, Enfield, England, and covers approximately . The site is owned and managed by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.Turkey Brook Turkey Brook, also known as Maidens Brook for part of its length, is a river in the northern outskirts of London. It rises in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, and flows broadly eastwards to merge with the River Lee Navigation near Enfield Lock. To ...

below

close to the

A1055 road A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''A-1 Headline'', a 2004 Hong Kong film * (English title: ''Our Man in Jamaica''), a 1965 Italian film * ''A1'', a 1999 Syrian film; see List of Syrian films * ''A1'' (2019 film) ...

Ecology

The river flows mostly hidden in a deep channel. Shallow and prone to pollution, it is not known as a fishery. It is however a valuable spawning/nursery area for fish.

References

Small Lea, River Geography of the London Borough of Enfield Tributaries of the River Lea 2SmallLea {{England-river-stub