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Introduction

Rather than put this cute little stream into a culvert since 1935 the River Crane has been preserved as a long thin Nature Reserve now managed by the London Wildlife Trust. It has quite a history documented since 1553 (see Friends Of River Crane Environment). It also has places of industrial importance particularly the Whitton Gunpowder Mills & Shot Tower (1828).


Cycling

I chose to cycle downhill (from the top of this map down). It is only about 10km however getting there and back requires a modest amount of planning. You may take your bikes on trains (but see TfL Rules).  There are no trains directly to Hounslow Heath. However trains to Hounslow Central and Hounslow Station are very frequent but obviously avoid peak hours. Through parts of Hounslow Heath the route is on tarmac or hoggin (a form of fine gravel) and I found signposts a little patchy making it easy to get slightly disorientated -take a compass if you have one (Tip: Most mobile phones have a Compass App built in !). Then the rest of the route is all tarmac and fairly well signposted. Where the river dives under a main road you will have to cross on the pedestrian crossing. All is completely child friendly.

TOURISM LINKS

I found very little tourism information. This is notable so far:

Places-To-Go:  River Crane

Photos of the cycle ride, including the following map (675k) in higher resolution, are here: River Crane Map & Photos    (You do NOT need to download Dropbox App)