Spoke 8 S

West Drayton to Dorney: Slough Arm Canal and Jubilee River
Hilliness
Flat
Ride Conditions
Good
Unsurfaced
Warning
Percent Off-road
70%
Distance
10.1 miles
Signed
NCN 61, 461

Tags

Places
Description

With GWR, M4, A4, M25, Slough and Heathrow in the vicinity, this has no right to be a peaceful and bucolic ride - but much of it is! The family friendly section is from Ditton Park 4.6 followed by the Jubilee River path, Eton to Dorney.

The route originally used the eastern portion of the Slough Arm Canal - but after subsequent trips in all seasons, reluctantly the towpath surface conditions are too slippery in places for it to be included. Fortunately this charming backwater is included in Spoke 8 link in the western section where it is much better surfaced.

Rather, leave the London LOOP Beeches Way 0.5 L, through a cycle-permeable barrier and onto an abandoned road. L 1.1, under the GWR and join Thorney Mill Road 1.6. The next two miles are on a fairly busy road, a functional link to Langley 3.7. Once over the High Street a short wriggle through paths and side streets to Trelawney Ave 4. The N-S NCN61 cycleway crosses 4.2; this provides the short link R to the Slough Arm Canal and Spoke 8 link. Turn L off-road south to Ditton Park (watch for R turn 4.8), eventually arriving on the banks of the Jubilee River at the playing fields of Eton 6.8.

The rest of the spoke to Eton Dorney is a Cycle Orbital highlight: over 3 miles of wide cyclepath in parkland amid plentiful wetland birdlife – all so close to the M4 (and the Slough sewage works)!

Route
Sentinels on the Jubilee River: Spoke 8 S
peaceful scene on Jubilee River path: Spoke 8S
filtered access onto Jubilee River path: Spoke 8S