Lee Valley

The Lee Valley Regional Park is a 26-mile long park in Essex, Hertfordshire and London in England. It has had a special legal status for almost 80 years, set aside "for recreation, sport, entertainment and the enjoyment of leisure". The valley takes its name from the River Lee (or Lea).

The Lee Navigation, which runs through the Lee Valley Regional Park between Ware and the River Thames in London

Venues and attractions in the Lee Valley include the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford (home of the London 2012 Olympic Games) several marinas and moorings, a network of cycle routes, angling (fishing) areas, and green spaces.

Understand

The Lee Valley Regional Park Act 1966 is:

An Act to establish the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority for the development, preservation and management for recreation, sport, entertainment and the enjoyment of leisure of an area adjoining the river Lee as a regional park.

The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority remains in control of the park today. It is based in Myddelton House, Enfield and has planning, sports and leisure, and environmental responsibilities.

The park is 26 miles long and around 10,000 areas all in all, spanning three counties. Some of the focal towns and destinations in and around the Lee Valley Regional Park are:

Essex

• 1 Dobbs Weir
• 2 Roydon
• 3 Waltham Abbey

Greater London

• 4 Canning Town
• 5 Edmonton
• 6 Enfield
• 7 Enfield Lock
• 8 Hackney
• 9 Leyton
• 10 Poplar
• 11 Stratford
• 12 Tottenham
• 13 Walthamstow

Hertfordshire

• 14 Cheshunt
• 15 Hoddesdon
• 16 Waltham Cross
• 17 Ware

Get in

By train

The Lee Valley is well covered by National Rail and London Underground routes. It is very easy to travel into and around the Lee Valley, with trains every few minutes on some routes within London. There are also direct trains into the Lee Valley from surrounding destinations, including Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ely, Hertford, Ipswich and Southend-on-Sea. The park is 26 miles long, so be sure to check which station is nearest to your final destination before you set off.

Some of the larger stations within the Lee Valley include:

• 1 Broxbourne - direct trains from London Liverpool Street, stations in North London, Bishop's Stortford, Cambridge, Harlow, Hertford East and Ely.
• 2 Cheshunt  OGD  - direct trains from London Liverpool Street, stations in North London, Bishop's Stortford, Cambridge, Harlow, Hertford and Ely.
• 3 Edmonton Green  OGD  - direct trains from London Liverpool Street and stations in North London.
• 4 Leyton  CEN  - direct trains from West London, Central London and Epping.
• 5 London Stratford  ELI  OGD  CEN  JUB  DLR  - direct trains from London Liverpool Street, stations in Central London including London Waterloo, Camden Road, Hampstead Heath, Heathrow Airport, Lewisham, Bishop's Stortford, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping, Ilford, Ipswich, Maidenhead, Norwich, Reading, Richmond and Southend-on-Sea, among other destinations.
• 6 Tottenham Hale  VIC  - direct trains from London Liverpool Street, stations in Central London including King's Cross St Pancras, Bishop's Stortford, Cambridge, Ely, Harlow, Hertford and Stansted Airport.
• 7 Waltham Cross - direct trains from London Liverpool Street, stations in north London, Bishop's Stortford and Hertford.
• 8 Walthamstow Central  OGD  VIC  - direct trains from stations in Central London including King's Cross St Pancras. Near 9 Walthamstow Queen's Road  OGD  with direct trains from Barking, Gospel Oak and Haringey Green Lanes.
• 10 Ware - direct trains from London Liverpool Street, stations in North London and Hertford.

By car

Several major roads criss-cross through the Lee Valley. It is easily accessible from the London road network, and the UK motorway network. Various destinations within the Lee Valley, including the Lee Valley itself, feature on brown signs from some routes.

Major roads into the valley include:

• (London - Cambridge) - from Bishop's Stortford, Cambridge, Harlow and Stansted Airport;
• (London Orbital) - from Brentwood, the Dartford Crossing, London Gatwick Airport, London Heathrow Airport and Watford;
• (London - Cambridge - King's Lynn) - from Central London, Dalston, Cambridge, Hertford, Royston and Shoreditch;
• (London - Stratford - Norwich) - from The City;
• (London - Ipswich - Lowestoft) - from Brentwood, Chelmsford, Colchester and Ipswich;
• (London - Southend-on-Sea) - The City, Barking, Basildon, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock;
• ( - - Clapton) - from Greenwich and destinations in Kent;
• (North Circular Road) - from Barking, Brent Cross, Ealing, Finchley, Kew and Wembley;
• (Hemel Hempstead - Chelmsford - Maldon) - from Chelmsford, Harlow, Hatfield, Hertford, St Albans and Welwyn Garden City;
• (Hitchin - Ware) - from Stevenage.

By air

There are two airports within 30 minutes of the Lee Valley. These are:

• 11 London Stansted Airport (STN ^IATA) - international airport in Essex with flights to destinations across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Easy access to the Lee Valley by car using or by train into Bishop's Stortford (for onward local trains) and Tottenham Hale.
• 12 London City Airport (LCY ^IATA) - international airport in East London with flights to destinations across Europe, the Middle East and North America. Easy across the Lee Valley using  DLR .

There are direct trains into the Lee Valley Regional Park from:

• 13 London Heathrow Airport (LHR ^IATA) - into London Stratford using  ELI .
• 14 London Southend Airport (SEN ^IATA) - into London Stratford using .

Other nearby airports include 15 London Luton Airport (LTN ^IATA) in Bedfordshire and 16 London Gatwick Airport (LGW ^IATA) in West Sussex.

See

The Lee Valley features rural country parks and gardens, and a collection of urban things to see throughout East and North London:

• 1 Myddelton House Gardens, Bulls Cross, Enfield, EN2 9HG, ☏ +44 300 0030 610, myddeltonhousegardens@leevalleypark.org.uk. The lifelong home of gardener E A Bowles, each season brings a new splash of colour to Myddelton House in Enfield. Look out for spring crocus and wisteria, and autumnal scenes in the treetops. (updated Jun 2023)
• 2 River Lee Country Park. Check the website for closure dates. Across Waltham Abbey in Essex and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, picnic, relax, bathe in blossom, and look out for water wildlife at this 1,000 acre park in the Lee Valley. (updated Jun 2023)
• 3 Royal Gunpowder Mills, Beaulieu Drive, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1JY. Limited opening. Discover the explosive history of the Royal Gunpowder Mills in Waltham Abbey - one of just three in the UK. The Royal Gun Powder Factory was bought by The Crown in 1787. Features temporary and permanent exhibitions, a theatre and an armoury. (updated Jun 2023)
• Waltham Abbey Church, Waltham Abbey Church, Waltham Abbey, Essex, EN9 1XQ, parish.office@walthamabbeychurch.co.uk. Allegedly the burial site of King Harold II, who died in 1066, marked with a stone slab. (updated Aug 2024)

Do

The Lee Valley Regional Park was set up with leisure and entertainment in mind. There are plenty of things to do in the park, including:

• 1 Lee Valley White Water Centre, Station Road, Waltham Cross, EN9 1AB, ☏ +44 300 0030 616, LVwhitewater@gll.org. The London 2012 Olympic Games canoe and kayak venue, the Lee Valley White Water Centre is open to the public for rafting or paddling. Includes courses and public sessions. (updated Jun 2023)
• 2 Lee Valley Golf Course, Lee Valley Leisure Complex, Meridian Way, N9 0AR, ☏ +44 300 0030 631, golf@leevalleypark.org.uk. A parkland golf course, an oasis surrounded by high-rise London. 18 holes (par 67) on the banks of the River lee. Narrow fairways and water hazards are designed to challenge experienced players, with short yardage tailored to beginners. (updated Jun 2023)
• 3 Swim or gym at London Aquatics Centre, E20 2AQ. The London 2012 Olympic Games swimming pools and diving centre. Open to the public - both members and casual sessions. (updated Jun 2023)

Go next

• London's West End, the UK's capital city, with its galleries, museums, theatres, bars, restaurants and nightclubs, is a short train ride from the Lee Valley.
• Greenwich - just over the River Thames, home to the Royal Observatory, charming town centre amid the bustle of London, and an enormous park
• Cambridge, a world-famous university city, is roughly an hour from the Lee Valley by train or car.
• Hertford - Hertfordshire's county town with a castle, historic streets, food, drink and lounge bars.
• Southend-on-Sea, seaside resort, is home to the world's longest pier.
• St Albans - a charming cathedral city with plenty to do, eat and drink in Hertfordshire