Lee Navigation

The River Lea is a natural river that has been improved for navigation, with straight sections added in to shorten the route. The Lee Valley Park follows much of the river, providing green open spaces, nature reserves, Lee Valley Park Farms and facilities for a variety of sports and watersports.

River Lea walk

Take a walk along the River Lea and feel better by water. Look out for local wildlife as you go.

The 2012 London Olympics led to a number of projects to improve the Lea Valley waterways for people and nature. A new riverside walkway has been created at the A11 in Bow, the towpath improved for walkers and cyclists and Three Mills House Mill has been restored.

The Lea Valley Walk follows the route along the Lee Navigation towpath, from Waltham Abbey to the Thames at Limehouse Basin. You can enjoy this walk in sections.

Days out

Enjoy a grand family day out, absolutely free of charge, along our tranquil canals and rivers. Download our free guides to places to visit near you.

The history

The people of the Lee Valley have always called on their local river for many needs: transport, water supply, fishing, flood control, power for mills, and today, pleasure boating.

There is evidence of its use for transport as early as the Bronze Age. The improvements for navigation are among the oldest in the country. In the 17th century, Isaac Walton wrote The Compleat Angler based on his experiences of fishing the river.

The river was improved between Hertford and the River Thames under an Act of 1767. The river was increasingly heavily used as a water supply, but the works encouraged industry - such as small arms manufacture, gunpowder mills and furniture-making. In recent times, the area has become a focus for technological progress, such as computing and TV broadcasting - the first few series of Big Brother were filmed next to the navigation!

The River Stort joins the Lee a few miles below Hertford. Its narrower, more meandering course is of a totally different character. Together, the two rivers create over 40 miles of navigable waterways through the valley that since 1967 has been managed by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.