Pedestrian access from LHR T4
 

I've a 11 hour stopover in London in a couple of weeks (LAS - LGW - LHR - MLA). Instead of doing the usual of going into town and sitting in the pub I though I might try and get a bit of walking done. I'm going to try to get to the Grand Union Canal from T4 via the River Crane by foot and then make my way along the canal towpath from there. My plan is as follows:

Arrive T4 tube
Exit T4 to Hilton via walkway (I don't think you can walk out of T4 to the A30 via the exit road from the pick up and drop off zone - is that right?)
Make my way from the Hilton to the A30
Head east on A30
Pick up the river crane just past Hatton cross and then head north under the A4 and to the Grand Union Canal from there

Does that sound feasible? Does anyone know if there is a footpath along the river crane all the way to the Grand Union?

Very helpful. Thanks. :ok: I figured getting on the Crane was going to be the most difficult part. Worst case scenario, I can make my way from the A30 to the A4 via local roads and then walk through Cranford Park.

Another option would be to jump on a Tube from T4 to Boston Manor, which is a stone's throw from the canal at Osterley Lock.

Kind of defeats the object of walking it though.

Fair enough. I simply thought you would rather spend more time walking the towpath than navigating suburban streets.

Great links, thanks

You can walk out of T4 arrivals and walk to the A30.

Likewise you could take the Heathrow Connect train from T4 to its first stop outside the airport, which is Hayes, next to the main line of the canal, then walk east along the towpath to Boston Manor underground station, probably 1.5-2 hours walk, then back by Tube.

Longer walk, go the other way from Hayes, westwards, nicer scenery including some quite rural stretches for London, some canalside pubs, to Uxbridge, then back on the Piccadilly Underground changing at Acton Town.

Last time I was in that neck of the woods about a month back I know a lot of the pedestrian access was compromised/blocked by the new Arora hotel going up between the southern perimeter road and T4 itself....maybe it has all changed again. As luck would have it I will be at T4 tomorrow. . Since this is obviously a burning issue if I have time I'll check it out and report back....

All good suggestions everybody. Walking out of Heathrow is an integral part of the "mission" to me so I'm going to try to avoid getting public transport to the canal. I know it's going to be mostly ugly suburbia and I'm probably being a bit of a masochist but, I've flown over it and driven past it so many times I feel I should at least get out and take a walk around there once in my life.

I haven't decided to go east or west when I get to the Grand Union yet. I grew up in Uxbridge and remember the Swan and Bottle well. My parents used to take me there as a kid when it was a Bernie Inn (or was it Schooner Inn?). This was back in the day when a Bernie or Schooner Inn were the classiest night out in town! So going east to the Swan and Bottle then getting the tube from Uxbridge is an option. If I go west I'll probably head north at Bulls Bridge along the Paddington Arm and see if I can get to Little Venice then take the Heathrow Express back. At 13 miles from Bulls Bridge that might be a bit ambitious though.

I posted this an hour ago but it hasn't appeared

Last time I was there - maybe a year ago - it was possible to walk along the perimeter road to Hatton Cross - note, verge, not footpath. At Hatton Cross you meet the London LOOP, a long-distance footpath that will take you to the GUC or in a circle right round London if you go far enough.

I think you may have your East and West transposed.
I know what you mean. We live about 25 mins walking from London City, and walking to/from the airport is an interesting novelty. Once had a day's business meeting in the airport hotel across the car park in Dublin, and so walked at both ends of an international flight. It was a topic of conversation all day.

Ooops! Yeah. Good job I have GPS on my phone :D

So I did this on Saturday and it was great. Luckily had fantastic weather and avoided the thunder storms later in the weekend. By the time I'd transferred from LGW and showered and changed after an overnight from LAS it was 13:30 when I got out of T4. I think making Paddington was a bit ambitious. I got as far as Greenford. Paddington would have been another 2.5 hours. I walked until 17:30 and covered 12 miles then stopped for a pint and some fish and chips and got the tube back to T4 for a 20:30 flight. The walk from T4 to the Grand Union Canal basically breaks down into 4 stages:

1. T4 east to River Crane along a mix of perimeter road and A30 - not particularly interesting but what I expected really. I was able to walk right out of T4 down the exit ramp from the arrivals drop off to the A30. As someone mentioned you have to switch back to the perimeter road after Hatton Cross to get to the River Crane. Earhart Way is blocked to traffic and looks closed but when you get up close there is still pedestrian access.

2. A30 north to A4 North along River Crane - this was the only disappointment - the footpath along both banks of the river was completely waterlogged. You would need wellies or waders to cross it. I ended up cutting through the Cranford housing estate on the East of the River.

3. A4 north to M4 through Avenue park and Cranford Park - this is by far the best part of the walk. Avenue Park is a nice green open space and Cranford park is a lovely oasis right next to Heathrow. Lot's of open parkland.

4. M4 north to Grand Union Canal - Not as nice as Cranford park but mostly through woods so a different sort of scenery. Once you cross North Hyde Road you have to walk through an industrial estate to get to the Grand Union Canal. From there it's a short walk to Bulls Bridge and then you can either go straight on towards Brentford or turn left and head towards Paddington.

I would definitely do it again if I had a long stop over and it was a nice day. Next time maybe 'll start at Paddington and go from there. GPS track and some pics attached.

That was me and I owe you an apology ..it appears you can stay on the A30 footpath eastbound until about 400m east of Hatton X, then go to the LHS of the walled Picaddilly tube line cutting and you are almost at the Earhart Way barrier.

Glad you enjoyed the walk, but yes, it's has been a bit wet recently...