Capital Ring 6 - Greenford to Hendon (Strenuous 12.5 miles)

This is the 6th of our Capital Ring walks - there is no obligation to do all of them - you can pick and choose the ones that you fancy.
Today is surprisingly hilly – unlike any of our previous capital ring walks. It has a bit of everything – hills, mud, along canals, different affluence, more mud, different religions, even more mud… The mud is based on my prep today (mid February) - you have been warned!
We will meet outside Greenford station at 10.30am.
There is a very exciting start as we hunt beaver shortly after passing McDonald's! A pleasant walk along the towpath follows before making our way to Horsenden Farm for a quick toilet stop after c30 minutes, then our first hill – being ready for diversions if the cows refuse to get out of our way.
We reach Sudbury Hill after about an hour which is our furthest point away from London. Then a bit of a slog up to Harrow. The coffee shops will try to draw us in (especially the one with a light sensor in the toilet which means you have to keep bobbing) but ideally we will keep moving – we have a long way to go today.
South Kenton after 6 miles and then a lunch stop by Preston Road station after 7 miles – making use of the range of cafes in the area. There will then be 3 miles of up/down/up/down some muddy hills before reaching a garden centre after 10 miles. We will decide whether afternoon tea is appropriate before we start the last 2.5 miles to Hendon Central – a lovely flat stretch beside an enormous lake then the noise and congestion increases as we skirt Brent Cross and finally reach Hendon Central – easy trains on the Northern line back to London Bridge
This is tougher than our previous Capital Ring walks – so cut back on the debauchery and cocktails the night before please!
This is a no dog walk.

Please note that there is a £2 payment required for non-Ramblers members to help cover our Meetup costs. Please help the walk leader by bringing the exact change.
Members of the Ramblers Association are welcome on any of our walks, but we would still encourage you to RSVP on Meetup. This will give our volunteer walk leaders an idea of how many are attending, and also to keep the numbers manageable. If, on the day of the walk, you are still on the waiting list and a Ramblers member, you can attend just let the walk leader know you are coming by adding a comment 'Coming as a Rambler'. You will find the start location via our website Our Walks (westkentwalkinggroup.org.uk).