New River Path

The New River Walk follows the course of the New River, an artificial waterway that was constructed to bring fresh water from Hertfordshire to London. Its source is the River Lee.

History
The concept for its construction is attributed initially to Edmund Colthurst in 1602, but he ran into financial difficulties after building only two miles of the canal. The project came under the jurisdiction of Sir Hugh Myddelton who completed the work between 1609 and 1613.

Parts of the canal have been modified since construction ended. A small section in Enfield Town was cut from the main flow, but remains as a local waterway known as the New River Loop. The canal also used to run down the centre of Petheron Road in Highbury, but this has been since been filled in and the canal's course diverted.

Access
The path runs between Hertford, Hertfordshire and Stoke Newington, London.

Not all sections of the New River are accessible to the public, so parts of the walk involve walking on the street. There are green signposts and small, green arrow signs which direct walkers to the next section.

The sections that are walkable generally involve grass and mud. Some sections have concrete paths. After bad weather some of the paths can become very muddy.

Habitat
The walk travels through various habitats. Some sections consist of grass and scrub while some sections border fields and woodland. One section borders Stoke Newington Reservoirs. Because of this, different species can be expected in different areas. Wildfowl are always present but will move up and down the canal freely, especially in the spring and summer.

Species
Not all species may be seen on every section. Species that have been noted include:

Palmers Green -> Enfield Town section:

Mallard, Tufted Duck, Teal, Black-headed Gull, Little Grebe, Kingfisher, Mandarin Duck, Coot, Moorhen, Canada Goose, Canada Goose/Greylag hybrid, Blackcap, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Cormorant, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Mute Swan, Arctic Tern, House Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Pochard, Song Thrush

The canal is also home to various species of fish including Pike and Roach, and Grass Snakes have been seen in the Hertford section.