{"product_id":"boundary-ride-3-enfield-lock-to-mill-hill-broadway-gravel-route-london","title":"Boundary Ride #3. Enfield Lock to Mill Hill Broadway","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003eWaterways, rewilded estates and a secret wartime listening post.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA 27 km ride across the upper edge of North London that starts and finishes at Zone 6 stations, stays largely off-road throughout, and manages to feel genuinely rural for most of its length. Both Enfield Lock and Mill Hill Broadway are on the TfL network, making this one of the most accessible rides in the Boundary Rides series. Hop on a train, ride back, no car required.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe route follows the New River north from Enfield Lock, climbs through Forty Hall Estate, crosses the rewilding landscape of Enfield Chase and rolls through the long open paths of Trent Park before dropping to Chipping Barnet and finishing at Mill Hill Broadway. It is a ride defined by flow rather than drama. Water to woodland, estate to high ground, the city edge present but never intrusive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"product-single__accordion__title-text\"\u003eRide Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRide Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e Easy (Green)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDistance:\u003c\/strong\u003e 27 km \/ 17 miles\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTerrain:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gravel, singletrack, bridleways and quiet roads\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBike:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gravel, cyclocross or MTB\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIncludes:\u003c\/strong\u003e GPX route file and downloadable ride guide\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"product-single__accordion__title-text\"\u003eThe Route\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe ride begins on the towpath at Enfield Lock and joins the New River almost immediately. Built in the early 17th century to carry clean drinking water into London, the New River is one of the city's great hidden infrastructures. It no longer supplies water but the channel survives, threading quietly through meadows, allotments and suburban back gardens for several kilometres. It is a peaceful and slightly peculiar start to a ride.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the water the route climbs to Forty Hall Estate, a Jacobean manor set within rolling farmland on the edge of the Lea Valley. Once home to a Lord Mayor of London, its surrounding fields are now managed with rewilding in mind. Gravel tracks replace towpath, the horizon widens and the city starts to feel a long way back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEnfield Chase follows. A former royal hunting ground now the subject of one of London's most ambitious reforestation projects, young trees, restored watercourses and new hedgerows are gradually reshaping the land. Riding through it feels like passing through a landscape mid-sentence, something in the process of becoming. Then Trent Park arrives with long, flowing paths through mature woodland, and Chipping Barnet provides a natural pause before the final stretch to Mill Hill Broadway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"product-single__accordion__title-text\"\u003eTrent Park and the Spies in the Garden\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTrent Park looks exactly like what it is today, a grand open estate with wide lawns, mature trees and peaceful paths. What it was during the Second World War is considerably more interesting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBetween 1939 and 1945, Trent Park was used as a secret interrogation centre for captured German generals and senior officers. The house was wired throughout with hidden microphones. Conversations in the bedrooms, the library and the gardens were recorded and transcribed by intelligence staff working unseen in the basement. The officers believed they were simply being housed in comfortable surroundings. They were not.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe intelligence gathered here is now considered among the most significant of the entire war. The generals talked freely, discussing operational plans, troop dispositions and weapons programmes, none of them aware they were being listened to. A small museum in the house covers the full story and is worth the detour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"product-single__accordion__title-text\"\u003eFinish\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChipping Barnet was a medieval market town on the Great North Road, an elevated staging post where travellers paused before the long ride north. Its position still gives it wide views and a slightly removed quality, as though it never quite became London despite being swallowed by it. A good place for a coffee before the final kilometres to Mill Hill Broadway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe ride ends at \u003cstrong\u003eMill Hill Broadway station\u003c\/strong\u003e, on the Thameslink line with direct services into St Pancras and beyond. Easy in, easy out. The kind of ride that works on a weekday morning for anyone with a free morning and a TfL travel pass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1DPanWJjmpEri__qmlSk6Hl_EdL7LgSk\u0026amp;ehbc=2E312F\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch6\u003eWhat are Boundary Rides\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA series of easy-going adventures exploring the edge of London, one gravel path at a time. Each route covers 20 to 40 kilometres, starting and finishing at railway stations within TfL's Zone 6, and each one links together the hidden corners, green spaces, and unexpected stories that make London's outer limits so fascinating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch6\u003eStart and End Points\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eStart: Enfield Lock Station (National Rail)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eFinish: Mill Hill Broadway Station (Thameslink)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch6\u003eRide Details\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDistance: 27 km | 17 miles\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eClimb: 420 m | 1,378 ft\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ePercentage off-road: 70%\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eTrail surface: Gravel | Bridleways | Single Track | Minor Roads\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eTechnical Grade: Green - Easy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eMudometer - Some sections become muddy in wet conditions. Best attempted on a gravel, cyclocross or mountain bike when riding after rain.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch6\u003eIs this ride for me?\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" alt=\"Bike icon depicting a green or easy Hidden Tracks Cycling Gravel Bike ride\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0530\/3202\/6293\/files\/Easy_Ride.png?v=1732123807\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"product-single__accordion__title-text\"\u003eEasy (20-40 km)\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eExpect a gentle ride ridden at an easy pace.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith few or no hills on well-maintained gravel paths, bike lanes and shared-use paths. These rides are suitable for riders who can pedal for about an hour without stopping.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSuitable for off road bikes or in summer a hybrid fitted with all terrain tyres.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about our grades \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/hiddentrackscycling.co.uk\/pages\/ride-grades\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch6\u003eIs my bike OK for this ride?\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis route is best completed on a gravel, cyclocross or mountain bike. In wet conditions a hybrid or road bike is not recommended.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Hidden Tracks Cycle Tours","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57658897006973,"sku":null,"price":5.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0530\/3202\/6293\/files\/Boundary_Rides_Enfield_Lock_to_Mill_Hill_Broadway.jpg?v=1767369311","url":"https:\/\/hiddentrackscycling.co.uk\/products\/boundary-ride-3-enfield-lock-to-mill-hill-broadway-gravel-route-london","provider":"Hidden Tracks Cycling Ltd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}