Written By Alan Good
TRAVEL - It’s a walk in the park… well sort of. London offers an estimated 175 kilometers of connected trails that provide hikers with scenes and nature, and other views. Parks throughout the city present you with relaxing stays for picnics and family fun. And birdwatching can be a restful afternoon activity anywhere.
Where else can you walk through a city and find a hundred-year-old bridge and a place called Goose Island? The trails have various names to match the area they travel through.
The 300-acre Springbank Park, which itself has an estimated 30-39 KM of paved walking trails, many of its routes are accessible. There are several ‘loops” ranging in size from 7-8 kilometres. Stopping at picnic tables, climbers for the kids, or the wading pool, the entire family will take pleasure in a day spent here.
One can walk along the Thames River, sit under huge, shaded trees, or move on across London. Whether you hike, bike, or jog, you’ll not see it all in a day.
Through the Greenway Park Trail, and as with most of the trails, parking lots are in abundance and paths are paved. Fork at “The Forks of the Thames” and head North on the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) path along Richmond Street. That route can take you past Western University to Windermere Road. The TVP system leads you through residential areas, and downtown London. It follows the Thames River in a northern direction.
Or turn eastwardly to end up past Clarke Road. One spot we found in east London, the Meadowlily trail, presented a bridge built in 1911 during the beginning of the metal bridge building era in Ontario. The original had been built in the 1850’s to allow residents in Westminster Township to cross the Thames to work at the Meadowlily mill. It received a facelift in 2013 and designated a historical structure.
Not all the trails are on car-free paths along the river, though. The odd time you will need to go along or across roads. But the time spent will be worth it.
