Stunning new nature trail opens in Harrow

It runs for more than two miles through stunning countryside and links Iron-Age  history, centuries-old trees, red fox and muntjac deer - and the site of the tragic death of one of Britain 's favourite composers.

The finishing touches are now being made to Harrow Weald Common Nature Trail, which at 2.2 miles is the latest addition to the borough's portfolio of green belt sites.

Over the last few weeks, council officers have sculpted the walk - which starts from the car park at the viewing point on Old Redding and ends by Grim's Dyke Hotel - into a nature lover's haven.

The construction of the nature trail has been made possible by a grant from Harrow Council to the Common's Conservators.

Footways and bridges give peeps of bracken, honeysuckle, and the imposing Wellingtonias - Redwood trees discovered during the California goldrush of the 1850s.

One particularly poignant spot on the walk is a deep hollow fringed with rhododendrons and filled with marsh plants.  Once an ornamental lake built by Sir William Gilbert (who once owned what is now Grim's Dyke Hotel) in the 1890s, it was here on 29th May 1911 that Gilbert died in the lake while attempting to rescue a girl who had got into difficulties while swimming.

Conservation work also includes the construction of a bridge over the original Grim's Dyke, thought to date back to the Iron Age.

Cllr Tony Ferrari, Harrow Council's portfolio holder for Major Contracts and Property said: "As a Councillor and also a Conservator of the Common, I have been really excited to see this project take shape.

"We will have a formal opening ceremony in the Spring, but I would urge Harrow residents to come and see this trail now. It will be a great legacy for future generations and really does underline our claim to be one of the greenest boroughs in London ."