Autumn walks near Northwood Hills: four routes and the council's free led walks

Four good autumn walks are within easy reach of Northwood Hills station, and two of them start on foot from the station itself. Ruislip Woods with the Lido and Eastcote House Gardens are both within about 2.6 km of the ticket barriers, Pinner Memorial Park is one stop towards London on the Metropolitan line, and the Aquadrome at Rickmansworth is three stops out. For autumn colour, go to Ruislip Woods. For a wet week, go to the Aquadrome. If you would rather walk with a group, Hillingdon Council runs free led walks from opposite the station and from Ruislip Lido until December.

The four walks at a glance

Distances are there and back, approximate, and measured on OpenStreetMap walking routes from the station where each walk starts. Times assume an easy pace of about 4 km an hour. The diagram below shows how to get to each start.

*The 5 km figure assumes you take the H13 to St Vincent's both ways, so you walk the Red route down to the Lido, round the water and back up again. Pinner is measured from Pinner station. The Aquadrome figure is a loop round both lakes from Rickmansworth station and back, and the Ebury Way is extra.

Ruislip Woods and round the Lido

This is the one to choose for proper woodland. Hillingdon Council describes Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve as the largest block of ancient, semi-natural woodland in Greater London. It takes in Bayhurst Wood, Copse Wood, Mad Bess Wood, Park Wood and Poor's Field, and is still predominantly hornbeam coppice with oak standards. The Woodland Trust's Nature's Calendar expects pedunculate oak to reach full autumn colour between mid October and late November.

From the station, walk about 1.4 km to the top of Wiltshire Lane, by the old St Vincent's site, or take the H13 four stops to its St Vincent's Nursing Home terminus. From there Hillingdon Council's Red route runs 1.2 km from Wiltshire Lane to the Lido car park on Reservoir Road, mostly downhill. The tarmac path round the water is about 2.4 km, according to the Colne Valley Regional Park.

For the return, either climb back up the Red route or walk back on paths and roads, about 2.5 km from the Lido to the station. Do not count on the bus from the Lido: the H13 goes back the long way, through Ruislip, Eastcote and Pinner, before it reaches Northwood Hills.

For something longer, the Hillingdon Trail has a 4-mile (6.4 km) Ruislip Woods section from the Lido to Harefield Church, through Copse, Mad Bess and Bayhurst Woods. It runs one way, so plan the trip back from Harefield before you set off.

Two rules matter in autumn. Barbecues and fires are banned throughout the woods and the Lido. Picking fungi is forbidden because of the reserve's status. The Ruislip Woods Trust records that experts from a European mycology congress at Kew once found 585 species of fungus there in half a day.

Eastcote House Gardens, down Joel Street

This is the gentle one. The gardens are about 1.8 km south of the station along Joel Street, around 25 minutes on foot. Or take the 282 towards Ealing Hospital for five stops to Eastcote High Road, a couple of hundred metres from the gardens.

Hillingdon Council's page lists a walled garden, a dovecote, an old orchard and many fine old ornamental trees. The gardens are open 9am to 5pm in October and 9am to 4pm in November. On Saturday 28 November, from 1pm to 3pm, the council runs a free tree dressing, decorating the gardens' historic yew with baubles.

Pinner Memorial Park, one stop towards London

Take a southbound Metropolitan line train one stop to Pinner. From Pinner station it is about 600 m on foot to the middle of the park, which has entrances on Marsh Road, Chapel Lane, West End Avenue and West End Lane. The H13 also runs from Northwood Hills Station to Pinner Station, and walking the whole way is about 2.5 km.

This is the short, easy one, with the least walking of the four, so it suits small children. Harrow Council lists a pond with ducks and geese, a children's playground, public toilets, a coffee shop and the Heath Robinson Museum.

The Aquadrome and the Ebury Way, three stops out

Rickmansworth is three stops north, through Northwood and Moor Park. Board a train towards Amersham or Chesham. A Watford train will not get you there, so if one comes first, change at Moor Park. Rickmansworth station is in Zone 7, one zone further out. On the way back, check the platform indicator: at weekday peak times some trains run fast between Moor Park and Harrow-on-the-Hill and do not stop at Northwood Hills.

Three Rivers District Council puts the Aquadrome about a five-minute walk from the station. It is two lakes, Batchworth and Bury, with woodland and grassland around them, and the footpaths are largely solid, level and wide, which makes it a better choice than the woods in a wet week. Autumn is when the winter visitors arrive: the council says wigeon come from Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia, and tufted duck numbers rise with birds from Iceland and northern Europe.

You can reach the Ebury Way, a path for cyclists and walkers, from the Grand Union Canal by the Aquadrome. The Chilterns Conservation Board describes it as a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) rail trail between Watford and Rickmansworth. Walk out as far as you like and turn back.

Keep dogs out of Batchworth Lake: the council warns of blue-green algae. Asbestos works in the picnic area and wet woodland started on 12 October, and some car park bays are closed while they run, so check the council's page before you go. Until 31 March the car park is locked outside 8am to 6pm.

Free led walks this autumn

Hillingdon Council runs two free led walks that suit this guide. Neither needs booking: you turn up 10 minutes early to register.

• Led Walk: Northwood Hills meets opposite the station on the fourth Saturday of the month, 11am to 1pm. The dates left this year are 24 October and 28 November. It takes in Haste Hill and Ruislip Woods, "which both provide stunning views", follows various routes, and covers 5 miles (8 km) at Grade 5, the council's most challenging level.
• Led Walk: Ruislip Lido and Woods runs on alternate Tuesdays from 20 October, then 3 and 17 November, and 1 and 15 December, 11am to 12.30pm. It meets on the grass by the lake at the Water's Edge, Reservoir Road, and covers 3 to 4 miles (5 to 6.5 km) with stiles and slopes.

On both walks dogs are not allowed, except assistance dogs, and under-16s need a responsible adult with them. The council asks groups and anyone with additional needs to call 01895 277210 first. Dates sometimes change, so check the listing the day before.

What to wear, and when to set off

Wear boots with grip. The Northwood Hills listing warns that paths get very muddy, both listings mention uneven ground, and both ask for footwear suited to off-road walking. Add a waterproof layer, and a warm one for standing about at the Lido.

Watch the light. The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October. At Northwood Hills the sun sets at about 5.50pm on Saturday 24 October, about 4.50pm the next day, and about 4pm by 28 November, according to the US Naval Observatory. The full Ruislip loop on foot takes about 2 hours plus stops, so in late November start it by 1.30pm. Eastcote House Gardens closes at 4pm in November and the Aquadrome car park locks at 6pm.

Finishing opposite the station

Every route in this guide can finish back at Northwood Hills on foot, by bus or by tube. Cha Cha Chai is at 56 Joel Street, directly across the road, about thirty seconds from the platform exit, and the H13 and 282 stop on Joel Street.

For a warm drink, karak chai is £3.25 small or £3.50 regular, and a sugar-free version is available. Breakfast is served all day, so a Desi Breakfast at £8.95 (one fresh paratha with chana, halwa, salad and pickle) works as well after the Saturday led walk as before it. The whole menu is halal and no alcohol is served.

The shop opens from 9am and stays open late into the evening; current hours are on the contact page, and the Northwood Hills page has more on getting here by tube and bus.