The Colne Valley Park CIC aims to maintain and improve the Park through practical improvements focussing on the 6 objectives of the Park: landscape, countryside, biodiversity, recreation, rural economy (ie farming) and Community participation.

The landscape of the south of the Colne Valley Park is “A vast cone of blue on the map” (Richard Mabey, ‘The Unofficial Countryside’) where the Colne divides into 8 distributaries, the Colne, Colne Brook, Wraysbury, Poyle Channel, Bonehead ditch, Ash, Longford, and Duke of Northumberland (link). In addition, the Horton Drain runs from Pinewood Studios, to join the Thames at Ankerwycke opposite Runnymede.

The landscape is predominantly flat as the Colne enters the Thames Valley and is dominated by several large reservoirs constructed to supply water to London. The Colne, Wraysbury and Bonehead Ditch flow through Staines Moor which remains as a remnant of the former floodplain grazing marsh that covered much of the south of the Colne Valley.

Development proposals including  the Slough Freight Exchange, western rail link, Heathrow third runway and associated infrastructure could dramatically change the landscape over the coming decades.

Explore your local river

There are many attractive walks along our rivers and other waterbodies in the Colne Catchment. A series of circular walks along the rivers, canals and lakes of the Colne Valley Regional Park can be found here.