If you want to enjoy the entire Lea Valley Walk as it is now you should read Diamond Geezer’s bang up to date and fascinating blog.

His August holiday project this year is walking the route from source to Thames. It is so thorough that he even goes to the real source and not just the official springs.

The blog is always worth reading anyway but you can find all his Lea Valley posts so far in one place here.

There will be a grand opening, or reopening, this Wednesday evening on the path just south of Luton.

Sustrans has been working with local authorities to upgrade the Lea Valley Walk between Luton Airport Parkway and Harpenden to make it part of the national cycle network.

This means that walkers will find that the first stretch, parallel to Luton Hoo, is metalled. Although some will not like this, or the cyclists sharing the path, the scheme has provided a new safe route. Walkers do not now have to cross a dangerous road and then walk along the bottom of an airport runway .

The opening ceremony at 6pm is on a new bridge near East Hyde which which makes crossing the Lower Harpenden Road much safer.

See pages 29-34.

The River Lea is so little known that Griff Rhys Jones had to begin and end his River Lea episode tonight by the Millennium Bridge spanning the Thames.

I enjoyed the programme although I kept wanting to reach for  a map every time he jumped ahead on the north-south route. The presenter covered several interesting aspects.

He made a good point about the name Luton being partly derived from ‘Lea’.  There should have been more about the town and the charm of the River Lea’s first few miles. But it’s the London end that has more resonance to the viewer watching for just an hour.

Of course in three year’s time everyone will know about the River Lea.

If you missed it you can watch on BBC iPlayer.