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Tubewalker: The Tube, on Foot

Piccadilly Line: Heathrow Airport

Some very large joists in Terminal 5
Terminal 5 is held together by some impressive engineering

Now this really is a tubewalk with a difference... the difference being that all three Heathrow Tube stations are on private property, so you can't actually walk to them unless you get permission from the airport owners, BAA. Luckily, they were very kind when I contacted them about my plans, and they issued me with a permit that would let me take photographs of all the terminal buildings and Tube stations, as well as letting me walk around the Perimeter Road, which is on private land and isn't a normal right of way. They understandably couldn't give me permission to walk through the road tunnel under the northern runway, so I had to get a public bus to complete the last few yards to Terminals 1, 2 and 3, but that aside, I've managed to tubewalk Heathrow, and I never thought that would be possible. A big thank you to Lisa at the BAA press office for sorting out the relevant permits; this wouldn't have been possible without her help.

Heathrow Terminal 5 to Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3

The Departures level in Terminal 5
The Departures level in Terminal 5

It's hard to tell from the maps, but it is perfectly possible to walk out of the new Terminal 5 building without having to play with any traffic; there's lots of space alongside the access roads in and out of the building, and even though pedestrians aren't allowed to walk along the access roads, there is at least plenty of pavement for them not to walk along. I decided to head for Terminals 1, 2 and 3 first, because that's the way the Tube line goes, so I left Terminal 5 at the Arrivals level (which is on ground level) and turned right, heading in what I thought was the best direction; I obviously didn't do anything too wrong, as nobody seemed to worry about me plodding along the roadside, even the security guard on the traffic barriers. Indeed, I asked a couple of guards in day-glo yellow tops which was the best way to the Perimeter Road, and they told me without once asking to see my permit, which was a shame after all the effort I'd gone to to get one. 'Never mind,' I thought, 'I'm sure it will come in handy later,' and wandered off into the rain.

The Western Perimeter Road with the driver-less light rail system on the right
The Western Perimeter Road with the driver-less light rail system on the right
The White Horse pub in Longford
The White Horse pub in Longford
Waterside, British Airways headquarters
Waterside, British Airways HQ
Harmondsworth village green
Harmondsworth village green
A field north of Harmondsworth Lane
This field north of Harmondsworth Lane may one day be home to a third runway
Anti-expansion literature covers every surface at a house in Sipson
Anti-expansion literature covers every surface at a house in Sipson
Tunnel Road roundabout
The entrance to the tunnel under the runway is past the Airbus model
Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 station
Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 station

An Interlude

Mark posing for the press in Terminal 5
Posing for the absent press in Terminal 5

Instead of hopping back on the bus to continue my route around Heathrow, I nipped back to Terminal 5 to meet Lisa from BAA, who had arranged for some members of the local press to come and take my picture and ask me the odd question about my tubewalk. I'd like to report that it was a hoot and I had a great time chatting to the journalists, but in the event nobody turned up. One photographer had to stay at home as something had broken in his house and he needed to stay there while it was fixed, and another rang at 12.45 to say he would be late as he was on another assignment, and then he rang back at 1.30 to say he wouldn't be able to make it after all.

Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 to Hatton Cross

McDonald's restaurant on the A4
McDonald's reaches out to the passengers above

It's an easy bus ride out of Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 station back to the A4, and I took the opportunity to hop off early to explore the Tunnel Road roundabout (which, as I noted above, is off-limits to all pedestrians, even those with permits, and the police soon moved me on). Walking east along the A4 is an exercise in huge hotels, large office blocks and even a McDonald's restaurant that has laid out the McDonald's logo on its forecourt, presumably to entice hungry holidaymakers in the skies above to grab a Big Mac once they land (which is, of course, the first thing you hanker for after eating aeroplane food, I don't think). The traffic is busy and there's not a lot of respite, but the A-road does have lots of pavement space and plenty of traffic lights along its length, so it's easy walking.

Entering Harlington
Entering Harlington
Walking along the River Crane
Walking along the River Crane

Hatton Cross to Heathrow Terminal 4

A plane flying low over Hatton Cross
The planes fly low over Hatton Cross

You can walk most of the way to Terminal 4 along the side of the A30, which is outside the airport boundary. This might explain why this is plane-spotting central, particularly on the section due east of the southern runway. Planes coming in to land are almost close enough to touch at this point, and the noise is truly terrifying. The street lights on the A-road are squat as if cowering from the cacophony above, and it's quite a relief to pass under the flight path and get on with the walk to Terminal 4; I'm clearly not made of stern enough stuff to be a plane-spotter.

Heathrow Terminal 4 to Heathrow Terminal 5

Houses along the Longford River
Houses along the Longford River

In order to complete a tubewalk of Heathrow, it isn't strictly necessary to walk from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5, as there's no direct tube link between them, but as there's a loop in the line at Terminal 4, it seems appropriate to finish the whole round-trip. The walk to Terminal 5 is mostly along the Southern Perimeter Road, so again you need a permit to walk here, though there seems to be a newly constructed cycle path along the southern side of the road, to the west of the Sealand Road roundabout, and the signs clearly show that this cycle path is for use by both pedestrians and cyclists, so perhaps change is afoot.

The VIP entrance to Terminal 5
The VIP entrance to Terminal 5
The Terminal 5 road ramp
The Terminal 5 road ramp