A rich history is waiting to be discovered along the River Lea.

The stretch of river winding from Luton in Bedfordshire through Enfield and down towards east London has witnessed war, invasion and the industrial revolution.

The area bounding the 50-mile river is now mainly devoted to nature conservation and leisure attractions run by the Lea Valley Regional Authority.

The river springs from its source north of Luton, down through the Hertfordshire town of Harpenden and into picturesque St Albans.

From here it flows through countryside passing Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield before flowing past Essenden towards the market town of Hertford.

The districts of Enfield Lock, Enfield Highway and Enfield Wash lie alongside the Lea Navigation, together with Ponders End and Brimsdown.

Many new industries grew up around these districts during the technological revolution at the turn of the last century, including the factory which produced the first radio valve. The Royal Small Arms Factory near the Lea in Enfield Lock became a major supplier of arms for the British Army.

From Enfield the River Lea and Lee Navigation flow east and west around the large reservoirs at Chingford where fishing and water sports are popular.

The river flows south through Hackney where Matchbox toy cars were once manufactured and through Stratford where heavy industry such as gasworks used to prosper. It eventually meets the Thames in Bromley-by-Bow.

Controversy still surrounds the spelling of the river. Originally spelt Ley, the river began to be written as Lee during the 16th century.

While official bodies such as the Lee Valley Regional Authority use this spelling, most maps still refer to the River Lea. The canalised sections are known as the Lea Navigation. North of Hertford the river is nearly always known as the Lea.

In 1967, the Lea Valley Regional Authority was created to bring into use the vast areas alongside the river that had fallen into disuse.

The LVRA has the task of creating leisure and nature conservation across a huge area of the capital stretching from Bromley by Bow in east London to Ware in Hertfordshire.

London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games will transform the lower Lea Valley, with riverside housing, shops, and restaurants planned alongside the Olympic Park.

To find out more about the Lea Valley pick up a copy of the Lea Valley Walk published by Cicerone.