It is approximately 15 miles from Central London, 20 miles from Windsor and 40 miles from Oxford. The area is served mainly by 3 motorways – the M4, M40 and M25 – and the A40 and Heathrow Airport is approximately 13 miles away. The Borough of Hillingdon has over 3000 acres of parks and open spaces and many facilities for recreation and sport. The Grand Union Canal runs along the Borough’s western boundary. A memorial to Polish airmen who lost their lives in the Second World War is located near the southeastern corner of the airfield; its presence acknowledged by the name of the adjacent junction – ‘Polish War Memorial’ - on Western Avenue. The closest areas are, Ruislip, South Ruislip, West Ruislip, Ruislip Manor, Harefield, Eastcote, Ickenham, Pinner, Northwood and Uxbridge. An operational aerodrome since 1915, RAF Northolt comprises 2 Wings and many Lodger Units: Support & Operations Wing, 32(The Royal) Squadron, No 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit (AIDU), British Forces Post Office (BFPO), The King's Colour Squadron (63 Squadron RAF Regiment), Headquarters Music Services and the Central Band of the RAF, Military Aviation Authority (MAA), Service Prosecution Authority (SPA) and No 600 (City of London) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force. RAF Northolt is also home to a variety of other smaller Lodger Units: Naval Aeronautical Information Centre (NAIC), the Royal Navy Presentation Team, the Polish Records Office and the Army's No 621 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Squadron of the Royal Logistics Corps. The No 11 Group (Battle of Britain) Operations Room Museum, located at Uxbridge, is one of Hillingdon’s most important buildings and is of national significance. It was from here that the air defence of London and the south-east of England was coordinated during the Battle of Britain (July – October 1940) and throughout the Second World War. Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve is 700 acres of ancient woodland that once provided timber for the building of Windsor Castle and great battleships of the past. Today the woods offer a quiet haven for recreation from walking to horse riding. Ruislip Lido, a 60-acre lake with sandy beaches and a narrow gauge railway around it, is set on the edge of Ruislip woods.
