Walking in London has never been easier and opportunities never greater. Real effort and money has been invested in creating walking opportunities within the greater London area. The types of routes vary enormously and you won’t find the challenge too great but the range will accommodate the weekend stroller, the tourist, the novice walker and anybody interested in the sheer variety of environments contained within this large sprawl of a city.

As time goes by we hope to make available to you the most comprehensive guide to walking opportunities in the metropolis. Here are a few for starters:

The Angel Trail

A short walk around the trendier bits of Islington. Only for tourists and Islington aficionados. Available from the Discover Islington Visitor Information Centre, 44 Duncan Street, London N! 8BW Tel: 020 7278 8787

Capital Ring

A 15 stage, 72 mile circular walk not unlike Bob Gilbert’s Green London Way. Not all stages are yet complete; contact the London Walking forum for details on 020 7247 3564.

Grand Union Canal Walk

Written by Anthony Burton and Neil Curtis and published by Arum Press in association with British Waterways. Covers the Grand Union Canal from London to Birmingham. The towpath has been opened up as a long distance footpath of which a good section is in the Greater London area. Available from good bookshops.

Green London Way

A 92 mile circular Route linking much of London’s green spaces. Could be described as the prototype for the Capital Ring [see above]. The route guide is sometimes confusing but the description is always interesting although not always totally accurate. Gives a perspective not found in many other route guides. Written by Bob Gilbert and published by Lawrence and Wishart. Available from most good bookshops.

Havering Riverside Path

A 2.5 km route following Havering’s stretch of the Thames. Information available from London Borough of Havering, Directorate of Environment and Planning, Mercury House, Mercury Gardens, Romford, Essex RM1 3SL Tel 01708 772875

Hillingdon Trail

A 20 mile route from south to north – or the other way round if you prefer it – across the Hillingdon. Available from London Borough of Hillingdon, Recreation Unit, Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1UW

Lea Valley Walk

A 50 mile regional trail following the River Lea from the Thames to Luton. The route is covered in a five leaflet pack available from the Lee Valley Park Countryside Centre, Abbey Gardens, Waltham Abbey Essex EN9 1XQ Tel: 01992 713838

London Countryway

A 205 mile long distance path circumnavigating London, it only touches the Greater London area in a few places. Worth investigating but is in need of updating. Created and written by Keith Chesterman and published by Constable. Available from most good bookshops.

London LOOP

The London Outer Orbital Path is a 150 mile route circling the edge of the city. The Loop is divided into 24 sections the quality of which varies greatly; some sections are frankly poor while others are exceptional. Details available from the London Walking Forum on 020 7247 3564

The London Silver Jubilee Walkway

A 12 mile circular walk around the centre of London. Created for the Silver Jubilee in 1977 and covering many places of interest for sightseers and tourists. Some parts of the route are heavily used thoroughfares and subject, therefore, to considerable air pollution at busy times of the day. The guide is no longer in print but the route can still be followed by distinctive waymarks set in the pavement along the route.

Penge, A walk around

A circular walk around Penge. Of interest to students of architecture, history and town planning. Available from the Heritage and Design section of Bromley Planning Division Tel: 020 8313 4515

Royal Parks, Walking London’s

A guide to six walks taking in all of central London’s Royal Parks. Can be linked together to produce a single 14.2 mile route. Written and illustrated by Roger Jones and Thomas Lowry and published by Footmarks. Probably out of print but specialist bookshops might still have copies.

South East London Green Chain

A forty mile network of interlinked footpaths starting at three points on the Thames and finishing at Crystal Palace. Fairly easy going but with a considerable amount of road walking. Information available from the Green Chain Project Office on 020 8312 5884

Thames Path

The long distance path that runs right through the middle of London. There are many publications on the market and at some stage we might get around to listing them all. For starters, however, we would recommend the official guide written by David Sharp, a prime mover in the creation of this National Trail. While the route is to be recommended, some stretches in London are not particularly pleasant. Available from good bookshops.

THIS IS JUST A SAMPLE OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE IN LONDON

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Even more London Walks

John Pestle

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A selection of London walking materials

Travelcard Walks in West London by Margaret Sharp

With the publication of this book last year Margaret Sharp has done lazy walkers a big favour by putting together an excellent selection of walks in West London all of which are easily accessible by public transport. This is off-the-shelf choice at its best; wake up and fancy a walk without much effort then reach over and grab Margaret’s tome and everything is done for you except, of course making the actual choice, buying your ticket and doing the walk itself. These last three things you have to do for yourself.

All the walks start and finish inside London Travelcard zones thus providing cheap as well as easy access walking. Published in association with London Transport obviously indicates a vested interest by the providers of rail, bus and tube services. And why not? Less car usage has to be a bonus for walkers and the rambling lobby can usefully contribute to the demands for improved public transport.

All the walks are short and ideal for half day strolls but for those wanting something longer many of the routes can be linked together to make a decent days walking. There is nothing seriously challenging here but for those wanting to explore the many aspects and attributes of West London this book is a boon.

Available from all good bookshops and at £7.99 a reasonable price to pay for the convenience of easy walking.


CAPITAL RING – WALK 4 Crystal Palace Park to Streatham Common

The official route guide runs from Crystal Palace to Streatham but it’s just as easy to do it the other way round. Well signposted for most of the route except for a rather strange gap between Norwood Grove and Biggin Wood. This, however, is a small gripe because the route is easy to follow with the assistance of the well-produced guiding leaflet.

At 5.75 km [3.5 miles] this is a pleasant short stroll. The majority of street walking involved is not unpleasant except for Beulah Hill where you will be accompanied by a fairly continuous stream of traffic. The real bonuses of this stretch of the Capital Ring are the views across south London; Norwood Grove and Streatham Common being particularly good examples.

Officially launched in 2000 this is one of the first links in the Capital Ring to go public. If the standard of waymarking, route guide production and choice of route remains this high the Capital Ring will be a fine addition to the opportunities of good quality urban walking in the Metropolis.

Copies of the route are available from public libraries in Bromley, Croydon and Lambeth or from the London Walking Forum on 020 7247 3564


BEST CIRCULAR WALKS in Lee Valley Regional Park

Pop into any Tourist Information Office along the Lee Valley and you can pick up for no charge a nice little pack of four short walks in the Lee Valley Park. Two of them situated near Cheshunt can be linked together to form a long walk while another explores a stretch of the New River near Broxbourne. The fourth walk on offer moves closer to the centre of town and consists of a circular route taking in Springfield Park and Walthamstow Marsh. For anybody wishing to get a taste of what the Lee Valley has to offer the walker this little quartet is a fair introduction.

Further information is available from the Lee Valley Park Information Centre, Abbey Gardens, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1XQ. Telephone 01992 702200.

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