Hiking in London¶

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In London¶

Jubilee Walkway¶

Jubilee Walkway: A walk through London opened for the silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth.

Regent's canal¶

Main walk:
- Walk can start at the Limehouse DLR station near the Limehouse Basin
- Ends near Paddington and Little Venice where it connects to another canal that may be worth following to, e.g., Kensal Green.
Preparation: Limehouse DLR to Warwick Avenue Underground station (15.3km)
Preparation: From Tower to route near Limehouse (4km)
Preparation: Rosebery Hall to Tower (3.9km)
Stations:
- Limehouse DLR station (zone 2)
- Warwick Avenue (zone 2)

Hampstead Heath - Highgate - Alexandra¶

Own prepared walks:
- Highgate Tube Station to Archway Underground Station (11.8km)
- Alexandra Palace Station to Highgate Tube Station (14.6km)
- Places:
  - Highgate Tube Station (zone 3) (Northern line)
  - Archway Underground Station (zone TODO) (Northern line)
  - Alexandra Palace Station (zone TODO): No tube, only rail by Great Northern and Thameslink. The nearest tube station would be Turnpike Lane on the Piccadilly line
Walks on AllTrails and Komoot:
- Hampstead Heath Circular Walk on AllTrails
- Hampstead Heath loop from Gospel Oak on Komoot
Notes:
- Depending on the time, it may be a good idea to make a detour and grab a small lunch at King William IV, one of the oldest gay pubs. (lunch served noon till 4pm) The evening menu is well worth it too.
In the neighbourhood of Hampstead Heath: A green walk from Finsbury Park over the Parkland Walk to Alexandra Palace.
Own preparation:
- From Finsbury Park station to Alexandra Palace station (7.6km) and Reverse: From Alexandra Palace station to Finsbury Park station (7.6km)
- Variant fully with tube: From Finsbury Park station to Turnpike Lane station over Alexandra PAlace (9.7km) and reverse
- Places:
  - Finsbury Park station (zone 2) (Piccadilly and Victoria lines)
  - Turnpile Lane station (zone TODO) (Piccadilly line)
  - Alexandra Palace Station (zone TODO): No tube, only rail by Great Northern and Thameslink. The nearest tube station would be Turnpike Lane on the Piccadilly line
Walks on Alltrails and Komoot:
- Parkland Walk: Finsbury Park to Alexandra Park on AllTrails through a nice green corridor.
- Similar walk but circular: Alexandra Palace & Highgate Wood loop from Finsbury Park on Komoot

Walthamstow Marches and Wetlands and surrounding areas¶

Walthamstow Marches and Wetlands, combined with Victoria Park and the Olympics site

Own preparation:
Inspiration on hiking sites:
- Walthamstow Marshes & Walthamstow Wetlands loop from Tottenham Hale on Komoot and it should be possible to extend this walk further towards the Northeast.

Epping Forest¶

Own preparations:
- Oak Trail loop from Theydon Bois tube station counterclockwise (10.7km) and clockwise
- From Chingford station to Theydon Bois tube station (14.5km) or from Theydon Bois tube station to Chingford station
- From Highams Park station to Theydon Bois tube station (18km) or from Theydon Bois tube station to Higham Park station
- From Leytonstone tube station to Theydon Bois tube station (22.5km) or from Theydon Bois tube station to Leytonstone tube station
- From Turekey Street Station to Theydon Bois tube station (18.4km) or from Teydon Bois tube station to Turkey Street Station (18.4km)
  - Alternative starting point: Enfield Lock station
  - This is a walk with many nice parts but also some parts that are not so pleasant or where the actual path is hard to find as it is not a main path that is frequented a lot. The version here already has some improvements based on how the walk was done at the end in 2024.
  Specific issues with this route variant - The path along the Lee River Flood Relief channel is not very interesting and by the end of the summer overgrown with nettles and blackberry bushes. - The path from Yardley Hill to Yates Meadow is very hard to find. Yates Meadow offers a very nice view onto London, especially in its Western half, and hence is worth doing. - The paths from Bury Road to Connaught Water are also likely unofficial paths that often fade away in the forest. Some improvement there would be desired also.
  
  The version offered here is already a sligthly improved version based on the route actually taken in 2024, but does not yet contain the other improvements.
- Places:
Other sources:
- OS maps: A slightly different variant of the Oak trail.
- Chingford Plain & Connaught Water loop from Chingford - Epping Forest

Greenwich and Woolwich¶

Own preparations:
- Thames Barrier and Greenwich: From Woolwich Dockyard station to Greenwich station (15.3km): Walk first along the Thames and the O2 Arena, then following some parks to Greenwich PArk and with a stop at the Richard the first pub, back to Greenwich with the Old Royal Naval College and Greenwich Market.
- Greenwich Park, Shooters Hill and Etham Palace loop counterclockwise (24.7km) and clockwise. The counterclockwise variant may be the most interesting one as that one ends at Greenwich Park.
- Not through Geenwich: Abbey Wood station to Charlton station over Severndroog Castle (17.8km) and variant Abbey Wood station to Woolwich station over Severndroog Caste (19.8km) (revised afer doing the walk in 2024))
- Stations:
  - Greenwich (zone 2/3): DLR, Thameslink and Sourtheastern.
  - Woolwich Dockyard station (zone TODO): Southeastern
  - Blackheath train station (zone TODO): Thameslink and Southeastern
  - Woolwich station (zone TODO): Elisabeth line
  - Abbey Wood station (zone 4): Elisabeth line, Thameslink and Southeastern.
  - Charlton station (zone 3): Thameslink and Southeastern
Other options:
- From the Tower to Greenwich: base upon Komoot Tower Bridge of Londen - Loop from Mudchute

Brixton and Dulwich¶

Own preparations:
- Brockwell Park, Dulwich Park and Sydenham Hill Woods loop counterclockwise from Herne Hill station (9.9km) or clockwise
- Brockwell Park, Dulwich Park and Sydenham Hill Woods loop counterclockwise from Brixton station (13km) or clockwise
- Stations:
  - Brixton tube station(zone 2): Victoria line
  - Herne Hill station (zione 2/3): Thameslink and Southeastern

Richmond area¶

Own preparations:
- Wimbledon to Richmond (15km) from Wimbledon station to Richmond station.
- Short walk: Broomfield Hill Sensory Trail in the Isabella Plantation (800m)
- Stations:
  - Wimbledon station (zone 3): On the District line.
  - Richmond station (zone 4): On the District Line, the Overground, and South Western Railways
Other options:

Ealing¶

Own preparations for a walk over Brent River Park, Wharncliffe Viaduct, Brunel's Three Bridges across the Thames, Osterly House, Blondin Park nature reserve. Walks revised after doing the round trip in 2024.
- Round trip from Ealing Broadway Station 22.2km counterclockwise and clockwise. Counterclockwise is advised as then the walk can be shortened at needed via the next two options.
- From Ealing Broadway Station to Northfields Station (19,7km) and reverse
- From Ealing Broadway Station to Boston Manor Station (16,4km) and reverse
- Stops on the way:
  - There is a café at the stables of Osterley House where you can get some sandwiches
  - Just after Osterley House on the main road (assuming the walk is done counterclockwise) there is a pub, the "Hare and Hounds"
  - Close to Ealing Broadway station there is a good craft beer bar, BeerKat.
- Stations:
  - Ealing Broadway Station on the Elisabeth Line
  - Northfields Station on the Picadilly line
  - Boston Manor Underground Station on the Picadilly Line

Walks around Scadbury Park (South-East London)¶

Own preparations:
- Shorter walk from Bickley to Bexley through Scadbury park and past Five Arches Bridge (13,8km) or reverse, from Bexley to Bickley
- Longer walk also passing through Joydens Wood with a wooden walkway: Bickley to Bexley through Scadbury Park and Joydens Wood (17.4km) or reverse, from Bexley to Bickley
It may be wise to start from Bickley as then quite late in the walk you can still chose between the shorter and the longer one (at Five Arches Bridge)
A walk circular walk from Bexley Station taken from Komoot: Walk along Five Arches Bridge and Joydens Wood, counterclockwise 8,8km and clockwise
Stations:
- Bickley rail station (Thameslink and Southeastern) (zone 5)
- Beckley rail station (Southeastern)(zone 6)

Interesting online documented walks¶

The Thames Path: A national trail that starts at the sources in the Cotswolds, but there is a stretch through London all the way to Woolwich.
- See also a page on Walking Britain
- See also a page on gpc-routes.co.uk
RouteYou: London City Views Ring Walk: 16 stages, all from station to station
RouteYou: London Tube Ends Ring Walk - Unfinished project when we updated this for the last time
More official is the 15-stage Capital Ring Walk by TfL
- Captial Ring Walk on AllTrails
The Green London Way (AllTrails version) (GPX from AllTrails) is yet another circular trail around London
15-mile Green Link Walk from Epping Forest to Peckham Town also looks interesting. (GPX from gps-routes.co.uk)
Some paths found on AllTrails:
- The Wandle Trail (19.6km) (GPX from AllTrails)
  - Starts near West Croydon station (Overground & Southern)
  - Ends near Wandsworth Town Station (Sout Western)
  - East Putney Tube Station (District line) could be an option too.
Check also search results for London on gps-routes.co.uk

At the border of London¶

Farthing Downs & Happy Valley loop from Coulsdon on Komoot

Further out-of-town hikes¶

Sources:

Maybe interesting hikes:

Leith Hill can be done from Holmwood Station.
Chess Valley Walk from Chesham Station at the end of the Metropolitan Line (but outside the big ringroad around London) to Rickmansworth Station, also on the Metropolitan Line.