The London Loop
Crayford to Petts Wood
Sunday 13 November 2016
Part 1: Crayford to Old Bexley
After yesterday’s non-stop rain, today dawned bright and beautiful – perfect for a walk. I decided to continue walking the London Loop. This section promises some lovely walking through woodlands – ideal for a sunny Autumn day.
I arrived at Crayford after a three-hour journey which I’ll remember for walking past a Remembrance Sunday procession, wonderful views of the Thames and London skyline as the train crossed Hungerford Bridge, and an interesting conversation (involving language, Europe and the fall of the Berlin Wall) with an old man who got on the train at Lewisham.
As always after a longish journey I was pleased to at last get walking. I made my way past the shops, car parks and fast food outlets, to re-join The London Loop by the River Cray. After a short stroll through the Crayford riverside gardens the path continued along roads until it turned left into the recreation ground. Soon I was back by the river Cray and followed it on a pleasant grassy tree-lined path as it flowed between playing fields and parkland. When I reached the sports pavilion the Loop turned left but unfortunately the path across the bridge was closed. I decided to explore Hall Place and its gardens before trying to find a way back to the path. Entrance to this old country estate, which is now council owned, is free and part of it is a garden centre. I walked through the tropical green house and then along a pleasant path in the gardens to reach the café (and convenient toilets). I didn’t want to spend too much time here, aware that I still had a long way to go. So I wandered through the lovely parkland to try and find a path which would allow me to rejoin the Loop path. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be a way out of the park on the south side so I had to backtrack and leave the Hall Place grounds by the car park and walk up to the very busy main road (A223). With hindsight, I should have just followed this road to reach the A2 crossing. However, the beautiful park opposite beckoned me to bravely cross the road and walk through it.
I walked parallel to the road but there didn’t seem to be a way out of the park at the end so walked uphill along a grassy avenue lined with beautiful mature trees. It was lovely here and I was astonished that I was the only person enjoying this wonderful space. It seemed to me that everyone else was either sitting in a metal box or out shopping, which I found quite sad considering that this was a sunny and mild Sunday afternoon in November. At the top of the hill I was rewarded with a lovely view of distant hills (North Downs?) but it was now well after two and I realised there was no way I’d reach Petts Wood before dark. I walked downhill again towards Bexley hoping to find a footbridge or underpass or something to cross the roads leading to and across the A2 but the only way was on pavements along busy roads. It appears that cars rule here.
Arriving at St Mary’s Church in Old Bexley I called it a day as far as today’s Loop section was concerned. After a moment’s peace and reflection in the churchyard I headed to the train station for the journey back to Charing Cross. I walked to Trafalgar Square and spent an enjoyable hour or so in the National Gallery, relaxing first with a coffee and slice of Bakewell tart, before admiring some Canaletto and Van Gogh paintings.
Sometimes things don’t work out as planned but no journey or walk should ever be a negative experience. I already look forward to returning to Old Bexley to see what the next Loop section has in store for me.
Part 1: Crayford to Old Bexley
After yesterday’s non-stop rain, today dawned bright and beautiful – perfect for a walk. I decided to continue walking the London Loop. This section promises some lovely walking through woodlands – ideal for a sunny Autumn day.
I arrived at Crayford after a three-hour journey which I’ll remember for walking past a Remembrance Sunday procession, wonderful views of the Thames and London skyline as the train crossed Hungerford Bridge, and an interesting conversation (involving language, Europe and the fall of the Berlin Wall) with an old man who got on the train at Lewisham.
As always after a longish journey I was pleased to at last get walking. I made my way past the shops, car parks and fast food outlets, to re-join The London Loop by the River Cray. After a short stroll through the Crayford riverside gardens the path continued along roads until it turned left into the recreation ground. Soon I was back by the river Cray and followed it on a pleasant grassy tree-lined path as it flowed between playing fields and parkland. When I reached the sports pavilion the Loop turned left but unfortunately the path across the bridge was closed. I decided to explore Hall Place and its gardens before trying to find a way back to the path. Entrance to this old country estate, which is now council owned, is free and part of it is a garden centre. I walked through the tropical green house and then along a pleasant path in the gardens to reach the café (and convenient toilets). I didn’t want to spend too much time here, aware that I still had a long way to go. So I wandered through the lovely parkland to try and find a path which would allow me to rejoin the Loop path. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be a way out of the park on the south side so I had to backtrack and leave the Hall Place grounds by the car park and walk up to the very busy main road (A223). With hindsight, I should have just followed this road to reach the A2 crossing. However, the beautiful park opposite beckoned me to bravely cross the road and walk through it.
I walked parallel to the road but there didn’t seem to be a way out of the park at the end so walked uphill along a grassy avenue lined with beautiful mature trees. It was lovely here and I was astonished that I was the only person enjoying this wonderful space. It seemed to me that everyone else was either sitting in a metal box or out shopping, which I found quite sad considering that this was a sunny and mild Sunday afternoon in November. At the top of the hill I was rewarded with a lovely view of distant hills (North Downs?) but it was now well after two and I realised there was no way I’d reach Petts Wood before dark. I walked downhill again towards Bexley hoping to find a footbridge or underpass or something to cross the roads leading to and across the A2 but the only way was on pavements along busy roads. It appears that cars rule here.
Arriving at St Mary’s Church in Old Bexley I called it a day as far as today’s Loop section was concerned. After a moment’s peace and reflection in the churchyard I headed to the train station for the journey back to Charing Cross. I walked to Trafalgar Square and spent an enjoyable hour or so in the National Gallery, relaxing first with a coffee and slice of Bakewell tart, before admiring some Canaletto and Van Gogh paintings.
Sometimes things don’t work out as planned but no journey or walk should ever be a negative experience. I already look forward to returning to Old Bexley to see what the next Loop section has in store for me.
Sunday 4 December 2016
Part 2: Old Bexley to Petts Wood
Well - the London Loop came up trumps today with some wonderful riverside and woodland walking! My doubts about the wisdom of walking this path have been completely blown away. After the minor ‘fiasco’ of the first part of this walk, I was a little weary of tackling this part and was even contemplating abandoning the Loop for a while. However, it didn’t take long before I felt that this unfinished business needed to be completed.
A sunny and beautiful Sunday was forecast and I set of on the longish journey to Old Bexley enjoying the scenery en route and, with autumn colours glowing in the sunshine, I was particularly looking forward to some beautiful woodland walking. Despite setting off reasonably early this morning it was gone midday when I started walking. I was pleased that I didn’t need to contend with Sunday shopping traffic today. The path headed away from the station and followed pleasantly through the Old Bexley Conservation Area. This used to be a landfill site but is now reclaimed by nature and enjoyed by birds. Whilst I wouldn’t describe this area as particularly beautiful, I nonetheless really enjoyed walking through it. The large expanse of grassy and treeless open space with a big sky conveyed a feeling of freedom and blissful carefreeness.
The next section took me back to the River Cray. The crystal-clear water gurgled as it flowed over the gravelly riverbed, and the tree-lined path was delightful. Soon I reached the lovely Foots Cray Meadows. The Five Arch Bridge was a delight and not surprisingly a lot of people were enjoying this beauty spot, flying kites, feeding the ducks, playing with kids and dogs. The bright late autumn sunshine and beautiful scene invited me to pause for a bit, eating my lunch and taking photos.
The path continued pleasantly along the Cray, which for a while turned into a lake. Here I saw many more waterfowl and heron startled me as it flew off right in front of me. The tranquillity came to a temporary end as I reached Foots Cray but I didn’t mind as it seemed a pleasant little place and reminded me that this is a London walk.
After following a path between horse paddocks, I reached Sidcup Place Park and walked through it on an uphill path. I say path but it wasn’t defined and I simply headed in the direction of Sidcup Place, turning around every now and again to enjoy the views over the Cray Valley and the wonderful trees in the park as the sun was slowly setting.
I now had to cross some roads including the scary A20, and remembering Bexley was dreading it, but this time the thoughtful engineers actually designed a network of cycle and pedestrian paths leading over and under slip and main roads. Immediately after the crossings the path led into the delightful Scadbury Park. This is a Nature Reserve with many beautiful trees, hilly paths and views across meadows. I made a very brief detour to see the ruins and moat of an old manor house. As I was taking a photo I realised that the light has got quite gloomy and decided that I needed to stop dawdling if I wanted to finish the walk before dark! I continued swiftly along the beautiful woodland path in Park Wood, admiring the old oaks and lovely birch trees. I briefly lost my way (slightly dodgy directions?) but thankfully managed to get back on track without losing much time.
Part 2: Old Bexley to Petts Wood
Well - the London Loop came up trumps today with some wonderful riverside and woodland walking! My doubts about the wisdom of walking this path have been completely blown away. After the minor ‘fiasco’ of the first part of this walk, I was a little weary of tackling this part and was even contemplating abandoning the Loop for a while. However, it didn’t take long before I felt that this unfinished business needed to be completed.
A sunny and beautiful Sunday was forecast and I set of on the longish journey to Old Bexley enjoying the scenery en route and, with autumn colours glowing in the sunshine, I was particularly looking forward to some beautiful woodland walking. Despite setting off reasonably early this morning it was gone midday when I started walking. I was pleased that I didn’t need to contend with Sunday shopping traffic today. The path headed away from the station and followed pleasantly through the Old Bexley Conservation Area. This used to be a landfill site but is now reclaimed by nature and enjoyed by birds. Whilst I wouldn’t describe this area as particularly beautiful, I nonetheless really enjoyed walking through it. The large expanse of grassy and treeless open space with a big sky conveyed a feeling of freedom and blissful carefreeness.
The next section took me back to the River Cray. The crystal-clear water gurgled as it flowed over the gravelly riverbed, and the tree-lined path was delightful. Soon I reached the lovely Foots Cray Meadows. The Five Arch Bridge was a delight and not surprisingly a lot of people were enjoying this beauty spot, flying kites, feeding the ducks, playing with kids and dogs. The bright late autumn sunshine and beautiful scene invited me to pause for a bit, eating my lunch and taking photos.
The path continued pleasantly along the Cray, which for a while turned into a lake. Here I saw many more waterfowl and heron startled me as it flew off right in front of me. The tranquillity came to a temporary end as I reached Foots Cray but I didn’t mind as it seemed a pleasant little place and reminded me that this is a London walk.
After following a path between horse paddocks, I reached Sidcup Place Park and walked through it on an uphill path. I say path but it wasn’t defined and I simply headed in the direction of Sidcup Place, turning around every now and again to enjoy the views over the Cray Valley and the wonderful trees in the park as the sun was slowly setting.
I now had to cross some roads including the scary A20, and remembering Bexley was dreading it, but this time the thoughtful engineers actually designed a network of cycle and pedestrian paths leading over and under slip and main roads. Immediately after the crossings the path led into the delightful Scadbury Park. This is a Nature Reserve with many beautiful trees, hilly paths and views across meadows. I made a very brief detour to see the ruins and moat of an old manor house. As I was taking a photo I realised that the light has got quite gloomy and decided that I needed to stop dawdling if I wanted to finish the walk before dark! I continued swiftly along the beautiful woodland path in Park Wood, admiring the old oaks and lovely birch trees. I briefly lost my way (slightly dodgy directions?) but thankfully managed to get back on track without losing much time.
After safely crossing the busy road leading to Chislehurst I was following another wooded path into Petts Wood – a National Trust site. Because of the Winter Time late afternoon gloom, I refrained from making the detour to the granite sundial memorial column placed in honour of William Willett (of Chislehurst), the staunch campaigner for the Summer Time Act of 1925. I did make time to stop at a second memorial stone (nearer the path) to pay respect to Francis Joseph Frederick Edlmann who helped save this wood for the population in 1927.
It was starting to get dark now which was a shame really as walking here was everything you would want from an autumnal woodland walk. Good, leaf-covered paths leading gently downhill, many different tree species, birdsong etc. But never mind, I was pleased to reach the town of Petts Wood just before dark after crossing several footbridges (rather tough on tiring legs). First there was the bridge over Kyd Brook and then several bridges over a network of train lines. Strangely I didn’t see a single train.
I now made my way towards Petts Wood Station and was pleased that some trains were running (but not to Charing Cross). I had time to return to the High Street to buy a take-away coffee and a Christmas pudding shaped teacake to sustain me on the journey home, while reflecting on an enjoyable day’s walking.
It was starting to get dark now which was a shame really as walking here was everything you would want from an autumnal woodland walk. Good, leaf-covered paths leading gently downhill, many different tree species, birdsong etc. But never mind, I was pleased to reach the town of Petts Wood just before dark after crossing several footbridges (rather tough on tiring legs). First there was the bridge over Kyd Brook and then several bridges over a network of train lines. Strangely I didn’t see a single train.
I now made my way towards Petts Wood Station and was pleased that some trains were running (but not to Charing Cross). I had time to return to the High Street to buy a take-away coffee and a Christmas pudding shaped teacake to sustain me on the journey home, while reflecting on an enjoyable day’s walking.
My highlights:
Useful information
Transport:
Part 1:
- Hall Place Gardens
- St Mary’s church, Old Bexley
- River Cray and Five Arch Bridge at Foots Cray
- Scadbury Park Nature Reserve
- Petts Wood (National Trust)
- Swans, geese and ducks, sea gulls, coots and moorhens, herons
- Birds (including the now annoying screeching parakeets)
- Ponies
Useful information
Transport:
Part 1:
- Train Reading to Paddington, underground to Charing Cross, train to Crayford
- Return: Train Bexley to Charing Cross, underground to Paddington, train to Reading
- Train Reading to Paddington, underground to Charing Cross, train to Bexley
- Return: Train Petts Wood to Cannon Street, underground to Paddington, train to Reading
- Bexley
- Foots Cray
- Petts Wood
- Crayford (automated toilet – took my 10 p but door didn’t open, hope it’s been fixed now)
- Hall Place
- Foots Cray
- Petts Wood