01 Erith to Old Bexley

1st September 2008

I have no idea how fast a crow flies but I’m sure it wouldn’t have taken an hour and forty minutes to cover the six miles from my house to Erith. But then again it wouldn’t have had to take three trains to get there either. Today I crossed the Thames to the official start point of the London Loop at Erith Riverside using the District Line, DLR and Southeastern trains. In fact I was well-served by all three arriving to start the walk just after 11am.

This leg of the Loop followed the course of three rivers, the mighty Thames and the not-so-mighty Darent and Cray using the Thames Path and the Cray Riverway. Erith Riverside is quite pleasant with gardens and a pier but sadly a large part of the first mile was along a busy road lined with industrial estates, equally as unattractive as Ferry Lane in Rainham and a lot more dangerous. The Thames was at low tide so I didn’t walk out onto the Deep Water Jetty but I did take time to seek out Coldharbour Point Light on the north bank where I had been six months ago. I also noticed this mural painted on the side of a pub.

Once rejoining the Thames near Erith Yacht Club on the last mile of the Thames Path, the walk improved greatly. It was a fine day (following the pattern of previous September walks), the sunny intervals were warm and there was a pleasant cooling breeze. Big skies, wide views, birdlife and the occasional passing boat were the order of day, dominated by the Queen Elizabeth II bridge to the east. Although the landscape was mainly industrial, it was very peaceful.

At the river Darent Flood Barrier, the Loop turns south leaving the Thames behind. We won’t meet up again for another 50 miles. It was goodbye too, to the Wellingtonias (of Section 21) still clearly visible on the horizon 12 miles away. The views from the banks of the Darent were also mainly industrial but you got the odd glimpse of nearby Lesnes Abbey Wood and the distant North Downs. After a couple of miles of silence and solitude I came across the inevitable industrial estate, lorries & landfill site. The Cray River Way then followed a series of paths that ran along the backs of houses until it arrived, not unexpectedly in Crayford.

I lingered in Crayford only for long enough to find the local Sainsburys and was on my way. I can’t remember anything of note about it. After a little bit of roadside walking the Loop met up with the Cray at some playing fields where I took a well-earned rest and ate my lunch. I had intended to visit Hall Place, medieval house with topiary garden, and highlight of Section 1. However, it was closed for refurbishment so I trundled on.

The last part of the route took me over a railway, under the A2, through a wood and finally the overgrown churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, Bexley. The church had a pleasant exterior with a broach spire, which are quite common in Essex. Bexley felt like a village that badly needed a by-pass, lots of quite pleasant old buildings but no where very safe to admire them.

Unfortunately for me, I arrived at Bexley Station at the same time as the train, but after eight miles (or possibly seven) I was in no position to run for it. The walk from Erith had taken me four and quarter hours, including rest stops and which wasn’t bad for eight miles. I thought my first excursion to the dark/south side went very well, with no major transport difficulties and the leaflet instructions were once again excellent.

Time for leg 3hr 45m Distance 8 miles Time for Trip 7hrs 50m
Walk log

Fares this leg £7.00

Section 01 Essentials
Section Map
Directions

Distance and Time 8½ miles 5 hours

Walking Conditions: Mostly level with a few short climbs; paths alongside the River Darent and Cray be muddy; the section is suitable for the less mobile and for pushchairs around Riverside Gardens and Erith Pier.

24 Rainham to Purfleet

1st March 2008

There appears to be a pattern forming for the March walks as the weather was once again sunny and bright but with a very strong, very cold wind. If ever a there was a bit of the London Loop in need of a route improvement, this is it. I’ll be very surprised if there is a less attractive part than the first mile from Rainham station. Despite a slight delay waiting for the level crossing to rise, I was on my way half an hour after leaving home. Once over the Tilbury line, the Loop crosses the new high Eurostar line by means of a long complicated ramp. I didn’t have to wait too long before one of the new sleek trains came by, not at full speed I think, but very impressive and very quiet.

The Loop then proceeds through the industrial wastelands of Rainham, under the A13 and past abandoned factories, car breaker yards and other dubious enterprises. To the east, there were views over Rainham marsh to the Queen Elizabeth Bridge. Rainham marsh is one of those places that is always being threatened by developers. Do the words Flood Plain mean nothing! All right if you want an upstairs swimming pool.

Past the factories, there is a most unexpected footpath which stops at a wall, you look over it and you have a wonderful view of the Thames looking upstream. This was an old favourite walk of the Cobb family in the 60s, when we would come to the riverside for fresh air and exercise. I think both the air and the river are a lot cleaner now.

A temporary closure of the footpath by the Tilda Rice factory meant a mile and half detour to rejoin the river bank by the abandoned barges. Relics of WW2, they saw duty as flood defences during the Great Flood of 1953. They are now home to seabirds and gently mouldering away. Havering Council has developed the area around the barges into a picnic area and viewing point, but sadly I’m unable to take the Aged Parents there due to another height barrier. The path along to Coldharbour Point used to be grassy but has turned into a tarmac path. Coldharbour Point used to be the end of this section and is the nearest point to Section 1 on the south bank of the Thames. I continued along because I wanted to see where I would be in 6 months time. You get some fine views across the river and I was able to trace the route of the Green Chain Walk that Noddy and I discovered a few years ago. It is an excellent series of walks linking woodlands and parks in South East London.

I expected to have to return to the barges and continue along a newly opened cycle path to the new finish in Purfleet. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see the route continue after the lighthouse. While I was wondering whether to continue or not I started to hear voices. This was a bit disconcerting as I had seen a soul in hours, when I realised the voices were coming from my jacket! My GPS had decided to give up the ghost just when I need it and was giving a low battery warning.

It took about 50 minutes to walk to the RSPB Visitor Centre at Purfleet along the bank of the Thames, studiously ignoring the landfill site to the right. There were great views of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and Crayford Marshes over the water. At the point where the footpath met the cycle path, there was a glimpse of the White House and the Wellingtonias, now 10 miles away. The path then runs adjacent to Aveley Marsh, now a nature reserve, but formally an Army rifle range where my Dad learned to shoot in 1945. Luckily for him, he never had to fire a gun in anger as the war ended before his basic training.

The Visitors Centre was a welcome sight and I enjoyed a rest in the snack bar surrounded by loads of men talking about birds. I’m not sure what they had spotted but I’m sure I saw a couple of Right Tits. I then followed the route into Purfleet, past the Heritage Centre and along the riverside to finish at the Royal Hotel. It was a short walk to the station and the train back to Rainham. The train journey took 5 minutes compared with 2 hours plus it had taken me to walk.

This was not the prettiest leg of the Loop, (signage was largely non-existent as well) but there is plenty of interest along the riverbank and the development of access is very pleasing. For me, it was both a trip down memory lane and the end of the easy part of the Loop through home territory. From now on it is all pastures new and very unfamiliar. In September the adventure really begins!


Time for leg 2hr 40m Distance 6 miles Time for trip 5hrs
Walk log
Fares this leg £4.20

Section 24 Essentials
Section Map
Directions

Distance and Time 5 miles 2 hours 40 minutes

Walking Conditions: Almost entirely level with one or two short gentle slopes; mostly hard surface, some on grass or gravel; no stiles; 3 kissing gates; 1.6 miles beside road.

N.B. The official guide does not show the riverside route from Coldharbour light.

23 Upminster Bridge Station to Rainham

1st September 2007

This section is the one that passes closest to home with the start and finish being just 20 minutes away by public transport. The weather was very warm (unusual for 2007) so I decided to leave early to avoid the heat. The route was very level following the Ingrebourne valley through Hornchurch Country park. Eventually you will be able to follow the Ingrebourne all the way to the Thames via Rainham creek and this will definitely improve this section, as the last part was all along roads.

Hornchurch Country Park was built on the site of RAF Hornchurch, a famous WW1 & WW2 fighter station. I used to visit regularly but sadly can’t anymore due to a height restriction. (Obviously I can get under the height barrier, but the van can’t.) There is quite an extensive area of countryside here with farmland and woodland on the other bank of the river.

After passing Tit Lake and Albyns farm house, a medieval manor house, it was a boring footslog to Rainham, where I got lost in Tescos looking for a toilet. Rainham has a cute little church, clock tower and Rainham Hall, a National Trust property I haven’t managed to visit. Not the most spectacular leg, but I’m certain this one will be the quickest to complete.

Time for leg 2hr 10m Distance 5 miles Time for trip 3hr 02m Walk log


Section 23 Essentials
Section Map
Directions

Distance and Time: 4 miles 2hours 30 minutes

Walking Conditions: Almost completely level, tarmac or firm gravel paths, no stiles. This section is suitable for the less mobile and is accessible for pushchairs.

22 Harold Wood to Upminster Bridge Station

1st March 2007

As the start and finish were very close to home I set off in the afternoon. The weather was sunny and bright but the wind was cool. Most of the section follows the river Ingrebourne and it is hoped that future development of footpaths along the valley will eliminate most of the road sections.

The first part of the walk takes you through Pages Wood, part of the Thames Chase development along gravel paths with the river to the left. The plantation includes oak, hornbeam and ash but looks more like a nursery than a wood. It’s unlikely I’ll be visiting for another walk as the car park had a height barrier.

Then, there followed a road section of a mile or so across the A127 and south into Upminster. There were a few views back towards Havering and I spotted the White House, about 4 miles north and quick glimpse of Canary Wharf.
At the bottom of River Drive, the walk suddenly turned rural again and also very muddy. It was time to put on the wellies.

Through a small wood, over a footbridge and stiles, past a school playing field and alongside a ploughed field, I trudged along enjoying the solitude and the very bright sunshine. Quite unexpectedly I came across a paddock of donkeys and goats, not the sort of thing you usually find in Upminster. The last half mile or so back to the tube was all urban, enlivened only by a glimpse of Upminster Windmill.

This walk seemed a bit tame after the rural delights of the last two sections. I’m sure it will improve when proposed Greenway is finally developed. However it was a lovely sunny day and there were worse ways of spending your 50th birthday.

Time for leg 1h 50m Distance 4 miles Time for trip 3hrs Walk log

Total Walking Time 8hr 05m Total Distance 14.5m Total time 14hr 05m

Fares this leg £6 Fares total £6

Section 22 Essentials
Section Map
Directions

Distance and Time 4.3 miles 2hours 40 minutes

Walking Conditions: almost completely level with one or two short gentle slopes; mostly footpaths, tracks and grass, often with rough surface; 2 stiles from Hall Lane to Wingletye Lane; the section from Harold Wood to Hall Lane is suitable for the less mobile and for pushchairs.

21 Havering-atte-Bower to Harold Wood

1st September 2006

Before starting section 21, there was the small matter of finishing off section 20. It was a warm, humid day with a hint of rain at the start but the sun came out strongly and it turned into a beautiful day.

I picked up the walk where I left off, at Havering Country park, with some fine views back to Hainault. It was particularly pleasing to spot landmarks from the previous walk like Chigwell Row church as you can gauge how far you come.

I crossed a stile and entered the woods of the country park. The footpath led uphill through the trees to a beautiful avenue of Wellingtonias, sequoias planted by a previous owner. Although they are only babies they tower above the indigenous trees and can be easily spotted on the skyline. The first mile of the walk through the woods was all uphill and at the top in the village of Havering you are rewarded with a seat with a great view looking north into the heart of Essex.

After Havering, the walk goes past the Round House, a white building imitating a water tower, which will become a familiar landmark on later walks, through the old estate of Pyrgo Park with its abandoned wrought iron gates and along a ridge which hid most of London from site. It was quiet, empty and pleasant walking, a mixture of pasture and woodland.

However, this was a walk of two halves. In the first 3 miles, I’d crossed one road, seen one very grumpy horsewoman, sheep, horses and heard mostly birdsong not traffic. Once I arrived at Noak Hill, the scenery changed abruptly from rural to urban. The Loop follows the valley of the mighty river Ingrebourne through a narrow green strip of parkland surrounded by the means streets of Harold Hill, crossing a whole succession of roads until meeting the A12 at a crossing point not for the faint hearted. (The official guide recommends a detour to the nearest pedestrian crossing 500 metres away). After that it was street walking all the way to the finish point at Harold Wood station.

The walk through Havering Country Park to Noak Hill is thoroughly recommended. It is a proper country walk, taking in the pretty village of Havering, with its village green and stocks. Nearby Bedfords Park is on the London side of the ridge and has great views to the heights of Shooters Hill on the south side of the Thames, 11 miles away. This was another Cobb family favourite day being only a bus ride from Dagenham, walking up the hill, feeding the deer, rolling down the hill. Havering always feels to me that it is the place where London ends and the country begins.

Time for leg 2h 30m Distance 5 miles Time for trip 4hr 45m
Walk log

Total walking time 6hr 15m Total distance 10.5m Total time 11hr 05m

Section 21 Essentials

Section Map
Directions

Distance and Time 4.3 miles 2 hours 40 minutes

Walking Conditions: Generally fairly level with some gentle slopes, mostly on rough paths, tracks and grass, four stiles, three kissing gates and two footbridges.

Click here for more details about Bedfords Park

20 Chigwell to Havering-atte-Bower

1st March 2006

Resisting the urge to start at section 1, I opted to start the Loop at Chigwell, which according to Autoroute, is 10.8 miles and would take 19 minutes by car! (Only likely if you also have blue flashing light to go with it.) Getting to Chigwell by bus required more determination than I possessed so opted for the Tube which took an hour and 20 minutes to travel those 11 miles.



I started the walk at Chigwell tube on a bright but cold day with a very chilly wind. The first part of the walk takes you along the main road past the attractive church of St Mary’s (with a traditional Essex broach spire and white weatherboarding).




Ignoring the charms of Ye Olde King’s Head, a supposed haunt of Dick Turpin, the walk headed into the Essex countryside and was surprisingly rural. I covered a mile before crossing a road. The walk was gently hilly so afforded good views back towards London and also north into Essex. It was all new territory to me and despite not being very well signposted, I managed to get to Hainault Country Park in reasonable time for a lunch break.

Hainault Country was very familiar to me as it was one of the few areas of countryside easily accessible by bus as a child. I remember visiting here with my family and climbing to the top of Cabin Hill and searching out the dome of St Pauls. The view back towards the city doesn’t quite rival that of Hampstead or Ally Pally but it was a clear day and the London Eye was visible on the skyline.

From Cabin Hill, I descended down across the golf course once again into pastures new. I was able to sit on a stile and pick out all the landmarks of Dagenham, including Fords wind turbine. At this point I was about 1 mile from the borders of Dagenham and 5 miles from home, yet I’d never seen this view before.

I decided to break the walk when the route joined Havering Country Park. This would make it easier for me to get home and avoid climbing up another hill!. This walk had involved over 300 feet of climbing, which is quite a lot for Essex. It took me an hour to get back by bus, ready to enjoy my tea.


According to my pedometer I’d walked 5½ miles, according my GPS it was only 5.15 miles and should have taken me an hour and 41 minutes to complete. I actually took 3 hours and 45 minutes, but I did have a couple of rests and excursions from the route. Anyway, I’m not aiming to be the fastest person to complete the walk. This was a really good walk, with much to recommend as it was, peaceful with very little traffic to worry about and great views to both north and south.

Time for leg 3hr 45m Distance 5.5 miles Time for trip 6hr 20m Walk log


Section 20 Essentials

Section Map Directions

Distance and Time: 6 miles 9.7km 3 hours 10 minutes

Walking Conditions: mostly level, some longish slopes, stiles and kissing gates, some field edges, farmland and woodland path walking, can be muddy in winter.

London Loop Sections

	Section	Miles
1	Erith to Old Bexley	8.4	Section Map	Directions
2	Old Bexley to Petts Wood	7.2	Section Map	Directions
3	Petts Wood to West Wickham Common	9.0	Section Map	Directions
4	West Wickham Common to Hamsey Green	9.0	Section Map	Directions
5	Hamsey Green to Coulsdon South	6.0
6	Coulsdon South to Banstead Downs	4.5	Section Map	Directions
7	Banstead Downs to Ewell	4.0	Section Map	Directions
8	Ewell to Kingston	7.3	Section Map	Directions
9	Kingston Bridge to Hatton Cross	8.5	Section Map	Directions
10	Hatton Cross to Hayes	3.8	Section Map	Directions
11	Hayes to Uxbridge	7.3	Section Map	Directions
12	Uxbridge to Harefield West	4.5	Section Map	Directions
13	Harefield West to Moor Park	4.8	Section Map	Directions
14	Moor Park to Hatch End	3.8	Section Map	Directions
15	Hatch End to Elstree	8.3	Section Map	Directions
16	Elstree to Cockfosters	10.5	Section Map	Directions
17	Cockfosters to Enfield Lock	8.3	Section Map	Directions
18	Enfield Lock to Chingford	6.5	Section Map	Directions
19	Chingford to Chigwell	4.0	Section Map	Directions
20	Chigwell to Havering-atte-Bower	6.0	Section Map	Directions
21	Havering-atte-Bower to Harold Wood	4.3	Section Map	Directions
22	Harold Wood to Upminster Bridge	4.3	Section Map	Directions
23	Upminster Bridge to Rainham	4.0	Section Map	Directions
24	Rainham to Purfleet	4.5	Section Map	Directions

London Loop Facts

The London Outer Orbital Path or London Loop was devised by the London Walking Forum in the 1990s. It circumnavigates London like the M25 for 150 miles (240kms) with only one break between section 24 at Purfleet and section 1 at Erith as there is no pedestrian Thames crossing downstream of Woolwich.

The route is fully walkable and is divided up into 24 sections started at Erith and finishing at Purfleet. There are still developments taking place on the route as councils develop new country parks and walking routes that will eliminate some of the roadside walking.

The route is well signed with the flying kestrel logo and directional arrow and the guide leaflets devised by the London Walking Forum and distributed by Transport for London are excellent. (Council Tax money well spent!)
The best way to walk the Loop is in a clockwise direction, (as this is how all the guides describe it) and use public transport as all the sections are accessible by bus, tube or overground



Click here for more information on London's strategic routes

London Loopy

It all started with ….

Walking the St Peter’s Way in Essex in the autumn of 2004, accompanied by my faithful dog Noddy and finishing in the spring of 2005 accompanied by faithful friends, Frances and Trevor. St Peter’s Way is a long distance walk of 45 miles starting at Chipping Ongar and finishing by the North Sea at the ancient chapel of St Peter on the Wall at Bradwell on sea.

It was a feeling of some achievement when I finally completed the walk after splitting up the route into 15 different circular walks, so in fact I had walked about 90 miles and Noddy probably quite a bit more.

We had passed several other beautiful Essex churches on the way, notably St Lawrence at Blackmore, half timbered with broach spire and All Saints at Stock, before arriving at St Peter’s chapel, made almost entirely from Roman brick in the seventh century and one of the oldest places of worship in Britain.

The Essex marshes are fairly bleak but the last leg was completed in lovely warm sunshine along the sea wall (far too warm for Noddy) with nothing but the North Sea between us and Holland.

The walk had had its highs and lows, Noddy got attacked by a mad horse at Munden, which was also the site of a lonely abandoned church and the most amazing ancient oak trees that dated back the Armada. The marshy section from Mundon to Maylandsea was pretty bleak and if a convict had leapt out demanding vittles it wouldn’t have surprised me.

Highs are not normally associated with Essex but the view from Purleigh Church is quite stunning. The Blackwater Estuary is laid out before you and in the distance you can see the finishing post, the old nuclear power station at Bradwell.

Well, what’s all this got to do with the London Loop?

I was looking for another long distance walk that I could do that wasn’t going to involve lots of driving, (towards the end I was clocking 100 miles trips). This pretty much ruled out all National Trails, like the South Downs Way, Ridgeway and North Norfolk path and Thames Path, all of which have a lot of appeal.

Looking closer to home, I discovered the London Loop or London Outer Orbital Path to give it its full name. It comes with 24 beautiful guides freely available from Transport for London, easily accessible by public transport and offering the chance to discover parts of London, both familiar and unfamiliar. I decided to do two legs a year, one in spring and one in autumn exactly six months apart, 1st March and 1st of September to avoid the extremes of the British weather and to use public transport to get to and from the walk.