Walking in London

Park, heath and waterside - 25 walks in London's green spaces

By Peter Aylmer

ISBN

9781786311467

Availability

Published

4 Aug 2023

Edition

Second

Pages

200

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.20cm

Weight

240g

Delivery & Returns

Free 1st Class postage on UK orders. European postage is £3 per item. Worldwide postage is £5 per item. If you're not happy with your purchase for any reason, we'll give you a full refund.
More information...

A guidebook to 25 walks in London's green spaces and nature reserves, covering both the city centre and Greater London area. Taking in woods and forests, parks and heaths, canals and rivers, the guide includes a wealth of information about some of the species you might encounter, as well as the history and conservation of these areas.

Seasons

winters are rarely too cold, nor summers too hot. The transitional seasons of spring and autumn bring first a blooming of life and second the transformation of leaf.

Centres

all of these walks can be undertaken from a base within the Greater London area

Difficulty

all of these walks are within the range of most occasional walkers, though some routes can be linked together to give longer days for those who want them. Little specialist equipment is needed beyond comfortable footwear and clothing appropriate to the season.

Must See

woods and forests, parks and heaths, London's rivers - far more than just the Thames - and canals. Many of the walks pass by some of London's architectural jewels, while others delve so deep into countryside that it's difficult to believe you are still in London.

ISBN

9781786311467

Availability

Published

4 Aug 2023

Edition

Second

Pages

200

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.20cm

Weight

240g

Overview

This guidebook presents 25 varied walks exploring London's green and open spaces. Covering both the city centre and the Greater London area, it takes in royal parks, heaths, forests, canals and rivers, including Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, the World Heritage site of Kew Gardens and Wimbledon Common. Walks range from 4 to 14 miles and most can be accessed by public transport.

Alongside detailed route descriptions and OS mapping, the book features practical information on parking, public transport and refreshments. Each walk showcases a particular species of wildlife that you might encounter, and there is fascinating background information the history and conservation of the capital's wild spaces.

London is a city of 8 million people and 8 million trees, and its vast open spaces are home to 13,000 species of wildlife. This book is an ideal companion to exploring a greener, more gentle side to the city.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Map key

Overview map

Introduction

The geology of London

London’s open spaces

When to go

Safety in London

Getting around London

Access

What to take

Maps

Using this guide

East to the Lea

Walk 1 Rainham Marshes and the lower Thames

Walk 2 Dagenham’s open spaces

Walk 3 Epping Forest from Chingford

Walk 4 Wanstead Flats and Park

Walk 5 Olympic Park and Greenway

Walk 6 River Lea

Lea to Brent

Walk 7 Enfield Chase

Walk 8 Regent’s Canal

Walk 9 New River and Parkland Walk

Walk 10 Royal Parks

Walk 11 Hampstead Heath

Walk 12 Dollis Valley Greenwalk

Brent to Wandle

Walk 13 Ruislip Woods

Walk 14 Yeading Brook

Walk 15 Crane Park

Walk 16 Bushy Park and Home Park

Walk 17 Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park

Walk 18 Kew and Isleworth

Walk 19 Wandle Trail

East of the Wandle

Walk 20 Happy Valley

Walk 21 Hills and woods of Croydon

Walk 22 Sydenham Hill Wood

Walk 23 Woodlands of south-east London

Walk 24 Chislehurst

Walk 25 Downe

Appendix A Long-distance paths in London

Appendix B Where to find out more

Maps

Maps

The extracts in this book are from Ordnance Survey Explorer maps at 1:25,000 scale. Coupled with the route descriptions, they should keep you on track. London as a whole is covered by sheets 146 and 147, 160 to 162, and 172 to 175.

The OS Landranger series, at 1:50,000 scale, is of less use in London. Although it covers London in just two sheets, 176 and 177, it’s not recommended here, as so much has to be packed in.

Street maps of London vary – some give more off-road detail than you might expect, but in general they won’t be using the National Grid that precisely defines start and finish points in this book.

Mapping software allows you to scale Landranger or Explorer maps as you wish and print off specific areas relevant to your walk. Anquet, OS and OutdoorActive are three of the best known. All enable maps to be saved to GPS devices, and most to smartphones.

Updates

We do not yet have any updates available for this book

We are always grateful to readers for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground. If you would like to send some information to us then please use our contact form. They will be published here following review by the author(s).

Reviews

We do not yet have any reviews for this book

If you would like to send us a review then please use our contact form. They will be published here shortly.

Downloads

Walking in London - GPX File

Peter Aylmer

Peter Aylmer has climbed many hills and walked many long-distance paths all over Britain, and is equally at home in a tent or bothy in the Scottish Highlands as he is in a nature reserve hidden in some unconsidered London suburb.

Peter still relishes the surprise on people’s faces when he tells them that some of his favourite walking is in London and Essex. The secret is knowing where to look. This started early for Peter, visiting his uncle's farm in Essex; later, taking the tube out to Epping Forest after work so that he could walk back home through it. Now, as a walk leader for the Long Distance Walkers Association, he is still developing new routes through both town and country in southern England.

Peter spent his career in education, from teacher and politician to writer and editor at national level. He is now chair of trustees for the UK wing of an international aid charity.

View author profile