Get
Walks in London
Select one of the featured routes below. For information on walking routes outside of these city locations, click here
Featured routes
From Tulse Hill to Brockwell Park
This undulating route visits Brockwell Hall, a Georgian country house, at the centre of the 128 acre Brockwell Park. Other features are a walled garden and ponds. On the way to the park, you will see substantial Victorian houses.
A Riverside Walk
A walk from the Artesian Health Centre in Grange Road, Bermondsey, to the riverside
walk and on to the Design Museum.
The River Lea and Bow Ecology Park
A peaceful walk along the River Lea and into the Bow Ecology Park. This walk goes out and comes back along the same route so you can turn around to cut it short at any point. There are plenty of benches to sit on and enjoy the view and eat lunch.
Limehouse Basin Walk
A walk from Limehouse DLR station around Limehouse Basin with an optional extension to St Anne’s Church (designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor).
Brookmill Park, the River Ravensbourne and the ‘other’ St Paul’s
A circular walk around Deptford including possible wildlife sightings along the River Ravensbourne and Deptford Creek, the baroque architechture of St Paul’s Church and lively, diverse Deptford High Street with its range of independent retailers.
From Deptford to Greenwich via Greenwich Park
A walk to Greenwich via Greenwich Royal Park and a section of the Thames Path, passing remnants of the maritime history of both Deptford and Greenwich.
Rotherhithe Church and Riverfront
A circular walk around historic Rotherhithe with good views of Tower Bridge.
Camberwell Green
This flat walk around Camberwell reminds us of both the old and the new, as we walk through quiet pedestrian paths and gardens and then emerge at busy road junctions.
Poplar Dock and Blackwall Basin
A walk around some of the old docks near Canary Wharf and Wood Wharf, involving several flights of steps. A step-free alternative is included. The walks can be shortened, if required, as indicated in the text.
East India Dock Basin and Trinity Buoy Wharf
A 60 minute walk taking in a section of the Thames Path, a bird sanctuary and an unusual feature of London’s maritime past. The walk can be shortened to 40 minutes if you prefer.
Blythe Hill Fields Extended
A circular walk around Catford, following Pool River and with fine views over the City and Thames Estuary.
Historic Whitechapel
The walk introduces us to some of the rich and diverse history and culture of the area. Initially we head along the wide south-side pavements of the bustling Whitechapel Road to Altab Ali Park, passing East London Mosque and the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
Hoxton Art, Parks & Regent’s Canal
A short urban walk through Hoxton and Shoreditch which takes in a stretch of Regent’s Canal and the White Cube Gallery.
Bells of Stepney
This walk passes through quiet residential roads to the historic St Dunstan’s Church and the more recent Stepping Stones Farm and Stepney Gardens.
Shadwell Surprise
A short walk full of surprises -an 18th century church with an unexpected interior: pirate ships with no pirates, with no water to sail on; canals leading nowhere and a major shopping centre without any shoppers.
Beaumont Square Gardens
This walk along residential roads heads south from Mile End Road, passing through the historic Stepney Green Conservation Area to the attractive Beaumont Square. On our return we pass through more modern housing to the north of Mile End Road
Shadwell’s Maritime Heritage
An interesting walk with a maritime theme. Visit St Paul’s historic Church of Sea Captains. Explore Shadwell Basin, built as an extension of London Docks and pass the Willoughby Memorial, a tribute to those who died on NW Passage Expedition.
The South Bank
A walk along the South Bank, taking in Waterloo Station, The Old Vic, The National Theatre, Royal Festival Hall and Banksy’s graffiti
Brockley Footpath and One Tree Hill
A walk along Brockley Footpath in Nunhead, climbing up One Tree Hill for a spectacular view towards central London on a spot visited by none other than Elizabeth I.
Beckenham Place Park
A walk through the largest green space in the borough of Lewisham, covering 96 hectares, with large areas of ancient woodland ideal for informal woodland walks. The park is an important wildlife site.
Stave Hill and Russia Dock Woodland
This flat, scenic walk illustrates how the former Surrey Commercial Docks has been transformed by newly created woodland and park, housing developments and the use of existing docks and waterfronts.
Downham Woodland Walk
A walk through the picturesque Downham Woodland Walk and The Forster Memorial Park, with lots of ancient woodland to admire with toilet facilities readily available.
The Dark Side of Southwark
This route uncovers the area’s shady side, unearthing body-snatchers, brothels, bear-baiting, criminals and prisons. The locality was known to Dickens and Shakespeare.
Holy Trinity Church & The Clapham Sect
Clapham Common is a stone’s throw away from Clapham Common Tube Station. This easy access circular route, explores the rich historical past, that was once Clapham village.
Nesbit Walk
A short, easy access circular walk, exploring the area that inspired E. Nesbit to write her
well known book: ‘The Railway Children’.
Life and Death
This is a walk of contrasts! It starts and ends with a walk along busy shopping streets, with the tranquility and greenery of West Norwood Cemetery in the middle.
Blackheath and Greenwich Revealed
A linear walk crossing the border between two London boroughs, passing through exclusive Blackheath Village, across the expanse of Blackheath finishing at the Cutty Sark; via Greenwich Royal Park and the Royal Observatory.
Green Spaces and River Front
A walk from the Albany Theatre in Deptford to the Sue Godfrey nature reserve and along the Thames path.
River Thames & Hilton Hotel
A circular walk around Rotherhithe starting from Surrey Docks Health Centre
Goats and Sails and Greenland Dock
A walk to Surrey Docks City farm through the former Surrey Commercial Docks
Pockets of Green in Peckham
This walk makes the most of Peckham’s Green spaces and visits Burgess Park, Lucas Gardens and Warwick Gardens.
Leafy Dulwich
A longish, green walk through Belair Park and Dulwich Park via the Dulwich Gallery and Dulwich College.The route passes playgrounds, a cafe, a boardwalk and various styles of gardens. There is the option to shorten the walk by approximately 20 minutes.
Bermondsey, Thames Path and Southwark Park
Starting from Bermondsey station, the walk heads for the river to explore part of the Thames Path and links with The Mayflower, Dr Salter, King Edward III and the engineer Brunel. It then passes through leafy Southwark Park before returning to the start.
Parks, Gardens & Railway Arches
A circular walk around Southwark through parks, gardens and under railway arches.
Lewisham Park and Ladywell Fields
A walk from Lewisham Library, taking in the local green spaces of Lewisham Park and Ladywell Fields.
Tate, Thames and Theatre
An ‘arty’ amble to Tate Modern followed by a riverside Thames walk to the Globe Theatre.
Historic Southwark
This flat walk explores the historic parts of Southwark, well known to Dickens and Shakespeare. It also
focuses on how local community action is improving the area. For the most part the route uses quiet
side streets but the pavements in the immediate area around Borough Market and Borough High Street
may be busy at lunch time, rush hour or during market hours. The section from the Cathedral to the
Anchor Pub is largely vehicular free, but has cobbled streets and restricted pavement width.
Between the Basins: Shadwell and Limehouse
An urban circular walk that can be shortened, if desired, exploring the heritage of East London’s past.
Three Mills Conservation Area
This walk visits the Three Mills conservation area of East London where historic watermills adjoin Film Studios and developments for the Olympic Games.
London Yard and West India Dock
This easy circular walk heads east, across Millwall Inner Dock, to the River Thames at London Yard. It returns alongside the former West India Dock, where we have magnificent views of Canary Wharf.
Canary Wharf and River Thames
This walk visits Canary Wharf and then returns along the River Thames. Although this walk is step-free, at Canary Wharf, it is necessary to descend 12 shallow steps to get there. A lift for 1 or 2 buggies, at a time, is available.
St. George’s Gardens and Tobacco Dock
An easy, short circular walk, visiting a garden and Jack the Ripper territory.
Canary Wharf and Blackwell Basin
An easy circular walk viewing architecture spanning three centuries.
Victoria Station to Waterloo Station
This walk takes you from Victoria station to Waterloo station (with options to detour to Green Park or Westminster underground stations) passing through areas rich in royal history and association.
St Pancras to Embankment, via Holborn and Covent Garden
This urban walk links four busy central London tube stations away from the main roads and crowds – with an Olympics connection at each end and some interesting historical sites along the way…
Liverpool Street to Waterloo station via Bank station
This route from Liverpool Street station to Waterloo via Bank is useful for commuters who want to avoid the tube during the 2012 Olympics.
Slithery Snakes & Dalston Squares
A lovely Hackney walk through Dalston Squares ranging from modern Evergreen Square with its rubber mounds and valleys to the older Victorian squares such as Albion and De Beauvoir Squares with their peaceful gardens.
Hackney Village
This short walk visits the green, historic, village centre of Hackney. The route includes quiet roads, paths, main roads and shops. It passes Clapton Square with its new play area, St John-at-Hackney Church and St Augustine’s Church Tower. You can extend this walk with a visit to Sutton House.
London Fields and ‘Albert Square’
This interesting Hackney walk of under an hour takes you to London Fields. It passes through the Mapledene Conservation Area and finds connections with music hall singer Marie Lloyd, the inspiration for Albert Square, a historic Germanic legacy and the open air London Fields Lido.
Hackney Downs
This is a pleasant walk of under an hour through Hackney. It goes through Shacklewell to Hackney Downs and highlights how much architecture has changed in three centuries. Hackney Downs offer a trim trail, a children’s playground and a circular paved area with seats. The walk also passes St Mark’s Church, the largest parish church in London.
Barbican & Bunhill Burial Ground
A short, central London walk through the Barbican area and Bunhill Fields Burial Ground. It also goes through Fortune Street Park which has a playground, flowers and picnic benches. Graves in the cemetry include John Bunyan, Daniel Defoe, William Blake and other famous non-conformists.
Bells of Stepney
This is a delightful walk of just under an hour along quiet residential streets through Stepney. The route visits St Dunstan’s Church with its historic bells, the Stepping Stones Farm, Stepney Gardens and Whitehorse Open Space with its egg sculpture, a playground and benches.
Beaumont Square Gardens
This enjoyable walk through the attractive Beaumont Square Gardens takes about an hour. Once away from the Mile End Road, this walk is mainly along residential roads. It goes through the historic Stepney Green Conservation Area and passes the Trinity Green Almshouses, the Tower Hamlets Mission and the Mile End Waste.
Bethnal Green
This is a lovely walk of just under an hour along residential and main roads in Bethnal Green that goes through several green spaces and passes a hidden Jewish cemetery. It visits Weavers Field Park, Museum Gardens, Bethnal Green Gardens and St Bartholomew’s Park. It passes a playground and can be extended to include a woodland walk or a visit to the Museum of Childhood.
Historic Whitechapel
A pleasant stroll through Whitechapel towards Aldgate. It passes well known sites such as the Bell Foundry, the Royal London Hospital, the East London Mosque and the Whitechapel Gallery as well as other less famous places linked to Marxists, the original elephant man and Jack the Ripper among others. There is an accompanying information sheet.
Stave Hill and Russia Dock Woodland
This is a scenic walk through the Rotherhithe area taking in Stave Hill and Russia Dock Woodland.
Bonnington Square
This delightful walk takes you through the South London surburb of Kennington. The walk highlights the many hidden charms of South London such as the Victorian Bonnington Square. An ideal walk for children, it passes Vauxhall City Farm as well as the green spaces of Vauxhall Park and Kennington Park. The latter is home to a cafe, playground and nature trail.
Sunray Gardens
A pleasing walk of just under three miles through Lambeth’s hidden rural charms of Ruskin Park and Sunray Gardens. Both green spaces are Green Flag award winning parks that deserve exploration. Ruskin Park offers first-class sports and leisure facilities, whilst Sunray Gardens is an ideal retreat for wildlife enthusiasts.
Brockley Footpath & One Tree Hill
A walk of just under three miles past Nunhead Cemetery and passing other nearby green spaces, including Peckham Rye Park.
London Fields
A short walk in Hackney which links the green spaces of London Fields and Victoria Park with a short walk along Regent’s Canal and the busy Broadway Market (the inspiration for TV’s Eastenders) combined with a brief look at the history of the area.
A longer walk along the canal
A pleasant walk across the borders of Hackney and Tower Hamlets which lasts just over an hour. Much of the walk follows the route of the Regent’s Canal but also passes Old Ford Lock, Victoria Park, St John’s Bethnal Green, which was designed by Sir John Soane, and the V&A Museum of Childhood.
Limehouse Basin
This easily accessible walk in Tower Hamlets follows the Regent’s Canal to the historic Limehouse Basin with its octagonal Accumulator Tower (one of the earliest attempts to harness hydraulic power to the docks) and returns through Mile End Park.
Poplar Dock and Blackwall Basin
A walk which explores some of the old docks near the Canary and Wood Wharves of East London. The route takes you to Poplar Dock, the connecting Blackwall Basin and West India Dock with good views of the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf and the Dome across the Thames. A shorter alternative route is also highlighted.
The Southbank
This is an opportunity to take a walk by the River Thames and explore the famous South Bank area – its theatres, concert halls, galleries and cafes. Starting in Lambeth, in the road that give its name to the famous song ‘The Lambeth Walk’, head through the only ‘village’ green in the city and past [...]
Tooting Bec Common
Get a taste of one of South London’s largest green spaces, Tooting Bec Common. Follow this route and find out just how close this expanse of grass and woodland is to the heart of Streatham Hill. Tooting Bec Common covers several miles and has been a designated common ground for hundreds of years. Take this [...]
A riverside walk
In under an hour, you can take this walk to get a flavour of what lies along the River Thames. Mixing some of London’s major tourist attractions with more local features, you will have the chance to see how the area of Bermondsey connects to a tourist’s view of London. Heading across the local Bermondsey [...]
Honor Oak Park
Discover the area of Honor Oak Park and explore the more hidden spaces beyond its well-known park. Walk through Guy’s Hospital Athletic Ground and investigate the paths between the houses, offering a different view from the main streets. Finally, you can visit the expansive Camberwell New Cemetery and see the unique and famous stained glass [...]
