Length: 15½ km (9.6 miles), or 13¼ km (8.2 miles) if finishing at Morden. Toughness: 1/10
10:38 Dorking train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:45, Balham 10:50), arriving Mitcham Junction (TfL Zone 4) at 11:00. There are no Thameslink trains to Mitcham Jct this Sunday, but you could also get there from Wimbledon or Croydon via Tramlink. Use Oyster or contactless (or buy a Travelcard) as you'll be returning on the Northern line.
NB. If you're on a later train and don't fancy a brisk walk to catch up, you could go one stop further and join the walk from Hackbridge station: see para [4] in the directions.
Much of this suburban walk is along firm paths but don't expect it to be completely mud-free. In the first section there's a long stretch alongside what's supposed to be “London's next major nature reserve” but the promised restoration of the Beddington Farmlands site has been painfully slow. After that the rest of the morning leg is a loop through Beddington Park to Carshalton, with several places to choose from if you want a pub lunch.
The afternoon leg follows the Wandle Trail, a riverside path taking in some attractive parkland and more local nature reserves. The National Trust's Potting Shed café in Morden Hall Park makes a convenient tea stop. It's another half hour to Colliers Wood, but you could choose to call it a day and finish at Morden.
You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.273 page.
5 comments:
Looking forward to the walk. Thank you for the information.
Hey, I struggled on the initial directions a bit, and then seemed to miss anyone who was potentially on the walk. I started when I got my bearings, but I didn’t feel too comfortable walking alone and turned back. I’d like to try the next one, I’ll probably arrive a bit earlier.
2 regular walkers got off the train at Mitcham Junction. We looked around the platform and waited for the tram but didn't see anyone else. A 3rd regular walker who had taken a later train caught up with us in Beddington Park so, all included, #4 walkers. It was #mild_with_constant_drizzle_and_about_an_hour_of_dry_weather . Sorry we missed you, Aldus.
Hi There,
I arrived at 11AM and waited a bit. Unfortunately I didn't see anyone else. I really enjoyed the walk. Next time we'll see each other, hopefully :)
Thanks for the updates everyone!
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