Length: 13¼ km (8.2 miles). Toughness: 1/10
10:41 Epsom train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:48, Balham 10:53), arriving Mitcham Junction (TfL Zone 4) at 11:03. Please wait 5 minutes for anyone taking an alternative Thameslink service starting from Blackfriars at 10:36, which arrives at 11:08.
You'll be returning on the Northern line (from Morden or Colliers Wood), so buy a Travelcard or use Oyster. NB. You can also travel to Mitcham Jct via Wimbledon or Croydon on Tramlink; this is covered by a Travelcard but charged separately as a bus fare on Oyster.
This south London walk was disrupted for a few years by the closure of a permissive path alongside Beddington Farmlands, but this has now been re-opened and provides views across a new urban nature reserve (as well as a less appealing and controversial “Energy Recovery Facility”). A loop through Beddington Park then brings you to Carshalton, with several places to choose from if you want to stop for a pub lunch.
The afternoon leg follows the Wandle Trail, a riverside path taking in some attractive parkland and more local nature reserves. I suggest ending at the National Trust's Potting Shed café in Morden Hall Park, but if it's not too dark you could choose to carry on for another 30 minutes and complete the full walk to Colliers Wood.
You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.273 page.
2 comments:
An extra reason to carry on to Colliers Wood is that the recommended pub, The Charles Holden (facing the tube station), is holding a Christmas fair this Sunday showcasing local makers & craftspeople..looks interesting
A sunny day would have been ideal for this walk but as it was n=7 people gathered on an w=overcast_cold_day_with_occasional_light_drizzle_in_the_afternoon.
A short stroll through part of Mitcham Common, a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, brought us to Beddington Farmlands. The path through the centre of the new nature reserve is not yet open so we stayed on the current official route, where the 3 bird hides looking over the lakes were busy with birdwatchers.
After meandering through the historic sections of Beddington Park, most stopped for a brief lunch break overlooking Carshalton Pond with its Herons and Black headed Gulls. 1 went to The Greyhound and reported a good lunch in a heated cabin.
The afternoon was a gentle stroll along the Wandle Trail, where more Herons, a Kingfisher and other-birds-whose-names-I-can't-remember were spotted or heard.
As we approached Ravenshury and Morden Hall Parks, the group dispersed, with some continuing to the comforts of the tea shop and others directly to their various transport links.
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