Easter Monday - Join the Caravan...Three Start Points: Rivers and Parks of South East London - The Waterlink Way [Short Walk] [Walk Check]

Waterlink Way (Lower Sydenham to Greenwich) – Longer walks start from Ravensbourne (Rail) or Arena (Tram)

Length: 9.7 km (6.0 mi) [longer walks possible, see below; several dropout points en route]

Ascent/Descent:  negligible

Net Walking Time: ca. 2 ¼ hours

Toughness:  1 out of 10 

Three different start points: the Arena route ends at Lower Sydenham rail, the start of the main walk; the Ravensbourne route ends 5 mins into the main route at the first linear park. With some luck all groups get to that park at the same time…

·        Lower Sydenham start: take the 12.37 Hayes (Kent) train from Charing X (12.40 W’loo East, 12.46 LBG), arriving Lower Sydenham at 13.01.

·        Arena Tram start (one stop from Elmers End Rail): start at 11.45, for that the 11.07 Hayes (Kent) train from Charing X should suffice, it arrives Elmers End 11.38, the tram leaves 11.41.

·        Ravensbourne start: take the 11.16  Sevenoaks train from Blackfriars (calls Elephant & Castle, Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye, Nunhead etc.), arrives Ravensbourne at 11.47.

Finish is at Cutty Sark DLR or Greenwich Rail (trains via LBG to Cannon Street or Blackfriars).

The route connects a number of attractive parks and green spaces in South East London, while following the Pool and Ravensbourne Rivers. It follows parts of the well-waymarked Waterlink Way, the London-part of the National Cycle Network Route connecting Eastbourne to the Thames. Large stretches of those rivers have in recent years been re-naturalised or at least sympathetically embedded in landscaped linear parks such as Ladywell Fields and Brookmill Park, and as such the route makes for a pleasant outing in a densely populated part of London, even though some formerly highly industrialised areas such as Deptford as well as some densely built-up areas such as Catford  and Lewisham are passed through.

The Waterlink Way is a shared cycle-/footpath all the way through and as such avoids public footpaths. The route described diverts from the waymarked route where a better alternative for walkers exists.

Walk Options:

Shorter: The walk route runs past a few railway and DLR stations (Catford/Catford Bridge, Ladywell, Lewisham, Elverson Road and Deptford Bridge), enabling an earlier finish or later start.

Longer: The Waterlink Way goes through some attractive walking terrain further south than Lower Sydenham:

·        South Norwood Country Park, where it follows one of the Pool River’s tributaries, and Cator Park in New Beckenham (for that option join the Arena start, this adds 5.1 km);

·        and it also has a spur from further up the Ravensbourne in pretty Beckenham Place Park (for that option join the Ravensbourne start, this adds 4.3 km and 60m ascent).

Lunch: 1 pub, 1 pizzeria, 3 cafés/cakeries and a deli in Ladywell (4.5 km from the start), recommended are The Ladywell Tavern and Le Delice  boulangerie, patisserie and café.

Tea:  several options en route and plenty options in Greenwich, check the pdf.

For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.36