Length: up to 7.3 km
Ascent: negligible
Net Walking Time: up to 1 ¾ hours
Meet: Bermondsey Underground at 18.45 hours (Jubilee Line, Zone 2).
Finish is at Canada Water
Underground, Rotherhithe Overground or Bermondsey Underground stations. All are
in Zone 2.
This varied route explores parks and waterways on
the Rotherhithe peninsula rarely seen by occasional visitors, who tend to
follow the Thames Path.
Start from Bermondsey tube near the boundary with
Rotherhithe, following a meandering route through the well-kept Southwark Park,
then cut across to Greenland Dock, one of the few remnants of the once
ubiquitous ponds and water channels of the Surrey Commercial Docks, used mainly
for timber and grain trading, before walking along the spine of the peninsula
through the enchanting Russia Dock Woodland, an infilled dock with plenty of
visible reminders of its past.
A short loop through the Stave Hill Ecology Park
leads up to one the finest low viewpoints in town: Stave Hill, a 9-metre
artificial mound with surround views to the Olympic Park, Canary Wharf, the
City of London, Westminster and most high points in South East London.
You then skirt around Surrey Water and follow the
well-maintained Albion Channel (more remains of the former docks and quays) to
Canada Water, currently one of London’s largest regeneration sites, before a
final loop through the historic Rotherhithe village and – for a short stretch –
along the Thames River, passing some famous pubs and ending back in Bermondsey.
Eat/Drink: Many cafes and
pubs en route and near the end, check the webpage or the pdf for details.
