Boxing Day Walk: Lloyd Park to Coombe Lane

Lloyd Park to Coombe Lane

Length: Length: about 14 km km (8 miles) but there are various opt out options along the route. Toughness: 3/10

11:00 Brighton service from London Victoria (Clapham Junction 11:07) arrives East Croydon 11:16 then take the 11:21 Tram (New Addington service) from outside the staion main entrance to arrive at Lloyd Park 11:29.

If you have a local connection (London Overground or bus) you could instead catch the above same Tram from West Croydon Tram Stop at 11:16 or the 11:17 Tram from New Addington Tram Stop arrives Lloyd Park 11:30. Trams also run from Beckenham Junction, Elmers End and Wimbledon but for those you'll usually need to change.

Return trams from Coombe Lane to East and West Croydon are frequent (approx 6 trams per hour) and return trains from East Croydon are at xx:01, xx:21, xx:24, xx:51. Direct return trains from West Croydon to Victoria are ar xx:10 and xx.40

Lloyd Park and Coombe Lane are both within London Zones so you can use Oyster or Contactless.

This map-led walk explores parts of the Shirley Hills and is mainly through parks, heathland and quiet woodlands, where deer are sometimes seen. It climbs up and across Lloyd Park then explores the woodland and heathland of Addington Hill, a Site of Nature Conservation Interest. The walk then leads you through Heathfield House gardens, Bramley Bank Nature Reserve (home to stag beetles and woodpeckers) and Littleheath Woods. Then it's on to the ancient wood of Croham Hurst and Breakneck Hill, a Site of Special Scientific Interest with a Bronze Age Barrow and a view to the south from the top. From there, the walk takes you around Coombe Wood, where there are ornamental gardens, a small woodland and a cafe, before a final stretch along Addington Hill to Coombe Lane.

There are some nice spots for a picnic lunch on the route, with the benches in Heathfield House's Walled Garden probably being the most practical. Refreshments are available near the end of the walk at The Coach House Bistro Cafe in Coombe Wood, 020 8686 8914, which offers hot meals as well as cakes etc...

There isn't a walk leader and this walk is map-led so you may find it useful to look at the map on this walk's web page in advance to check which way to go around the route. You'll need to bring the map or GPS route, which can be downloaded from the L=swc.411 page.