Walk 8 From Morden, at the southern end of the Northern Line, to Waddon Ponds via the Wandle Trail
Distance |
10.5 km (6.5 miles) |
Underfoot |
Mostly paved surfaces |
Outward Journey |
By Norther Line to Morden- about 30 minutes from Central London |
Return |
By train from Waddon |
Points of Interest |
Morden Hall Park, River Wandle, Beddington Park |
Refreshments |
Stable Block Cafe in Morden Hall Park |
Public Toilets |
In Morden Hall Park |
Shortening the Walk |
Buses from several rpoints along the route |
What To Expect From This Walk
This is an easy walk following a ribbon of green parkland along the River Wandle through South London. The Wandle rises in the North Downs but is hidden underground until it emerges at Wandle Park in Croydon. From there, it is 14 km (9 miles) long and runs through London to join the Thames at Wandsworth. In its industrial heyday, it was one of Britain’s hardest working rivers, with over 90 mills along its banks. Today, the trail allows local people to enjoy the flora and fauna of this typical chalk stream in the heart of South London. This walk follows the river south-west towards Croydon from Morden. The Wandle Trail Partnership has published a brochure of the trail.which you can download from www.sustrans.org.uk.
Route Directions
1. Turn left from the station onto London Road (the A24). Cross to the other side and walk to the roundabout at the junction with Morden Hall Road. Turn right and cross at the lights. Continue for 200m to reach Morden Hall Park entrance. On entering the park, keep ahead, with a waterwheel to your right and the stable block to your left. Cross a bridge and walk to a junction of paths, where you turn right onto a broad path. 150m further on, ignore a left turn signposted to Phipps Bridge and continue straight on, following the signs for Hackbridge and Carshalton. At the point where the path leaves the park, turn right onto Morden Road.
2. Cross over and after 200m turn left at a signpost into Ravensbury Park. Cross over an unusual-looking bridge and walk through the park, keeping the river on your right. Leave the park by crossing one last bridge and swinging right to reach Bishopsford Road. Cross at the pedestrian crossing and continue ahead along a track to the right of the park gates, with a ditch and a stadium on your right and a metal fence on your
3. In 300m the path becomes fenced in on both sides. Where the fence on the right ends, turn right to rejoin the riverside path, with the river now on your left. Continue to Watermead Lane, which leads out to a larger road. Go right for a few metres to cross at the lights to an information board, which shows the onward route. Go ahead on the footpath, then turn left onto a track signposted Buckhurst Avenue. The river disappears temporarily here. When you meet it again, cross a bridge on the left and follow the path through Watercress Park
4. Follow the path as it swings right at a junction and later rejoins the river bank. Cross a small road and keep the river on your right until you reach Hackbridge Road. Go right across a bridge and then turn left to continue walking along the Wandle Trail, with the river now on your left. Come out on a road (River Gardens, which becomes Mill Lane). Follow it under a railway bridge. Turn left into Butter Hill (signposted as a Wandle Trail shortcut) and continue for 750m until you meet London Road (the A237). Turn left, cross the road and continue to Derek Avenue, where you take a path going diagonally right which leads into Beddington Park.
5. Walk along the left bank of the lake until the path turns right over a stone bridge. Leave the path at this point and go straight ahead across the grass. After passing some trees, turn right to meet the river again. Stay on the left bank and ignore a red sandstone bridge but cross over at the next (white) bridge and turn left past houses to a small car park. Go diagonally right across a field, turning left at a wall. At a fork take the right-hand path to regain the river bank. Leave the park and follow a series of signs to Waddon Ponds and Bridleway to Mill Lane for about 1.5 km. Take care not to miss the sign for a right turn into Bridle Path, a residential street. The river is often hidden from view on this section of the walk.
6. When you reach Waddon Ponds, turn right down the far side of the ponds. Leave the park and turn right to the junction with the A23. Cross at the lights and pass a McDonald’s on your left to reach Waddon Station. You also have the option of taking the Croydon tramlink from Wandle Park.
Information On The Things You Will See
Morden Hall Park is a National Trust property with 125 acres of parkland with the River Wandle meandering through it spanned by numerous foot bridges. The estate contains Morden Hall, Morden Cottage, an old Snuff Mill, and many old farm buildings, some of which are now a garden centre and a city farm. The rose garden has over 2000 roses.
Ravensbury Park The park was part of the medieval Ravensbury Manor, which dated back to the thirteenth century. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the site was the location of a calico mill and pleasure gardens. In 1929 the local authorities purchased the site and opened Ravensbury Park in May 1930. Some of the trees date back two hundred years.
Beddington Park was the former manor house of the Carew family lost to money lenders and bad debts in the 1950s. The park is one of the most rich, historical and archaeological sites in south west London with evidence of settlements dating back to the late Bronze Age. The discovery of a Roman Stone Coffin in 1930 lends weight to the idea that a grand Roman villa and bath-house once stood to the north side of the park