Walk 18 - From Amersham at the Western End of the Metropolitan Line to Beaconsfield

 

Walk Distance  13.5Km  (8.5 miles)

Underfoot   Tracks, paths and woodland, muddy in parts

Journey Time (from Central London to Amersham by Metropolitan Line)   55 minutes

Getting Back to Central London   Return from Beaconsfield Railway Station

Points of Interest   Amersham Old Town, Beaconsfield Model Village

Refreshments -  Cafes and pubs near the start in at Amersham Old Town, shops near Beconsfield Station

Opportunities For Shortening This Walk  - None

Route Details

1.   Come out of Amersham Station and turn left. Descend to the main road and go left under the railway bridge. Immediately cross the road and take the path between the railway and some houses.  Turn diagonally left uphill and left again at the top with a road visible through the trees on your right, This is  Parsonage Wood.  Continue parallel to the road and start to go downhill. Take the right hand fork (almost straight on) and emerge from the trees with a nice view ahead.  Descend on a paved path.  At the bottom swing left around a cemetery wall and then turn right to cross the first bridge with a church ahead.

2.   Before reaching the church, turn left on a churchyard path and emerge in the attractive main street of Amersham Old Town with many cafes and pubs. Take advantage of the refreshments available as there are no more en route.  Turn left and walk  for about 200m on the right hand footway to a roundabout.  Go straight across.  After the first house there is a signposted path to the right.  The sign on the gate is “Bury Farm”.  Follow this as it swings left and go through a kissing gate into a field.  Cross to the far corner and go under an underpass beneath a busy road.

3.   After the underpass,  walk for about 150m and then turn right through a gate.  Take the diagonal path (left) leading uphill. Climb through two fields and enter the woods at the top, Emerge from the trees and continue ahead in the same direction with a prominent farm on your right. (Quarrendon Farm) Walk to the distant hedge where there is a marker post.  Swing left and follow the hedge-line towards a small wood. 100m short of the wood go through a gap so that your are now walking with the hedge on your left. 

4.   Continue past the wood. Reach the field end and turn 90 degrees right. There is a low hedge on your left.  After about 100m the hedge finishes with a post. Stop and look diagonally left across the field to see a gap in the far hedge about 200m away.  Follow the indistinct path which leads to the gap.  Enter another field and walk to the far right hand corner.  Descend towards Lower Bottom House Farm which you can see ahead in the valley. Pass through the farmyard and reach a small road. Turn right and then left after 75m to enter a track which climbs the opposite side of the valley. 

5.   Walk up the track, ignoring a left fork, and near the top reach the wall of a house.  Continue with the wall on your right.  About 100m after the wall finishes go through a kissing gate on your right and walk ahead to reach a road.  Route-finding over the next section is difficult. Please follow the instructions carefully.

6.   Cross the road and enter Hedgemoor Woods. This is quite a large area of forest but your route sticks closely to its eastern perimeter.  Where a path comes in from the right follow it to the left. Within 30m swing right on another path coming in from the left.  You are now walking in the same direction as when you crossed the road.  Go ahead through a gap in a fence signposted with a yellow arrow.

7.   There are many paths in this section of wood. Continue in the same direction with the edge of the wood visible on your left.  Where there is a choice of paths take the left one but stay within the trees.  After about 200m see see a low multi-arrowed signpost on your left.  Turn left for just a few paces and reach a prominent hollow tree. Turn right still within the wood. Follow this path to emerge in a meadow.

8.   Take the right hand of two broad grassy tracks across the meadow.  Where you meet a crossing path go ahead and 20m further on pass through a gap in a hedge to arrive at another meadow. Turn right.  At the top  corner of the meadow go ahead to find a footpath post with a yellow arrow which directs you left to a path within a narrow band of trees. Follow this path between the trees for 500m ignoring any crossing paths. Emerge on a driveway which leads  out to a lane.  This is the end of the difficult section.

9.  Turn right and follow the quiet lane for more than a kilometre.  At Rawlings Farm ignore a signposted pointing left to “Chilterns Heritage Trail”.  Continue on the lane past Widmer Farm to arrive at a junction with a track on the right.   Turn sharp left and continue on the lane. After 250m look for a signed footpath going right.  When I did this walk in July 2017 the start of this footpath was very overgrown.  However, please persevere.   After 250m the nettles and briars subside and the path opens out and descends to become a broad woodland track which swings right beside a fence.   Follow it out to a main road.  Cross carefully and enter the quiet road directly opposite. 

10.   Walk up this road for 800m to reach Wood Cottage where there is a signposted junction of psths.   Turn left on a paved track and pass to the left of the cottage.  After 250m leave the track and go ahead to the right of some large fir trees on a grassy path.  Where the fir trees end, turn sharp right and cross a field towards some woods. Enter the woods and proceed in the same direction (due west) along a generally clear, but sometimes muddy,  path until you reach a crossing track with a marker post.  Turn left and walk until you see a tall wooden fence. You have reached the outlying houses of Beaconsfield.

11.   A sign tries to direct you right but, go straight ahead and walk for about 1 kilometre with a fence on your right (and later on your left as well)  to emerge on a suburban road. Cross and go ahead into Wilton Road.  Follow it as it jinks to the left and when it reaches a T Junction, turn right on Caledon Road. Follow this road as far as it goes and then descend on a footpath to reach Beaconsfield Railway Station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walk 17 - From Upminster, at the Eastern End of the District Line, to Rainham

Walk Distance   8Km (5 miles)

Underfoot   Good paths throughout

Journey Time (from Central London to Upminster by District Line)   45 minutes

Getting Back to Central London   Return from Rainham Railway Station

Points of Interest   Upminster Windmill, Ingrebourne Valley

Refreshments -  Cafes and pubs near the start in Upminster.  Visitor Centre with all facilities at the half way point. Pub near the end.

 

Opportunities For Shortening This Walk  - None

Route Directions

1.   Leave Upminster station and walk up to the main road.  Turn left, cross over, and then right into Branfill Road. Continue to the end and turn left.  Turn right into Highview Gardens and left almost immediately into Cranbourne Gardens.  You should be able to see a windmill between the houses.  To reach it,  go to the bottom of the road and turn right along The A124 St Mary’s Lane. The windmill is on your right. After passing (or visiting) the windmill,  descend to the bottom of the hill and turn left into Bridge Avenue.  It was missing its name plate when I did this walk but you can recognise it by the London Loop sign on the opposite side of the A124 together with a large brown sign saying “Hornchurch Sports Stadium” both pointing the way.

2.   Walk along Bridge Avenue for 450m and then turn right between hedges as indicated by another green “London Loop” sign.  The path descends towards Hornchurch Football Stadium but turns left before reaching the gates and passes a small car park.  Keep left and climb a small slope.  You are now on a nicely surfaced path which will lead you all the way to Rainham.

3.   Presently you will see a short stretch of the River Ingrebourne.  This is also with you all the way to Rainham but is visible only infrequently because of the lush undergrowth along its banks. Go ahead on the path and after 700m reach a bridge on your right. Cross the bridge.  Turn left and follow the path out to a road where there are pedestrian lights to let you cross safely.

4.   Regain the riverbank and continue in the same direction as before.  Pass an “Ingrebourne Valley” sign. Continue ahead ignoring all turnings to left or right and and reach a play area and a visitor centre with a café, gift shop and toilets.  Continue past the visitor centre and reach a signpost which gives you optional routes to a “lake”.  Take the left-most route, virtually straight on.

5.   Descend slightly and reach an “Ingrebourne Marshes” viewing area with a large information panel.  Continue on the path and swing right at a corner.  Presently,  there is brief up and down which qualifies as a hill in this flat part of Essex.  Continue on the good path to reach a lake on your right.

6.   At the end of the lake turn right and walk for about 350m to reach a walled house on the right. This is Albyns Farm. Shortly after the entrance to the house turn left  on car wide track. After 200m the track ends.  Go right between some wooden posts and turn left again to continue in the same direction. 

7.   After another 500m you can see a lake on your left and a car park ahead of you with a busy road beyond it.  Pass to the right of the car park and walk out to the road.  Turn left and after 300m reach a pub called descriptively “The Flaming Grill –The Albion”. After the pub continue to the major roundabout and use the pedestrian lights to your left to continue ahead along the footway.  Cross the Ingrebourne on Red Bridge.  This is the last occasion on whichyou will see it.  Cross the access road to a large supermarket and turn left at Bridge Road. Follow it past a church on the left to reach Rainham Railway Station on the right.

 

 

 

 

Walk 16 - From Wimbledon, at the South-Western End of the District Line, to Putney

Walk Distance   7.5 Kilometres (4.5 miles)

Underfoot   Good paths throughout

Journey Time (from Central London to Wimbledon)   30 minutes

Getting Back to Central London   Return from Putney Railway Station

Points of Interest   Wimbledon VillageWimbledon Common, Putney Heath

Refreshments -  Cafes and pubs near the start in Wimbledon Village and also at the end in Putney.  There is also a cafe at the windmill in the centre of the common and the Green Man Pub at the top of Putney Hill.

Opportunities For Shortening This Walk  - You can catch a 93 bus up the hill to Wimbledon Village and a 14, 37 or 85 bus at the other end to avoid the walk down the hill to Putney Station.

Route Directions

1.   Come out of Wimbledon Station, cross the road and turn right. Cross two busy junctions using the traffic lights You are now going to walk gently uphill for a kilometre.  If you would prefer to avoid this you can catch a No 93 bus at Bus Stop R which you are about to reach.   (Take the bus for two stops to “Marryat Road” opposite the Rose & Crown Pub and pick up the route at the war memorial.) Otherwise continue up the road and come to Wimbledon Village which is full of cafes, shops, restaurants and pubs.  At the first roundabout the road swings slightly to the right. At the second roundabout it swings to the left.

2.  Continue to the end the village using the left-hand pavement. Wimbledon Common is now on your left and ahead of you is a war memorial.  Walk up to the war memorial on the paved path and go around it it to continue in exactly the same direction. (See additional map below) After a few steps, reach a small road and look ahead to the first stretch of common to see a sandy/muddy track (depending on season) also going generally in the same direction but bending slightly to the right.  Cross the road and follow the track for 140m to reach another road.

3.  There is a track, directly opposite which goes straight ahead.  It is divided into a wide bridleway on the right and a narrower footpath on the left.  Cross the road and follow the footpath ignoring all turnings to left and right including a wide path which cuts across it diagonally after 500m.  After walking 800m from the road (i.e. 300m beyond the diagonal crossing path) reach a large junction and turn turn 90 degrees right along the prominent crossing track which immediately curves gently to the right. This also has a separate walkers' footpath, this time on the right

4.  Continue for 300m on this track until you see a golf course on your left.  Leave the track and walk along the left hand edge of the golf course taking care not to inconvenience any golfers. You can now see a windmill to your right with some other buildings. Walk between the golf fairways towards the left hand corner of the buildings. Turn left and then immediately right to walk around  the perimeter of the buildings.  At a second corner turn right to reach the Windmill tea room.

5.  Upon leaving the tea room turn right and walk through the car park between the first two rows of cars.  Look ahead and see two footpaths. Do not take the broad right-hand path signposted "Capital Ring". Instead take the smaller left-hand path  which leads towards a track which you can see entering the trees, 100m distant.  Upon joining this, follow it for 50m to a junction of paths and  turn left on a broad track. Walk for 300m and where the track divides, take the left fork.   After another 300m pass underneath the busy A3.  You have now left Wimbledon Common and entered Putney Heath.

6.  25m after leaving the underpass,  turn right and on a narrower path and follow it for 100m to reach a pond at a junction of paths. Go straight ahead for 30m and then turn left at the far corner of the water so that you are still walking with the pond on your left.  After 70m, beyond the end of the pond, reach a broad crossing path and turn sharp right.   Soon you see houses and a car barrier ahead.  40m before reaching the car barrier turn left on a clear path which goes into the wood and becomes a broader track.   Follow this for the next 450m ignoring all crossing paths. At first there is a tall wooden fence on the right and later a stone wall. Finally reach a road.

7.  Cross the road and enter a large grassy area which is a cricket pitch.  Continue along its left hand perimeter to find a track in the top left hand corner.  Follow this track for 250m to reach a five way junction.   Take the second path on the right which is an earth track (rather than a grassy track)  Walk for another 250m ignoring all crossing tracks and emerge at the corner of the Heath with  the A219 Putney Hill on your right. The Green Man PH (out of sight when you emerge) is ahead on your left near the bus stops.  From here you can catch a No 14, 37, 93 or 85 down the hill to Putney High Street.   Otherwise simply walk down the hill for 900m to reach the railway station. 

8.  If you wish to extend the walk to see Putney Riverside and Putney Bridge which is the start point for the famous annual  Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race,  continue down Putney High Street for another 500m until you reach the River Thames.

 

 

 
 
 

Walk 15  From Wimbledon, at the South-Western End of the District Line, to Kingston

 

Walk Distance   8.5 Kilometres (5.5 miles)

Underfoot   Good paths throughout

Journey Time (from Central London to Wimbledon)   30 minutes

Getting Back to Central London   Return from Kingston Railway Station

Points of Interest   Wimbledon Common, Richmond Park

Refreshments -  Cafes and pubs near the start in Wimbledon Village and at the end in Kingston.

Opportunities For Shortening This Walk  -

Route Description

 

1.   Come out of Wimbledon Station, cross the road and turn right. Cross two busy junctions using the traffic lights You are now going to walk gently uphill for a kilometre.  If you would prefer to avoid this you can catch a No 93 bus at Bus Stop R which you are about to reach.   (Take the bus for two stops to “Marryat Road” opposite the Rose & Crown Pub and pick up the route at the war memorial.) Otherwise continue up the road and come to Wimbledon Village which is full of cafes, shops, restaurants and pubs.  At the first roundabout the road swings slightly to the right. At the second roundabout it swings to the left.

2.  Continue to the end the village using the left-hand pavement. Wimbledon Common is now on your left and ahead of you is a war memorial.  Walk up to the war memorial on the paved path and go around it it to continue in exactly the same direction. (See additional map below) After a few steps, reach a small road and look ahead to the first stretch of common to see a sandy/muddy track (depending on season) also going generally in the same direction but bending slightly to the right.  Cross the road and follow the track for 140m to reach another road.

3.  There is a track, directly opposite which goes straight ahead.  It is divided into a wide bridleway on the right and a narrower footpath on the left.  Cross the road and follow the footpath ignoring all turnings to left and right including a wide path which cuts across it diagonally after 500m  After 800m (i.e, 300m after the diagonal crossing path)  reach a prominent crossing track and another one after another 200m. Continue ahead and also ignore some more paths which appear right and left.   After another 700m reach a fork.  Take the right hand path and pass a golf green on your right and a bench on your left. The path starts to descend. Continue ahead and after another 500m go right and then immediately left to continue in the same direction.

4.  Through the trees on your right you will now see a large open space.  Continue to follow the edge of the woods around the boundary of these playing fields until you reach a large clubhouse.  Turn left across a brick bridge and walk towards a busy road which you can see ahead.  You have reached the busy A3.  Cross with care using the traffic lights and go ahead to enter Richmond Park.

5.  As you enter the park there is a car park on your right and a vehicle roundabout ahead.  About 50m before reaching the roundabout turn left on a prominent path among the trees and bracken. You are now walking in a corridor between the wall of the park on your left and the car road which is going to the “Kingston Gate’.  Continue for 3Km along this path to reach the Kingston Gate of Richmond Park.

6.  Exit Richmond Park and turn right on Kings Road. After about 500m the road swings right. At this point turn left into Acre Road and follow it for another 700m to reach a main road. Turn left and walk 250m to reach Kingston Railway Station with regular trains to London Waterloo.