Transport for LondonRoute details
Green Chain Walk: Section 7 Shepherdleas Wood via Avery Hill Park to Middle Park, Eltham
| Walk facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 4.7 miles (7.5 km) |
| Location: | Greenwich, Bromley |
| Start: | Shepherdleas Wood (GR 441-756) Get there with Journey Planner |
| Finish: | Eltham (King John's Walk, GR 422-736) |
| Factor: | Green Chain Walk: Section 7 Shepherdleas Wood via Avery Hill Park to Middle Park, Eltham |
| Recommended direction: | Northeast to southwest |
| Terrain and surface: | Mostly level with one short steepish slope and some short gentle ones. Evenly split between tarmac paths or pavements and rough paths or tracks. No stiles. 2.8km (1.7ml) beside roads |
| Points of Interest: | Shepherdleas Wood, Pippenhall Meadows, Avery Hill Park, Southwood Park, Fairy Hill Park, The Tarn, Middle Park |
| Signage: | Complete. Logo: 'a linked G-C' and text 'Green Chain Walk' |
| Temporary Diversions: | |
| Refreshments and toilets: | Pubs at Falconwood and Mottingham. Cafe at New Eltham. Public toilets at New Eltham and Mottingham |
| Public transport and breakpoints: | NR: Falconwood, New Eltham, Mottingham. Buses at these points plus Bexley Road and Middle Park Avenue |
| Links with other walks: | Capital Ring Sections 1 and 2, Green Chain Walk Section 6, Shuttle Riverway |
| How to get the map: | Download it from www.walklondon.org.uk or call 0870 240 6094 |
| Principal promoters: | LB Bexley, LB Bromley, LB Greenwich, LB Lewisham |
Walk details:
- An alternative to GCW 8 from Oxleas Wood to Mottingham, through some less visited parks and open spaces.
- GCW 6 (together with Section 1 of the Capital Ring) leads from Oxleas Wood into Shepherdleas Wood, where GCW 7 starts.
- This passes Falconwood station, then goes along roads and an ancient track called Gravel Pit Lane.
- After crossing Bexley Road you pass through Pippenhall Meadows into Avery Hill Park, where a link leads back to GCW 6 in Conduit Meadow, and you pass the start of the Shuttle Riverway.
- A narrow path between playing fields, including the training ground of Charlton Athletic Football Club, leads to New Eltham, where you pass the station, then skirt Southwood Park and walk through Fairy Hill Park.
- After Mottingham station you make a short but delightful detour around The Tarn, a park containing a small lake surrounded by woods and gardens.
- It contains a bird sanctuary and an 18th century icewell, where ice from the lake was stored in winter for use the following spring.
- Finally you climb a steepish slope up through Middle Park, part of the Crown lands associated with Eltham Palace.
- It is a designated wildlife area, where the natural environment is enhanced to encourage plant and animal life.
- The end of this section is at King John's Walk, where you rejoin GCW 6 and Section 2 of the Capital Ring.
