Route details

London Loop: Section 1 Erith to old Bexley

London Loop: Section 1 Erith to old Bexley
Walk facts	Details
Distance:	8.4 miles (13.5 km)
Location:	Bexley
Start:	Erith Riverside (GR 514-782) Get there with Journey Planner
Finish:	Old Bexley (High Street, close to Bexley station, GR 494-735)
Factor:	London Loop: Section 1 Erith to old Bexley
Recommended direction:	North to south
Terrain and surface:	Entirely level. Mixture of pavements, tarmac paths and rough surfaces. Two stiles. 3.3km (2.1ml) beside roads
Points of Interest:	Erith riverside; Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge; Darent raised dam; Crayford Marshes; Crayford; Churchfield Wood; Hall Place, Old Bexley village
Signage:	No Loop signage at time of writing but meanwhile Cray Riverway signs can be followed
Temporary Diversions:
Refreshments and toilets:	Pubs and cafes at Erith, Crayford, Hall Place and Old Bexley. Public toilets at Crayford, Hall Place and Old Bexley
Public transport and breakpoints:	NR: Erith, Slade Green, Crayford, Bexley. Buses at all these points plus Barnes Cray
Links with other walks:	Cray Riverway (Bexley), Shuttle Riverway. Loop links to Slade Green and Crayford stations
How to get the map:	Download it from www.walklondon.org.uk or call 0870 240 6094
Principal promoters:	London Walking Forum, LB Bexley

Easy walking, mainly on pleasant paths beside three rivers (Thames, Darent and Cray) and through parks and woodland, although there are some rather unattractive urban parts.
At time of writing London Loop signage has not been put up, but most of the route follows the Cray Riverway (Bexley section), whose signs are mostly in place.
If you wish to walk this section from south to north you will find the Cray Riverway leaflet helpful as it is written in that direction.
From Erith station you make your way to the Thames, then follow it through most of Erith's riverside, except where industrial premises currently prevent riverside access.
There is almost a seaside feeling along the pleasant promenade as the river is nearly a kilometre (half a mile) wide at this point.
Beyond the town, you walk on a raised flood defence bank beside marshes, with good views of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge ahead.
You turn inland to follow Dartford Creek (the River Darenth), passing its impressive flood protection barrier.
There is a link here to Slade Green station.
Now you follow a third river, the Cray, for the rest of this section, occasionally diverting where the riverside is not yet accessible.
There is a link with the Shuttle Riverway at Hall Place.
The section finishes close to Bexley station in the historic village of Old Bexley.