Transport for LondonRoute details
London Loop: Section 24 Rainham to Purfleet
| Walk facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 4.5 miles (7.2 km) |
| Location: | Havering, plus some in Essex |
| Start: | Rainham station (GR 521-820) Get there with Journey Planner |
| Finish: | Purfleet station (GR 554-781) - see text |
| Factor: | London Loop: Section 24 Rainham to Purfleet |
| Recommended direction: | Northwest to southeast |
| Terrain and surface: | Almost entirely level, with one or two short gentle slopes. Mostly hard surface, some on grass. No stiles, some high steps. 2.6km (1.6ml) beside roads |
| Points of Interest: | River Thames, barge 'graveyard', heritage mural, Coldharbour Navigation Beacon, nature reserves |
| Signage: | The London Loop is now waymarked over the newly opened Ingrebourne Hill as part of the Thames Chase Community Forest and avoids much of the previous tedious road section into Rainham. |
| Temporary Diversions: | |
| Refreshments and toilets: | Pubs and cafes at Rainham and Purfleet |
| Public transport and breakpoints: | NR/buses: Rainham, Purfleet |
| Links with other walks: | Havering Riverside Path |
| How to get the map: | Download it from www.walklondon.org.uk or call 0870 240 6094 |
| Principal promoters: | London Walking Forum, LB Havering, Thurrock DC |
Walk details:
- Apart from a road section from Rainham through an industrial area, the rest of the existing walk, shared with the Havering Riverside Path, is a fascinating contrast to the rest of the London Loop.
- The view to your right is dominated by the river, with its south bank diminutive in the distance, while shipping adds further interest.
- On the foreshore is a 'graveyard' of historic concrete barges used during the D-Day Landings of the Second World War, while a heritage mural painted by local students, a rice packaging plant and a waste transfer station occupy the adjacent land.
- To your left and ahead, Rainham and Wennington Marshes, including a former military firing range, were acquired in 2000 by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, who are creating a nature reserve for a rich variety of birds and other wildlife.The RSPB have a visitor centre with cafe and toilets.
- You are welcomed to Coldharbour Point by a navigation beacon serving river shipping.
- Opposite is the starting point of Section 1 of the London Loop at Erith, and it is frustrating that the ferry that used to cross here would have taken you directly to it.
- Anyone wishing to continue from Section 24 to Section 1 would need to travel by car, buses or taxi via the Dartford Crossing (13km/8ml by road).
- A longer, but possibly more practical, alternative using public transport is by train from Rainham or Purfleet to Limehouse, Docklands Light Railway to Greenwich and train to Erith.
