Route Overview

Capital Ring

The Capital Ring, one of the Mayor of London's key routes, is a surprisingly green route that encircles London. If the London Loop is sometimes known as the 'walkers' M25', then the Capital Ring is their North and South Circular Roads. Distance is 125km (78ml), it threads together parks and open spaces, mostly following pleasant residential roads in between. The route is an initiative of the London Walking Forum, which co-ordinates work among the boroughs to provide uniform signage and leaflets.

The official start and finish of the circuit is on the south side of the Woolwich Foot Tunnel, but of course you can join and leave at any point. Much of it is shared with other major routes, including the Thames Path Southeast Extension, Green Chain Walk, Thames Path National Trail, Grand Union Canal Walk, Brent River Park Walk, Dollis Valley Greenwalk, Parkland Walk, Lea Valley Walk and The Greenway. The 15 sections summarised below have an average distance of 7.8km (4.9ml) and are described more fully on the following pages.

Distance walking each Section

Section:	km:	ml:
1 (Woolwich to Falconwood)	11.4	7.1
2 (Falconwood to Grove Park)	6.6	4.1
3 (Grove Park to Crystal Palace Park)	13.9	8.6
4 (Crystal Palace to Streatham Common)	6.5	4
5 (Streatham Common to Wimbledon Park)	8.9	5.5
6 (Wimbledon Park to Richmond Bridge)	11	7
7 (Richmond Bridge to Osterley Lock)	7.7	4.8
8 (Osterley Lock to Greenford)	8.9	5.5
9 (Greenford to South Kenton)	8.8	5.5
10 (South Kenton to Hendon Park)	10.3	6.4
11 (Hendon Park to Highgate)	9	5.6
12 (Highgate to Stoke Newington)	7.3	4.5
13 (Stoke Newington to Hackney Wick)	6.5	4
14 (Hackney Wick to Beckton District Park)	8.3	5.2
15 (Beckton District Park to Woolwich Foot Tunnel)	6.6	4.1

Boroughs which the route passes through:

Barking and Dagenham
Barnet
Brent
Bromley
Croydon
Ealing
Greenwich
Hackney
Haringey
Harrow
Hounslow
Islington
Lambeth
Lewisham
Merton
Newham
Richmond upon Thames
Tower Hamlets
Waltham Forest
Wandsworth

Interesting places on or near the route:

Abney Park Cemetery
Brent Reservoir/The Welsh Harp
Crystal Palace
Hackney Wick
Highgate
Horsenden Hill
Kew Gardens
Oxleas Woodlands
Richmond Park
Thames Barrier
Wimbledon Park

Signage:

The route is indicated on the ground by a variety of signs and waymarks, which are very similar to those of the London Loop. In open spaces they consist mostly of a simple white disc, mounted on wooden posts and containing a directional arrow with the Big Ben logo in blue and text in green (but note that in Richmond black replaces green due to local conservation area considerations). A word of warning: the arrow's direction may not be clear until you are close up. It is easy to assume that it points ahead, but it may turn - look closely before continuing.

On streets the posts are replaced by larger aluminium signs strapped to lampposts and other street furniture, and additionally carry a walking man symbol. On link routes to stations the word 'link' is incorporated into the logo. At major focal points you will also meet tall green and white signposts that give distances to three points in either direction. Some of these locations may also have the big, round-topped information boards.

Further information:

The latest edition of the official guidebook to the Capital Ring published by Aurum Press by Colin Saunders with photographs by David Sharp will be published in May 2010.

To watch a short video (3 minutes) from the Totally London website of Section 4 from Forest Hill to Crystal Palace click here.

 

Completed a route ? Why not celebrate your achievement by ordering a completion certificate from info@walklondon.org.uk