Route Section LOOP Walk

Section 2 (Old Bexley Village to Jubilee Country Park)

Description:

This section manages to find a very green and mostly easy route through the suburbs of southeast London, with little roadwalking.

It starts in Old Bexley High Street, close to Bexley station. At first, it shares the route of the Cray Riverway through sports grounds and wasteland, then beside the River Cray in Foots Cray Meadows, possibly one of the most charming sections of the whole London Loop.

Leaving the Cray Riverway at Foots Cray, the route winds through residential areas and more sports grounds (including Cray Wanderers, one of the oldest football clubs in Britain). After the formal gardens surrounding Sidcup Place (now a huge pub-restaurant) and Queen Mary’s Hospital, you cross the busy Sidcup Bypass to reach Scadbury Park, a large nature reserve run by the London Borough of Bromley. Here the route is shared with St Paul’s Cray Circular Walk, passing the moated remains of Scadbury Manor, to emerge on to St Paul’s Cray Road.

The route descends gently on tracks among the trees and fields of Petts Wood (a National Trust property), linking with the Petts Wood Circular Walk. You cross three railway lines in quick succession to reach the section end in Jubilee Country Park, where there is a link to Petts Wood station.

Distance:

6 miles ( 10 km)

Start:

Old Bexley (High Street, close to Bexley station, GR 494-735)

Finish:

Petts Wood (Jubilee Country Park, GR 440-680)

Recommended direction:

Northeast to southwest

Terrain and surface:

Mostly level with some gentle slopes. Long flights of steps on three footbridges across railway lines near Petts Wood. One stile. 1.0 km (0.6 miles) beside roads

Signage:

Signage complete both ways

Refreshments and toilets:

Pubs and cafes in Old Bexley, Foots Cray, Sidcup and Petts Wood. Public toilets at Old Bexley and Sidcup Place Park

Public transport and breakpoints:

Rail: Bexley, Albany Park, Petts Wood
Buses: at points above plus Sidcup and St Paul’s Cray Road

Links with other walks:

Cray Riverway, St Paul’s Cray and Petts Wood Circular Walks

Map required:

Explorer 162

Principal promoters:

London Walking Forum, LB Bexley, LB Bromley