Route CommentsGreen Chain Walk

Comments about the Route

We would love to hear from you about your experience of Walking London – what you enjoyed, what you noticed along the way, what would make the walk even better. Please share your observations and comments – whether they are factual, amusing or poignant, we would be interested to learn, and to share with others who may be considering walking the path. If you have general feedback about the website then please email [email protected].

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Recent Comments

Have just completed the entire GCW (including all three starting points) with my wife and just have to thank everyone responsible for a such a great walk. From the planners to those who mark the walk and maintain it a big thank you. We have enjoyed every step we have taken. So many open spaces, wood, and parklands to discover. Some that we were familiar with, many that we were not. A big thank you to all concerned. We are now doing the Cap Ring and have made a start on the London Loop.
Paul B 13/12/2012 8:36 am

Disappointing not to have an at-a-glance picture of the route, but I hear what you say about the effort required to maintain this. To help print off overview sections, how about marking the end as well as the start of each section on the maps? OS maps are very crowded, and it’s not always clear where the GC walk leads.
Simon G 23/11/2011 9:03 am I am guessing you are using Internet Explorer as your browser for the internet? There is a minor fault at the moment when viewing walk4life maps with that browser. In fact, the whole of the line of the route is plotted as a blue line. Initially it doesn’t show up. Simply zoom in or out once when viewing the map on walk4life and the whole route will appear! The web developer has this on his list of faults to fix.
Walk London 23/11/2011

For most walks on this site, e.g the LOOP or the Capital Ring, the leaflets link gets you to a page with links to PDF files showing written directions and maps. For the Green Chain, the ‘direction’ links work in this way, but not the ‘map’ links. Please can we have map PDFs too?
Simon G 17/11/2011 8:51 am Sorry! We put together the map leaflets / pdfs in about 2009, actually there is quite a lot of work behind each one. The maps are taken from “open street map”. However, before we had finished doing the map leaflets for all 7 routes, we decided to change because we couldn’t keep the map leaflets easily upto date. The www.walk4life.info project started – which uses Ordnance Survey base mapping. This means that walkers can see the route of (in this case the Green Chain) and zoom in and out, even in print preview. You can print the route exactly as you would want to, for instance one overview print and a couple of zoomed in with street names prints. If there is a minor change in the route it is easy to update the web-based map rather than redoing a whole leaflet (in fact, as the map leaflets for sections of the other 7 routes go out of date they may be withdrawn). Plus, using the walk4life website you can keep a track on all the sections you have walked. Hope that helps shed light on your query!
Walk London 17/11/2011

Dear Sir/Madam, I am a regular walker of GC, Capital Ring, Thames Path and many other places around London City. I would say I enjoyed most of the route and had a great fun. Even my six year old daughter completed from Grove Park to Crystal Palace in one go. It was indeed superb!! In contrast I do have some complain too. The main fearsome creature is a dog without responsible owner on your way. I did have a couple of NASTY ENCOUNTERS WITH THOSE NASTY DOGS. I know dogs are friendly pets but can …
Kiran Basnet 06/08/2011 2:34 pm

Thank you to Walk London for putting this walk together, I really enjoyed it. Congratulations to the councils or whoever is responsible for the signage, the whole route was easy to follow, and puts bits of the London Loop to shame, I didn’t get lost for once. But to some of the people of south-east London, please bag your dog mess, definitely the worst part of London for underfoot hazards!
Richard Beale 31/07/2011 8:50 pm Thanks for the feedback. And about the dog mess, “Hear Hear” – it was national poop scoop week last week too!
Walk London 31/07/2011

Caution: Motorcyclists and off road vehicles are using this wood to practise their riding skills. They are noisy and pose a challenge to walkers.
John G 18/07/2011 10:48 am Which section?
Walk London 18/07/2011

3 (Bostall Woods to Oxleas Meadows)

My friend and me have now walked 6 of the 7 recommended walks around London inc. loop, capital ring etc. and all have been covered successfully. regretfully, we have failed badly to cover our final hurdle as we have found it almost impossible to follow Green Chain be it lack of signage or over signage but we cant find our way around
lilliepot 12/01/2013 3:18 pm

I had a similar experience to the others. I agreed to take a dozen people aged between 60 and 80 along the route past Woodlands Farm (having started near Lesnes Abbey which I highly recommend, particularly with the spring flowers). I walked the route a fortnight ago and there were no problems. Today the first gate heading south-west was open but the second was locked. This was rather strange as we had already crossed the farmland by then and were being prevented from leaving it.
Stuart 21/03/2012 7:38 pm

We met the same problem the Woodlands Farm section on 28/8/11. I’m told the right of way issue is being tackled. That isn’t the point. Walkers are now directed down an almost impassable overgrown path at the end of which is a locked gate, and they have to fight their way back again. This problem is shown only in a section on ‘avoiding Woodlands Farm’. Unless one knows in advance of a reason to avoid it one would use the main route information, which says nothing whatever about this problem.
Mark Smulian 04/09/2011 10:58 pm Both the section page for Greenchain section 3 and its corresponding leaflet to be downloaded from this website say about the Woodlands Farm diversion. Meanwhile having contacted again the borough council and ask about a timescale for resolving the rights of way problem, the latest is that later in September the Greenchain working party, Bexley Council and legal representatives will meet in order to agree a way forward. After that the issue will also be tabled at the next Greenchain working party meeting on the 18th October. If you would also like to write to the local councillors about your frustrations, (Cllrs Stephen Hall, James Hunt and Michael Tarrant) you can contact them through Bexley Council. The Greenchain has its own website and route pack where they also try to keep the public up to date with the situation.
Walk London 04/09/2011

The gate to Woodlands Farm is now double padlocked (24/07/11) and the footpath to them is very overgrown with stinging nettles and brambles. However I would suggest that the diversion down footpath 245 is more pleasant, offering nice views of the Shooters Hill Water tower and the route would therefore be better being permanently directed this way, avoiding the whole problem.
Richard Beale 24/07/2011 9:17 pm Thanks for the update on the gate and the vegetation. Even if Greenchain walkers have to take another route, there is still a claim for a historical right of way through Woodlands Farm.
Walk London 24/07/2011

Can I add my own frustration about the locked gates on this section – which were still very firmly locked when I attempted the route on 18/07/2011. At the very least signs to warn of the problem should be installed in prominent positions on the route. I assume this is a problem about access to Woodlands Farm – if so why is it taking so long to resolve?
  19/07/2011 9:20 am These sorts of legal disputes can occur when a right of way is questioned. There is a long history here. Bexley Council are trying to resolve the situation but it is very complex! Walk London have added their whole-hearted support to the initiative.
Walk London 19/07/2011

The locked gates between Shooters Hill/Oxleys woods and Dryden Road are still padlocked today (July 18th 2011). Surely it should be possible for the authorities to put a sign up at the entrances to this section at Shooters Hill and Dryden Road to stop walkers going down this route. Locals told me that it has been padlocked for a longish period of time i.e. years! Do we have to ask Boris?
John C Williams 18/07/2011 4:41 pm This issue still remains unresolved. A decison should hopefully be made in the coming months whether a legal challenge will be mounted or an alternative route established. A temporary alternative route would compromise any legal challenge.
Walk London 18/07/2011

The Directions to Section 3 state, “Please be aware that a number of walkers have experienced locked gates on the Woodlands Farm section of the Green Chain …” On our visit, the gate was firmly locked: this looked like the default mode to us. Very disappointing! There’s a tree trunk hanging over the 6ft high spiked palisade fence. It’s just about possible to cross going west. Certainly it’s a temptation. But, it’s a huge risk. I recommend that you change the route before anyone gets hurt.
Sandy Craig 14/05/2011 1:43 pm Thanks for your comments. You are right, it is a long-standing problem here, for which a permanent solution is being sought. The section page for Greenchain section 3 gives a downloadable map for a diversion if the gates are locked and advice for walkers.
Walk London 14/05/2011

I tried to walk from Bostall Woods to Oxleas Wood today and the gates were locked Gate B to Woodlands Farm. I was unaware they may be locked and did not know the alternative route. Would it be possible to signpost the alternative route next to the locked gates for walkers?
JB 08/05/2011 10:17 pm Good idea! I will pass these comments on to the route manager. In the meantime you might like to know that we are hard at work trying to bring about a solution which would mean the gates are no longer locked!
Walk London 08/05/2011

9 (Mottingham or Chislehurst to Beckenham Place Park)

As a resident on the Green Chain Walk, in Bromley at junction of Coniston Road and Elstree Hill, I am dismayed that Bromley Council denies responsibility for clearing fly-tipped waste on its ‘unadopted’ roads, declaring this not to be its responsibility. Surely local authorities are signed up to maintain roads on the Green Chain Walk route are kept ‘clean and green’ (Bromley Council’s own slogan?!
Marcus Oliver 14/03/2014 4:08 pm

11 (Crystal Palace to Nunhead Cemetery)

The first of the TfL walks I have tried – on a bright clear 20.2.12. An absolute pleasure, partly because of excellent signposting: the green fingerposts or wayfinding arrows generously placed along the route (nervously, I brought along my A-Z, didn’t look at it once!) but mainly because of all the surprising green spaces along the way. So inspiring to discover the work of wildlife projects, conservation groups etc, and to see Londoners of varying ages getting out and enjoying public spaces.
Sarah K 20/02/2012 8:05 am Thank you!
Walk London 20/02/2012

The Horniman Gardens are closed, and not expected to re-open until Spring/Summer 2012. The diversion is to turn left after crossing London Load, pass the entrance to the Horniman Gardens & right down Wood Vale. Pick up the route where Langton Rise crosses Wood Vale. Nunhead Cemetery was open, so no need to divert there. The leaflet & marker posts all good & easy to follow without a map.
Mary 14/07/2011 3:16 pm Thanks for the report which has been passed to the Greenchain route manager, he will need to check this one out. Building work should not prevent access through the gardens, just a small detour around the bandstand area.
Walk London 14/07/2011

I enjoyed the walk and would like to commend the efforts of all those that made it possible. The parks & woods are lovely and I enjoyed the walk particularly around one tree hill. Just one problem. The gate leading from Camberwell New Cemetery was padlocked shut and I was told by a couple walking their dog that the gate was closed from Honor Oak Park (they said there was a local dispute going on). I had to turn back and could not follow the route to Nunhead Cemetery.
david tanner 12/03/2011 9:12 pm Thanks for your feedback. The Green Chain Project Officer is investigating the issue of locked gates on the Green Chain Walk with Officers at Southwark Council and will be in touch with you directly.
Walk London 12/03/2011

Section 11 is not covered in the list of leaflets
Simon G 14/02/2011 0:46 pm The new and updated Green Chain Walk route directions are now available to download – including section 11.
Walk London 14/02/2011