The London Outer Orbital Path, or London LOOP as it's known, is a 150 mile signed walk along public footpaths, and through parks, woods and fields around the edge of Outer London. It's handily divided into 24 sections of varying lengths- I picked up the guidebook a while ago and have been intending to explore it for ages!
As part of my training for the Shine Night Walk Half Marathon I'm trying to fit in a long walk every weekend - starting at around 1hour and building up to 3-4 hours. This past weekend, I decided to explore Section 6 of the London Loop which passes to the south of Croydon.
London LOOP : Section 6 Coulsdon South to Banstead Downs
It was easy to catch a bus from Croydon to Purley, and then walk to join the London LOOP path at Coulsdon South. The first section of the route is on pavements, following a steady climb through residential streets in Coulsdon and Clockhouse.
Finally you join a muddy trail through Woodcote Park which passes by a few farms and open fields, with some pretty impressive views down across London.
It was quiet - I passed nobody on the path, and after walking past houses this felt much more like a rural walk in the country which I enjoyed- although there was a lot of litter around.
Blackberries were growing on the bushes, wild flowers lined the sides of the trail, and as I turned the corner to cross the main road towards Banstead I stumbled upon Mayfield Lavender Farm with fields of purple stretching into the distance!
Bizarrely the place was packed with Japanese tourists, and people taking photos in extravagant evening gowns - check out this Time Out article to see what I mean! I managed to snap one on my phone, although crouching down to get the lavender in behind me put me very close to the clouds of bees who were loving the plants. The field sounded like it was quietly humming there were so many!
After getting distracted by the lavender - you can buy all sorts of scented products in their shop, from bubble bath to tea, as well as plants to start your own field - I rejoined the London LOOP path into The Oaks Park.
There's a really big sign at the entrance to the park showing the London LOOP section 6 that I was walking, which was very handy!
Generally the signage along the way was really good, with arrows at regular intervals directing you where to go. There were only a couple of points where I pulled out my map or checked my phone to make sure I was going the right way. I'd be interested to see whether that's the case if you walk it in reverse, as most people tend to go clockwise!
The Oaks Park was lovely, with rose gardens and ornamental plants. The London LOOP path then passes through into the Oaks golf course - here was where I ended up going slightly off course, walking all the way north through the golf course and out the other side, instead of following the edge west towards Banstead Station.
I decided after realising this to walk to Carshalton station instead totalling just over 5miles. The London LOOP Section 6 is supposed to be 4.5miles so with my extra bit on the beginning, I was expecting to have walked a bit further than I did, but I guess my detour at the end wasn't quite as far as it should have been had I actually gone the right way!
It was quite a warm day so I wore my Camelbak backpack to keep me hydrated, but didn't need to eat anything, even though I was walking quite slowly. After the first test, I'd definitely be keen to walk a longer section of the London LOOP route - it was really interesting to explore parts of London I wouldn't normally visit and find some hidden gems!
Have you walked any of the London LOOP? Or discovered any new places near you recently?
Beki x
![[GRUFFALO] Exploring the #Gruffalo Party Trail @forestryengland Salcey Forest, celebrating 25 years of the Gruffalo!
Arthur is Gruffalo OBSESSED at the moment, so this was the perfect trail for us to walk together as a family, stopping to complete the activities and enjoying the beautiful autumn colours π
We missed the Gruffalo sculpture halfway round - not sure if there was a signpost - and someone's legs were a bit too small to walk the whole 1-mile route, but we enjoyed the den building area and wooden enchanted houses en route. Good places to stop for a sit down and a snack! π
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What fun! We have plans to walk the London Loop and the Thames River Path in the next few years. Love a good bimble!
I really wish I'd known about this a few months ago, I was living very near to Coulsdon. Not sure I'll have chance to explore this now, but I've bookmarked for future years! x
NINEGRANDSTUDENT: A Student Lifestyle Blog
Wow looks beautiful! That field of lavender, wow! I didn't think there was such a great area for walking in London.
The London Loop is an amazing circular walk. I completed the route about 3-4 years back. I remember getting lost in many sections. Ended up walking many more miles.
I would love to walk it all again to refresh my memory. I am so lucky that I have the Loop at my doorstep. It's just finding the time to explore it again.