Recreational Route: Southern England/Eastern England/London
Erith to Purfleet, near-circular around Greater London via Kingston
241km/150 miles
EASY
The London Loop, pioneered by the London Walking Forum, is London's first official orbital footpath, a fascinating journey around the edge of greater London down hidden alleyways through residential areas, along rivers and canals, across public parks, nature reserves, woods, occasional enclaves of farmland and surprisingly few roads, with many unexpected gems along the way. It is easily reachable by public transport. Some parts of the route on the north of the Thames still remain to be waymarked but it is walkable throughout using the official guide.
The Hogsmill Walk forms an attractive part of the LOOP along the Hogsmill stream from Ewell towards Kingston (see also the Thames Down Link under Thames Path).
The Pinner Grimsdyke Circular Walk connects the LOOP at Harrow Weald Common with Hatch End, visiting the ancient earthwork of Grim's Ditch, with circuits of 9.5km/6 miles and 7.5km/4 miles.
The Dollis Valley Greenwalk follows a riverside route from Moat Mount to Hampstead Heath (16km/10 miles) via Barnet, Finchley and Hendon, through a mixture of countryside, parkland and green corridors. The section between Moat Mount and the edge of Barnet is now part of the London LOOP, and the route then follows the river south to connect the route with the Capital RING near Hendon, before continuing to the edge of the Heath.
The Havering Riverside Path forms the last section of the LOOP along the river to Coldharbour Point. An extension on to Purfleet is planned.
 | Adopted by the Greater London Authority as a strategic walking route. |
 | Some easy-access sections. See leaflets listed below or contact borough councils for details. |
Connects with
Highway Authorities
Parks and Countryside
Accommodation
Click here to find bed & breakfast accommodation on this path.
Tourist Information Centres
There are TICs at Bexley, Croydon, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston and Swanley. Click here for details.
Public Transport
The route has been designed to be completed in stages using public transport. The guidebook and leaflets listed below divide the LOOP into easy sections between National Rail and Underground stations, Tramlink stops or bus stops with frequent and convenient rail connections on or near the route. All but one of these points are inside the London zonal fares boundary, allowing Travelcards and other multi-modal passes to be used. A number of specially-signed link routes to stations and bus stops have been created where these are a short distance off the main route. For more on public transport in London, click here.
Maps
The route is marked on recent editions of these maps. Local street atlases may be more useful in built-up areas. See
Walking in London: Maps.
Publications
- The London Loop by David Sharp, ISBN 1 85410 759 3. Aurum £12.99 + p&p. Order here!
Handsome official recreational path guide with 1:25,000 OS map extracts and witty and insightful route descriptions. - Walk the Loop free leaflets dividing the route into 24 sections with map, route description and transport information. Order from Transport for London walking leaflet order service.
- The Hogsmill. Free leaflet from Epsom and Ewell Borough Council Ranger Service, Town Hall, The Parade, Epsom KT18 5BY, tel 01372 741191.
- Pinner Grimsdyke Circular Walk, free leaflet from Harrow Parks Services or TIC
- Dollis Valley Greenwalk. Free leaflets from Barnet Green Spaces Team. The original leaflets dividing the route north and south, although still available, are slightly out of date; a new leaflet pack dividing the route into three sections is forthcoming.
- Havering Riverside Path, free leaflet from Havering Council.
Contacts
