Grove Park to Crystal Palace
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Capital Ring section 3 page 1 CAPITAL RING Section 3 of 15 Grove Park to Crystal Palace Section start: Grove Park (Marvels Lane) Nearest station to start: Grove Park (Rail) Section finish: Crystal Palace station Nearest station to finish: Crystal Palace (Overground and Rail) Section distance 7.8 miles plus 0.5 miles of station links via dinosaur route Total = 8.3 miles (13.4 km). Introduction Much of this longer section is shared with sections of the Green Chain Walk. It is generally fairly easy walking but there are a variety of surfaces - road, tarmac paths, rough paths and tracks - and some of them may be muddy in wet weather. The terrain is generally level with some long and quite steep slopes and steps at the railway bridges, but there are alternative routes avoiding the steps as described in the text and shown on the maps. The first of these involves a different start from Grove Park station. There are pubs and cafes at Grove Park, Beckenham Place Park, Penge, and Crystal Palace Park. Public toilets are at Grove Park, Beckenham Place Park, and Crystal Palace Park. The route is generally well signed and passes both New Beckenham and Penge East railway stations. There are signed links to Ravensbourne (rail), Beckenham Junction (rail and Croydon tramlink), Kent House (rail) and Penge West (rail and overground) stations. Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring Capital Ring section 3 page 2 Walking directions If continuing from Section 2, turn right on reaching Marvels Lane. If starting from Grove Park station, turn right from the station, then first right into Chinbrook Road where there is a defective Capital Ring sign high up on lamp post in hedge. Continue downhill and after passing the second of the two turnings into Amblecote Road on the right, cross left over Chinbrook Road at the pedestrian crossing where there is a Capital Ring sign. Take the right-hand path ahead alongside the Quaggy River. Where this comes out at the next road (Marvels Lane) you see a large signpost. Cross to the sign and turn left to start this section. Alternative route to miss the footbridge steps on Railway Children Walk From Grove Park station go straight ahead along Downham Way (no Capital Ring sign), then take the first right, Reigate Road (Capital Ring sign near corner misleadingly pointing in both directions) for 700 yards to meet the footpath off the bridge by the children’s playground. Turn left here to rejoin the main route. Continue along Marvels Lane uphill past Bannatyne Health Club. At the end of Marvels Lane, by Grove Park Library, turn right into Somertrees Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring Capital Ring section 3 page 3 Avenue (Capital Ring sign at Grove Park Library) and then almost Did you know? The path called immediately left up Coopers Lane (Capital Ring sign) to the end. At the T- ‘Railway Children Walk’ junction with Baring Road, turn right (Capital Ring sign) and then almost is named after the immediately left (Capital Ring sign) into Railway Children Walk by the right famous book The hand side of Stratfield House. Railway Children written by E. Nesbit (Mrs Edith Bland) who lived Pass the entrance to Grove Park Nature Reserve (on the right) and climb nearby. In 1971, the the 24 steps of the railway footbridge. Follow along Railway Children Walk book was made into a until it reaches children's playground. well-known film starring Jenny Agutter. Turn right at the playground and continue along Reigate Road (Capital Ring sign) until its junction with Northover Road (opposite a filling station). Cross over Northover Road. (If needed, there is a pedestrian crossing 20 yards to the right.) Continue ahead along Whitefoot Terrace (Capital Ring sign) and take the next left into Woodbank Road and stay to the right of the Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring Capital Ring section 3 page 4 grassed area. Follow the road slightly uphill passing Bideford Road and Did you know? The Downham Ilfracombe Road. Then turn right into Undershaw Road, keeping to the Woodland Walk has a right. Continue along Undershaw Road, passing Capital Ring signs, to its series of right-angled junction with Moorside Road. turns. This is because it follows the field Cross over Moorside Road and go slightly left to continue in the same boundaries of the farms that existed here before direction along the Downham Woodland Walk (Capital Ring sign). This 1924 when the London runs for over a mile (1.6 kilometres) and covers one of the remaining parts County Council of the Great North Wood. purchased 522 acres to build a housing estate. The Woodland Walk crosses four roads. At the first, Downderry Road, Downham Estate remains the largest cross the road and keep ahead along a lane serving cottages on the left to residential development re-enter the wood then turn sharp left and continue to follow the tarmac in South East London path as it crosses Oakshade Road. Shortly afterwards the path swings to and was built to house the right and then crosses Haddington Road. Where the Woodland Walk some 29,000. So large was the estate that it ends, cross Oakridge Road (Capital Ring sign) to immediately reach the warranted an extension shops at Bromley Road. Cross Bromley Road by the pedestrian crossing, of London's tramway and on the far side of the car-wash, turn left into Old Bromley Road. Then system to serve it. cross to the right-hand pavement. Pass Downham Way, Fieldside and Brangbourne Roads, then in 60 yards turn right into Beckenham Place Park at the large signpost. Follow the footpath along the right-hand side of the park, crossing a humped footbridge over the River Ravensbourne, and continue ahead for a short distance until a waymarker directs you left onto another path. Follow the path round as it bends rightwards and over the railway bridge. Having crossed the railway, take the first turn on the left, onto an earth path. This turning is easy to miss as the principal path continues straight-ahead. Look-out for the sign. To your left will now be a large mound, a recently constructed 'feature'. Continue through the woods to a junction of paths. Stay straight-ahead, keeping the lake to your right. (At this point you can take the alternative, surfaced, step-free route - see map and description on the next page.) Now keep to the left, through more woods, until a waymarking post directs you to turn right and then go forwards to the next junction. Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring Capital Ring section 3 page 5 Alternative, surfaced step-free route Did you know? Arriving at the east end of the lake, turn right and follow the path along the Beckenham Place Park was laid-out between side of the lake towards the mansion at the top of the hill. At end of the 1762 and 1793 by a lakeside path, turn right to cross the stream and rejoin the main route. wealthy timber merchant, John Cator. Here, turn right and follow the steps up to the the large signpost. The Cator family left in 1835 and leased the Break point mansion and park to The signed link to Ravensbourne station goes left here. tenants who used it as a school, a sanatorium, Alternative step free route up the slope and then a golf club. To avoid the steps, bear left at the 'step-free route' waymarker and make The London County your way up the slope to a large signpost, turn right there and you shortly Council bought the land in 1928 and made the come to the signpost at the top of the steps and re-join the route. golf club public. The club closed in 2016. If you have climbed the steps on the main route, turn right, or if you've With a Lottery grant, the used the step-free route, go straight-ahead. park has been restored to something like its Pass a Green Chain information panel and follow the main path as it twists early 19th Century and turns past another information board before it becomes tarmac and appearance. descends towards the lake. Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring Capital Ring section 3 page 6 Cross the stream by the lake and then continue uphill following the path Did you know? Beckenham Place isn't round to the left towards the mansion. There is a café and toilets on the quite what it seems, it's right here and more in the mansion. Shortly before the mansion, just past an amalgamation of two five wooden seats, turn right at a waymarker in the grass to reach the houses. The part of the park's road. Turn left along the road to pass in front of the mansion and building that overlooks the bulk of the park was turn right at the large wooden signpost onto a tarmac path. Follow this path built in about 1760 for to exit from the park into Southend Road.