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A walk from the Kaleidoscope Children’s Centre and Rushey Green Practice, , , SE6 4JF

Hilly Fields and Cemetery

Description: Hilly Fields lives up to its name, commanding views over the north of and beyond to Canary Wharf. Ladywell Cemetery is quirky and a peaceful place to visit. While some of the route is being reconstructed, the temporary path surfaces for long stretches are of loose material and muddy when wet.

Distance: 3.3 miles Duration: 50 minutes Paces: 6675 paces

This is a longer and steeper walk but you can turn back and have a valuable 20 minute walk, if you are short of time.

1. Turn Left out of the Kaleidoscope Children’s Centre. Walk down Hawstead Road to the T-junction with Brookdale. Turn right and cross Medussa Road, taking the path beside and to the right of the athletics track. (470 paces)

2. Continue straight with a basketball court to your right, and Ladywell Wildlife area to your left. Turn left via a footbridge over the river, and then right onto National Cycle Network 21 signposted Lewisham and Ladywell – be alert to cyclists. There are tennis courts on your left, and the new Riverside hospital building to your right.

3. At the lamppost labelled 84, fork left towards Ladywell station, cross the river, and fork right on to a tarmac path towards the main road. (1365 paces)

The left fork takes you to the Ladywell Fields Environment Education Centre and to the southbound platform of the station.

It is at this point you must decide if you have sufficient time to continue this walk (a further 35 minutes) – if not, take a walk anti-clockwise around Ladywell Fields and retrace your steps to the Kaleidoscope.

4. At the junction with the main road, turn left over the road bridge over the railway, and at the first crossing, cross Ladywell Road and walk down Algernon Road, signposted Hilly Fields and (1900 paces). Fork left up Vicars Hill; look out for a monkey puzzle tree on the opposite side of the road by Embleton Road. The first entrance into Hilly Fields has a gate and steps. To avoid these continue up Vicars Hill, until you reach the top. There is a second sloped entrance to Hilly Fields on your left (2510 paces).

5. At Hilly Fields turn left, passing benches where you will see a small pyramid bollard that marks an Ordnance survey triangulation point. Before you reach the tennis courts, turn left down a path that becomes Eastern Road, with Prendergast school high up on your right, and a micro wildlife area called Hilly Fields Woods on your left (2930 paces).

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A walk from the Kaleidoscope Children’s Centre and Rushey Green Practice, Catford, LONDON, SE6 4JF

Hilly Fields and Ladywell Cemetery – continuation

6. Cross over Adelaide Avenue at the T-junction. Once across turn right walking slightly uphill and just past the bus stop take St Cyprian’s Path down to your left. You emerge opposite Ladywell cemetery on Ivy Road (3130 paces).

7. Turn left following Ivy Road, keeping the cemetery wall to your right, cross Ladywell Road and walk straight down Arthurdon Road. At the T- junction with Chudleigh Road, turn right and then immediately left down Dressington Avenue – there’s an unusual building conversion on the corner (3700 paces).

8. Continue down Dressington Avenue bearing left at the second side road until you reach a T-junction at the brick wall of the Abbey Manor College (SE4 1JQ), turn left here and follow the building line, turning right beside a car park in front of the Ladywell Centre (on your left) (4200 paces).

9. Turn right just before the footbridge over the river at Malyons Road onto a temporary path. When the reconstruction is complete, cross the footbridge and bear right to re-cross the river by the new wooden bridge.

This path is part of the National Cycle Network Route 21 - so keep a look out for cyclists.

10. The path is blocked at Bourneville Road, so you have to turn left, pass the tennis courts on your left, to go under the railway and turn immediately right along Adenmore Road towards the Catford rail stations.

11. Here you have the option of either taking the steps, just inside the Catford station building up to Catford Road, or turning right continuing along Adenmore Road, until it meets the Catford Road. You then need to turn left and walk back on the road bridge over the railway (2710 paces).

12. Take the second left into Nelgarde Road, cross Holbeach Road with a of the same name on the left. Turn right at the T-junction with Bradgate Road and follow it to its end at Rushey Green. Turn left back to the Kaleidoscope Centre.

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