The Walk: This is a walk through the high suburbs of South East London, with views North over London (West, Central and East) and South to Crystal Palace. It includes the Horniman Museum and Gardens, One Tree Hill Park in Honor Oak, Nunhead Cemetery, Telegraph Hill, Hilly Fields, Blackheath and Greenwich Park. (This walk is based on walks described in the book 'Hillwalking London' by Caroline Buckland, Safe Haven Books, 2023, namely walk number 5 (in reverse) combined with walk number 4.)
Map
NB The map shows my route, with various diversions and excursions which you may not wish to follow precisely.
Why do it: The walk follows a mix of suburban streets, parks and green spaces, following the high ground giving great views over London, distant to start with at the southern extreme of Forest Hill, and finishing in Greenwich Park just across the Thames from the towers of Docklands. These views will have changed radically over the last 20 years or so as the London skyline has become dominated by high rise buildings.
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| Docklands from One Tree Hill, Greenwich Park |
Points of interest include:
Horniman Museum: eclectic collection including ethnographic artefacts, musical instruments and aquaria on land donated by tea magnate Frederick Horniman. Also gardens with a terrace with views.
One Tree Hill Park in Honor Oak: contains the Honor Oak tree (or rather a replanted successor), in the shade of which Queen Elizabeth I is said to have rested, and also a viewpoint (though rather hemmed in by trees)
Nunhead Cemetery: one of the 'Magnificent Seven' Victorian cemeteries, a place for quiet reflection and dog walking. There is a viewpoint to St Pauls, through a narrow opening in the trees
Telegraph Hill (Upper and Lower Parks): The Upper Park especially offers grand views out over London
Hilly Fields: a green space preserved from development by eco pioneer Octavia Hill (nominative determinism?). As well as views North over London, there is a panoramic view to the South, including the Crystal Palace transmitters, and also the Forest Hill Transmitter passed earlier in the walk.
Lewisham town centre: with impressive tower blocks
Blackheath: a surviving common on the approach to Greenwich Park, passing the Georgian Ramgers House.
Greenwich Park: a grand park with tree lined walkways leading to the scarp slope overlooking Greenwich and the Thames. There are classic views from One Tree Hill (the second on the walk) and from General Wolfe's statue next to the Greenwich Royal Observatory. The former is much quieter than the latter!
Greenwich Riverside: including the Queen's House, Royal Naval College and Cutty Sark.
Distance: 13 miles. Can be shortened by bailing out at various stations along the way.
Logistics: Start at Forest Hill station. Finish at Greenwich station. Intermediate stations to shorten the walk are shown on the map (Honor Oak Park, Nunhead, Brockley, Lewisham)
Challenges: Greenwich Park and Riverside are amongst the most popular destinations in the capital for tourists and locals alike: expect crowds, especially at weekends. Also, there are extensive improvements going on in the Park (May, 2024), including the viewing area around the Observatory: when I was last there, the General Wolfe's statue viewpoint was fenced off, meaning the classic view over the Queens House and Royal Naval College was inaccessible, and the area round the Observatory was rammed.
The views are quite distant, especially at the start, so you will need a clear day and, preferably, a pair of binoculars. Also, the views are limited by trees, houses etc, requiring some manoeuvring, and use of the zoom lens, to get the best panorama.
Much of the walk is along suburban streets, which might not be everyone's cup of tea. That said, these are mainly well-to-do areas, many lined with trees, with fine houses and colourful front gardens.
Refreshments: There are numerous options along the route for example, Horniman Museum cafe, the Waverley Arms in Limesford Road just before Nunhead Cemetery, Skehans Pub just after Nunhead station, hipster cafes at Coulgate Street by Brockley station, Hilly Fields cafe, Pavilion cafe at Greenwich Observatory. In addition, the usual offerings are available in the shopping areas along the way, including Forest Hill, Nunhead, Lewisham and Greenwich.
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| Coulgate Street |
Similar Walks
For an overview map of all my London walks see this page.
Croydon to New Addington in South London, see this blog.
Stanmore to Hatch End, see this blog.
More Photos
Sunny day in May
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| Horniman Museum entrance |
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| In Horniman Gardens |
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| Bandstand |
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| Terrace view (St Pauls, Shard and City) |
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| Horniman Conservatory prepared for a wedding |
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| Dawson Heights (c1970) |
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| View over West London on a clearer day (Westwood Park) |
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| Forest Hill transmitter |
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| Descending Ringmore Rise (haze obscures the view) |
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| Entrance to One Tree Hill park |
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| One Tree Hill Viewpoint (Shard and City) |
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| Steps in One Tree Hill park |
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| St Augustine's Church, One Tree Hill |
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| Leaving One Tree Hill |
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| Mural, Waverley Arms (significance unknown) |
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| Entrance to Nunhead Cemetery |
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| Nunhead Cemetery |
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| Nunhead Cemetery Viewpoint |
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| St Pauls |
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| Nunhead Cemetery Chapel (roofless since being vandalised) |
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| Main entrance avenue |
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| Nunhead Garden Centre |
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| Skehans Pub |
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| Entrance to Telegraph Hill Upper Park |
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| View from Upper Telegraph Hill |
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| Battersea Power Station on the left, Nine Elms developments centre |
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| The Salvation Army centre on Denmark Hill |
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| Lower Telegraph Hill Park |
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| City towers from Lower Telegraph Hill (including the triangle of the 'Playback' building aka the Scalpel) |
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| View of Docklands from Jerningham Road |
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| Bob Marley mural, nr Bockley Station |
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| View South from Hilly Fields (Transmitters L to R Croydon, Crystal Palace, Forest Hill) |
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| Hilly Fields cafe |
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| Lewisham tower blocks from Hilly Fields |
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| Lewisham murals |
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| Lewisham centre |
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| Lewisham station |
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| R Quaggy joins the Ravensbourne in Lewisham centre |
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| Blackheath |
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| Docklands from Blackheath |
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| Shady avenue to Rangers House |
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| Cricket in Greenwich Park |
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| One Tree Hill viewpoint in Greenwich Park |
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| View from One Tree Hill |
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| L to R: Shard, City, Royal Naval College, Docklands |
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| Greenwich Royal Observatory |
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| Four chimneys of Greenwich Power Station |
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| Greenwich Observatory Viewpoint fenced off |
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| Chilling on the lawn in front of the Queens House |
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| Queens House portico |
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| Queens House portico |
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| Royal Naval College |
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| Across the river to Docklands |
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| Cutty Sark |
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