SWC (Free) Walks

Walk 43 : Whyteleafe Circular

A circular walk through fields, valleys, woods and nature reserves on the fringe of London, covered by a Travelcard Zone 6 ticket.

Length	Main Walk: 19 km (11.8 miles), 5 hours. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow 8 hours 30 minutes. Long Circular Walk: 21.25 km (13.2 miles), 5 hours 30 minutes. Short Circular Walk: 16 km (9.9 miles), 4 hours 15 minutes.
OS Maps	Explorer 146 & 161. Whyteleafe, map reference TQ338585, is on the London–Surrey border, 8 km S of Croydon.
Streetmaps	Riddlesdown ¦ Farleigh Common ¦ Fickleshole ¦ Selsdon Wood ¦ Warlingham
Toughness	7 out of 10 (5 out of 10 for the Short Walk).
Features	On the border of London and Surrey you are never far from a main road or a residential area, but for the most part this area feels much more rural. There is an attractive country pub for lunch, and the longer of the two walks wends its way through all the large woods and nature reserves in the area. The last section along roads into Whyteleafe is not exactly inspiring, so unless you want to complete the full circular walk it is suggested that you finish at one of Warlingham's pubs and take the 403 bus back to Croydon.
Shortening the Walk	You can abandon the Main Walk after the lunchtime pub by diverting to New Addington, where there are frequent trams to East Croydon station. There are several places where you can catch a bus to Croydon. The 403 runs every 12-20 minutes along Limpsfield Road, starting from Sainsbury's (on the Short Walk route) and continuing through Warlingham and Hamsey Green. The 409 runs hourly (Mon–Sat) via Warlingham, Chelsham Common and Farleigh Common, but Travelcards are only valid on this route inside the London boundary (where the Main Walk leaves Selsdon Wood).
Transport	There are no fewer than three stations in Whyteleafe. The most convenient is Upper Warlingham, which has a fast half-hourly service from Victoria. Whyteleafe and Whyteleafe South have more frequent but slower trains from both Victoria and London Bridge. All three Whyteleafe stations are in Zone 6. A Travelcard is also valid on the entire 403 bus route between Warlingham and Croydon, and the Tramlink network (at New Addington). If driving, there are car parks at Upper Warlingham and Whyteleafe stations which are free on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Saturday Walkers Club	Take the train nearest to 9.45 from Victoria to Upper Warlingham. Journey time 28 minutes. The most flexible ticket is a Travelcard covering Zone 6. If you are not buying a Travelcard, a day return to Whyteleafe South is valid for all three stations in Whyteleafe. If you finish in Warlingham, take the 403 bus to Croydon, where there are frequent fast trains back to Victoria and London Bridge. If you complete a circular walk back to Whyteleafe, you can return from either Upper Warlingham or Whyteleafe South. Note that both stations only have an hourly service on Sundays.
Train Times	Between London and Upper Warlingham: Tomorrow ¦ next Saturday ¦ next Sunday Between London and Whyteleafe South: Tomorrow ¦ next Saturday ¦ next Sunday
Lunch	The White Bear (01959-573166) at Fickleshole (about 9 km into the walk) is conveniently situated for lunch on both the Main Walk and its shorter companion. It has plenty of space inside and a large garden. It serves a good variety of home-cooked food and accordingly can be very busy, especially for Sunday lunch. An earlier alternative is The Harrow Inn (01883-629031) on Farleigh Common; it requires a short detour off the main route.
Tea	At the end of the Main Walk there are two nice pubs just off Warlingham Green, The Horseshoe (01883-622009) and The White Lion (01883-629011). These serve tea and coffee as well as stronger fare. There is nothing quite so appealing in Whyteleafe; there is a pub and several café/diners of the "all-day breakfast" type, but at the time of writing the cafés all close at around 3pm. There are no refreshment places near Whyteleafe South station.

Walk Options ( Main ¦ Short )

Click on any option to show the sections making up that route, or the heading above to show all sections.

Main Walk, ending in Warlingham (19 km)

Main Walk, with alternative route (18½ km)

Long Circular Walk (21¼ km)

Short Circular Walk (16 km)

Walk Directions

Click on any section heading to show/hide its directions, or the heading above to show/hide all directions.

Whyteleafe to Riddlesdown (1¼ km)

The most convenient station for starting this walk is Upper Warlingham¹, but you can use the directions at §1b from Whyteleafe station, which is only a few minutes' walk away.

Starting from Upper Warlingham Station

Go up the steps in the middle of the platform and turn right on the footbridge to come out onto Westhall Road. Turn left, go down to the bottom of the hill and turn right into Hillbury Road. In 80m turn left into Whyteleafe Recreation Ground.

Continue the directions at [•] below.

Starting from Whyteleafe Station

Leave the station by a path at the front of the platform and turn sharp left. Go across the roundabout on the A22 (there is a pedestrian crossing off to the left), up the B270 (Hillbury Road) and under the railway bridge. In 100m turn left into Whyteleafe Recreation Ground.

[•] Go through the small car park, past some public toilets and continue ahead on the tarmac path. In the centre of the Recreation Ground, fork left onto a path which leads up towards the far corner, where there is a bridge under the railway (you can also cut across the grass to this point, of course). Just before reaching the bridge, bear right onto a faint grassy path heading N, parallel to the railway and climbing steadily.

In 500m, after going into a more wooded area, the path meets a high metal railing, but 10m before reaching it, bear right uphill onto a path. This soon comes out into a field and you continue along the left-hand field edge. In 100m the path goes through a gap in the trees. Turn left on the other side to emerge onto Riddlesdown², with the high metal railing now on your left.

Riddlesdown to Kings Wood (2½ km)

Continue alongside the railing guarding Riddlesdown Quarry. Where this ends, bear slightly left and then fork right to continue along the ridge in much the same direction. The path goes past a number of wooden benches and eventually reaches a hedge. Go through a gap and continue ahead on the other side. In 75m fork right and go up to the hedge on your right.

Go through a gap and bear right across a wide path into a small wooded area with school playing fields on your left. This soon comes out into the corner of a large field. Go all the way along the left-hand field edge, veering right at the end to find a path into some trees by a wooden notice-board.

Go down this path to emerge onto a semi-open area and continue ahead, past a group of young trees. Climb up the other side of the dip and continue in the same direction where a path from the woods merges from the right. Later a school playing field appears behind a fence on the left; continue to the end of this and turn left onto a narrow path between the playing field and houses. At the entrance to the school (Atwood Primary) the path turns right and comes out onto Limpsfield Road.

Turn left into Limpsfield Road, crossing over at the pedestrian lights. Just after the lights, turn right into Sanderstead Court Avenue. Where this road curves left at the bottom of the slope, turn right into Lime Meadow Avenue and follow it up and round to the left. Where this road ends at the entrance to a sports ground, turn right onto a footpath. This leads into Kings Wood³.

Through Kings Wood to Kingswood Lane (1¼ km)

Kings Wood is based on a simple grid pattern of straight, wide paths, and there is no need to follow these directions exactly. If you are feeling adventurous, go straight on when you enter the wood: if you maintain a south-easterly course (continuing ahead at path crossings but forking left whenever the path splits) you should emerge by the information panel mentioned below in about 500m.

A straightforward route is to turn left on entering the wood. Fork right in 50m and in another 100m bear right onto a wide path. This runs in a straight line through the whole length of the wood (for over 1 km), with major path crossings every 200m or so.

At the second of these major path crossings (where there is an information panel about Kings Wood), turn left to head NE. In 100m, turn right onto a side path which meanders through the trees. In 100m it skirts around the edge of a small pond and in another 125m comes out onto a wide path. Turn left and then in 40m turn right at another major path crossing to head SE.

Follow this wide path for 300m, ignoring side turns. Fork left at the edge of the wood and follow the path out to Kingswood Lane.

You now have a choice of routes to the lunchtime pub. You can take either route on the Main Walk. The alternative route at §6 is recommended on the Short Walk; it has a long stretch along a quiet country lane but it minimises the distance over which you have to retrace your steps after lunch.

Kingswood Lane to Greatpark (2¼ km)

Turn right onto Kingswood Lane to head S, soon passing Kingswood Lodge. 200m along the lane, where it turns to the right, go through a squeeze gate on the left onto a narrow path, with a field on your right. In 125m, turn left at a path T-junction and now follow this bridleway for 900m to reach Old Farleigh Road. Cross this busy road carefully to go onto Farleigh Common.

If you want to detour to the Harrow Inn for an early lunch stop, turn right to walk parallel to the road; you can choose between a tarmac path and several grassy paths nearer the trees. In 300m cross back over the main road at a junction to reach the pub.
Afterwards, return to this road junction. Cross over and take the bridleway to the left of Harrow Road, heading E, soon with Littlepark Wood on your left. In 300m continue ahead through a small clearing to go between wooden posts. In another 200m, at the entrance to Greatpark Wood, go straight on at a path junction. Continue the directions at [•] below.

For the main route (bypassing the Harrow Inn), go straight across the common towards a wood, still heading E, and take a footpath going half-right into the trees. Ignore a left fork and continue in the same direction until the path bears left and comes out onto a large field.

Turn right here to follow the field edge. About 100m before the end of the field, follow the path as it turns half-left to cut off a corner of the field. Enter Greatpark Wood, go up to a path junction and turn left.

[•] Almost immediately after the path junction, fork right onto a footpath and follow this narrow path along the edge of the wood. It soon curves left to head NE and the large new Greatpark estate appears on your right. Opposite the prominent clocktower there is a plaque⁴ by some metal gates.

Greatpark to Fickleshole (2 km)

Continue NE along the path and then in the same direction into the wood where the estate ends. 100m into the wood, veer right with the path, staying close to a wire fence on the right. In another 200m go over a stile and follow the path to the right. In 50m cross another stile and then in 20m turn left at a path T-junction in front of a hedge.

The path soon merges with a bridleway from the right and you follow this as it swings right to head NE. In 250m the bridleway – which you now see is Cycle Route 21 – comes out onto a minor road, where you turn right.

100m along the road, turn left onto a bridleway, still following the CR21 sign, and stay on this path for just under 1 km. After crossing a valley go past stables to come out onto Fairchildes Road and turn left. The recommended lunch stop, the White Bear, is on the left just after the road bends to the right.

To continue the Main Walk, go to §10. If you are doing the Short Walk, go to §7.

Kingswood Lane to Fickleshole (3¾ km)

Turn left onto Kingswood Lane to head N (away from Kingswood Lodge). In 75m, cross a stile on the right at a footpath sign to go along the right-hand edge of a large field.

At the end of the field follow the path half-left downhill into Mossyhill Shaw. Stay on the path as it curves to the right around the edge of the wood at the bottom of the valley⁵. The path climbs up the other side and continues between hedges, eventually coming out onto Old Farleigh Road.

Cross this main road carefully and turn half-right up a driveway and past some cottages. Cross a stile on the left at a footpath sign and go along the left-hand field edge. At the end of the field veer right to find an exit in the middle of the top field edge. Go down a slope, cross a stile and turn left onto a lane (Farleigh Court Road).

You now follow this quiet country lane for 1¼ km. After passing Church Road in 600m, there is a long stretch with no side turnings or footpaths off. Eventually, just past some wide metal gates in front of a barn, turn left onto a track with a footpath sign (if you miss this, there is a bridleway on the left 40m later, opposite a small car-parking area; the two paths later merge).

The first track goes past Hazelwood Stud and then curves left past some modern cottages. Turn right here at a footpath arrow onto a very faint grassy path across the common (if it is not visible, head E for 150m to find a white-painted metal post⁶ in the hedge ahead, between a metal gate and a stile). Go over the stile and bear slightly left across the field towards another stile, 25m to the right of a metal gate. Cross this and continue up to a wide track.

Turn left onto this bridleway and follow it for 500m across a valley. On the other side, go past stables to come out onto Fairchildes Road and turn left. The recommended lunch stop, the White Bear, is on the left just after the road bends to the right.

If you chose this alternative route but are doing the Main Walk, go to §10.

Fickleshole to Greatpark (2 km)

Turn right out of the pub, retrace your steps past Fickleshole Farm and turn right to go back down the same bridleway, signposted as Cycle Route 21 to Gatwick and Warlingham. On the other side of the valley, ignore the stile and path on the right and continue on the bridleway up to a minor road.

Cross the road and go over a stile just off to the left and then another stile into a field. Bear slightly left, aiming for its far left-hand corner. Cross a stile on the left here into a small wooded area, then follow the path round to the right alongside a field.

Cross a wide path and go over a stile to continue along the left-hand edge of a long narrow field. At the end, cross another stile and continue ahead on a path, soon with the Greatpark estate behind trees on your right. Keep close to its boundary fence until the path comes out in front of its gated entrance.

Greatpark to Limpsfield Road (1½ km)

Cross the estate's access road to continue on the cycle path which runs alongside it. After passing Warlingham Park School, and 10m before a bus shelter, turn half-left onto a narrow path to reach another road (if you miss this, turn left at the road junction up ahead, then take the first turning on the right). Cross over this road and continue along the pot-holed lane opposite, which goes past some houses to reach the Bull Inn on Chelsham Common.

Turn half-right at the end of the pub car park and head SW across the triangular common to reach a junction of roads on its far side. Continue in the same direction along Chelsham Road. In 100m, turn left onto a bridleway into a wood, again signposted as Cycle Route 21. After passing Cherry Tree Cottage, ignore a footpath off to the left and continue SW through the wood.

After leaving the wood the path goes alongside Greenlawn Memorial Park and later passes Chelsham Place Farm before reaching Limpsfield Road.

If you want to finish the walk at this point, turn right to go past the Hare & Hounds pub, a possible tea stop. On the other side of the roundabout (outside Sainsbury's) you will find the terminus for the 403 bus, which you can take to Croydon.

Limpsfield Road to Westhall Road (2¾ km)

To continue the walk, cross Limpsfield Road carefully to go along High Lane opposite. Follow this round to the left as it goes gently downhill. 200m from the main road, turn right into Plantation Lane.

This bridleway descends gently, with attractive views through the hedge on the left of Halliloo valley and a golf course. In 800m the path curves to the left and begins to descend more steeply. In a further 150m or so, opposite a stile on the left leading onto the golf course, take a narrow path on the right which heads steeply uphill into the wood.

In 125m, turn right in front of a house and follow the path up to a minor road (take care as there is no pavement and traffic can be quite fast). Turn sharp left onto the road, doubling back to go past the other side of the house.

After going downhill on the road for 200m, take an unmarked path on the right which initially runs close to the road and then gradually moves away. Cross a stile into a field and follow a clear path along the ridge, with fine views towards Woldingham on the left. Cross a pair of stiles into a second field and continue along the ridge. At the end of the field, cross a stile to reach a wide track and turn right to go uphill.

The track leads onto a tarmac drive which then goes past some houses and emerges onto a road. Continue ahead, ignoring side turns, to reach a junction with Succombs Hill. Cross this busy road carefully and continue ahead on Landscape Road. In 300m this comes to a junction with Westhall Road.

To complete the Short Walk, go to §17.

Fickleshole to Hutchinson's Bank (2½ km)

Turn left out of the pub to continue E along Fairchildes Road. Shortly after passing a road off to Selsdon and Croydon, fork left up a farm drive and go through a gate on the right at a footpath sign. Go over a stile into a large field and turn half-left to head NE, crossing several more stiles where the field has been divided up with fences.

After the last set of stiles continue in the same direction, passing to the right of some large trees in the field. Eventually a stile comes into view in the field edge ahead. Cross this and go down an overgrown footpath through a strip of trees, heading E. At the end, go past a rusty gate and continue ahead on what used to be a minor road but is now just a cycle route (CR21 again).

In 200m this lane comes to a road, but shortly before reaching it turn left onto a track, following the CR21 sign. Continue along this straight path – an old Roman road – for 500m, passing playing fields and later a school on your left. Where the path meets King Henry's Drive, turn left and then fork left on a tarmac path along Fairchildes Avenue to go past more school buildings.

500m along this road, and just after passing Fairchildes Childrens Centre on your left, go through a gap in the trees on your left. Turn right on the other side to walk along the field edge, parallel to the road. After 200m, go back through another rubbish-strewn gap but turn left onto a narrow path before reaching the road (you can avoid the rubbish by taking another exit from the field 30m later, but you have to scramble over a large tree trunk).

The path goes through trees and later veers left downhill for a short distance before turning back to the right. Eventually you emerge onto an attractive semi-open area known as Hutchinson's Bank⁷.

Along Hutchinson's Bank to Featherbed Lane (1 km)

Where the main path veers left downhill, fork right onto a grassy path to continue along the ridge in the same direction. Just before this path veers right into trees, take a narrow path on the left between a fence and the trees (not one going sharp left downhill), which soon emerges onto the bank again.

If you want to finish the walk in New Addington, you should stay near the top of the ridge for about 800m until you eventually come to a T-junction with a tarmac path. Turn right here and follow the path uphill to North Downs Road. Turn left and in 25m veer right along a tarmac path on the right of a wide grassy area. The Croydon Tramlink stop is on the other side of a road at the end of this path; there are some cafés and takeaway places in the parade of shops off to the right.

To continue the walk, carry on along the ridge but veer left downhill at some point in the next 500m. If you then turn right onto a wide track halfway down the slope, this leads into a cul-de-sac (Farleigh Dean Crescent) which takes you down to its junction with Featherbed Lane. A more attractive alternative is to continue downhill and turn right onto any of the paths which run parallel to Featherbed Lane at the bottom of the valley; these all lead to the same junction.

If instead you stay near the top of the ridge, you will eventually meet the tarmac path mentioned above; turn left here to go steeply downhill to Featherbed Lane. A task group tries to keep the area at the top of the bank clear of rubbish, but it appears to be a Sisyphean task.

Featherbed Lane to Selsdon Wood (1¼ km)

Cross over Featherbed Lane a little way past its junction with Farleigh Dean Crescent and take the bridleway (signposted to Farleigh Court Road) uphill into Frith Wood, with a golf course on your right. In 175m, by a low wooden bench, take an unmarked path on the right. This soon curves left to head W near the edge of the wood.

Stay on this path for 750m, ignoring ways off to the left. After the end of the golf course, the path meanders through the trees and eventually emerges onto a chalky track between hedges, with another golf course on the other side. Turn right and follow this track downhill to a major path crossing, with a bridleway on the left, a tree-lined residential street on the right, and a sign for Selsdon Wood Nature Reserve⁸ ahead. Go past the sign into the wood.

Through Selsdon Wood to Kings Wood (2 km+)

Selsdon Wood is a very pleasant place to explore and it seems invidious to specify a particular route through it. You enter the wood at its easternmost point and eventually you want to leave it via the car park in its westernmost corner, about 1 km away. Most of the area is wooded, but near the car park there are open fields separated by hedgerows and small copses of trees. Some possible routes are outlined below:

• Fork left in 75m, where the London Loop goes right. The path climbs gently for 250m and then emerges onto an open area. Head for the copse opposite and bear left to go alongside it. At the end, bear slightly right downhill and follow a grassy path more or less due W through several fields and hedgerows to the car park.

• Fork right along the London Loop for about 500m and then turn left onto any of the wide paths through the wood heading SW. When you come to an open area, continue in much the same direction (perhaps slightly to the right) to reach the car park.

• Turn left at a path crossing just after the initial fork. At another crossing after 300m, go straight on and continue W through the wood. At some point, veer right into an open area and go through this to the car park.

• Turn left (as above), then left again at the second path crossing, staying closer to the edge of the wood. Later you will need to choose one of the paths going off to the right and head NW to reach the car park.

Leave Selsdon Wood through its car park and turn right onto Old Farleigh Road. Cross this road carefully and almost immediately turn left into Kingswood Way. This soon starts to climb gently and in 300m goes across Kersey Drive. In another 300m the road bends to the right; soon after it curves back to the left, and opposite a large new house "Woodgate", make your way past a vehicle barrier on the right to join a wide path into Kings Wood.

Through Kings Wood to Kingswood Lane (1¼ km)

For your second foray into this wood you can again take any route you wish. Aim to leave the wood in the centre of its south-east side, at the end of a long straight path through the length of the wood.

A straightforward route is to turn left in 75m at the first path crossing. In 200m, go straight on at a path crossing and in another 200m, turn right at a path T-junction. In 100m go straight on at a major path crossing (with a low wooden bench). Finally, in 200m turn left at the next major path crossing and now follow this long wide path through the rest of the wood.

At the exit from the wood, the path continues ahead for 75m to reach Kingswood Lane, where you turn right.

Kingswood Lane to Warlingham (1¾ km)

In 30m turn left into an unmade-up lane, signposted as a bridleway to Farleigh Common. Go up to and through a small car-parking area in front of Kingsmead and veer left through a gap in the fence onto a car-wide track. In 30m ignore two paths off to the left and keep right to head S between fences.

In 250m the path comes out into the corner of a playing field, in front of a children's playground. Bear right and go round two sides of the field to the opposite corner. Continue along an alley between fences, across a residential street and then up to another. Turn left and then follow the road as it curves round to the right to continue in the same direction.

In 150m you pass All Saints' Church and continue ahead into Church Lane (this is a right of way so you can ignore the 'Residents Only' sign). At the end of this cul-de-sac veer left between metal barriers onto a narrow path. After passing some new houses behind a high wall, ignore a path joining from the left but then immediately fork left to go through a wooden kissing gate into a small playing area.

Bear right and go across the grass to another kissing gate. Continue in the same direction along a minor road, which in 150m meets Farleigh Road by the Village Hall. There are two possible tea places on your right: the Horseshoe and (next to it) the White Lion.

Warlingham is a nice place to end this walk and it has a frequent bus service (403) to Croydon, on which Travelcards are valid. The bus stop is just off to the right, on Warlingham Green: go over the zebra crossing opposite the White Lion, turn right and bear left alongside the green to reach it.
If you want to complete a circular walk, however, directions are given below for the 30 minutes of rather uninspiring road walking back to one of the stations in Whyteleafe.

Warlingham to Landscape Road (1¼ km)

Cross Farleigh Road opposite the Horseshoe, go past the Village Hall and then cross Limpsfield Road carefully into Chapel Road opposite. Follow this out to a green and go straight across it to join Westhall Road, heading SW.

In 150m, ignore the B270 turning on the right, signposted to Whyteleafe. In another 500m, stay on Westhall Road (forking right) where Narrow Lane goes off to the left. In a further 200m the road turns sharply right where Landscape Road joins from the left.

Westhall/Landscape Road to Whyteleafe (1 or ¾ km)

There are two stations in Whyteleafe at which you can finish the walk. Upper Warlingham has a fast half-hourly service, but Whyteleafe South is slightly closer and has four trains an hour during the day.

Finishing at Upper Warlingham Station (1 km)

Continue along Westhall road (ie. staying in the same direction if joining from Landscape Road). After 500m the road curves left and descends steeply. 100m after the road curves back round to the right, with a view of the valley ahead on your left, take a tarmac path on the left which leads to a footbridge over the railway. Trains to London leave from the platform on the far side.

Finishing at Whyteleafe South Station (¾ km)

At the road junction, take a tarmac path between fences heading W (ie. turn left if coming from Landscape Road). After going gently downhill and crossing a minor road, the path becomes a flight of steps (known as Jacob's Ladder) as it plunges down the side of the valley.

At the bottom, go straight on under a railway bridge and continue along Well Farm Road, between offices and a large new housing development. At a T-junction with the A22, turn right and cross the main road with great care (pedestrian lights are promised here). The station is 200m ahead on the left, at the junction with Salmons Lane. Go over the level crossing and turn right onto the platform for trains to London.

Return to Top ¦ Walk Map ¦ Walk Options ¦ Walk Directions.

Walk Notes

Driving	Start: Whyteleafe Station is near : CR3 0AD. [gmap]
Train Travel	London to Whyteleafe
Downloads	Download and print the PDF file. Tip: In the Print screen, select Page Scaling : Multiple Pages per Sheet. Try 2 pages. Download Walk (Updated: May-08)

Walking Instructions

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