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Oxleas Wood and Shooter’s Hill walk

Through ancient woodlands up to Shooter's Hill with far views across the south east, on to Severndroog Castle Folly

Easy London Short

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Thu, 18-Apr-24 Evening Walk: The Bluebells are Coming to Oxleas Wood (Falconwood Circular) 6 breezy overcast evening with just a few sprinkles
Thu, 27-Apr-23 Evening Walk: Wood anemones and bluebells in Oxleas Wood persistent rain
Thu, 28-Apr-22 Evening Walk - Bluebells in the evening: Shooter's Hill 5 cold but dry
Thu, 29-Apr-21 Bluebells in the Evening (V) - Oxleas Wood and Shooter's Hill (via Severndroog Castle) 12 dry but cool
Tue, 30-Jun-20 Evening Walk - Oxleas Wood and Shooter’s Hill (Falconwood Circular) [New Walk] 10 overcast and a little muggy
Stargazer

Evening Walk: Wood anemones and bluebells in Oxleas Wood

Distance: Approximately 4 miles or 6 km for those more metrically minded

Difficulty: 2 out of 10

Train: 18:07 Southeastern Dartford bound train from London Victoria, arriving Falconwood 18:45 OR 18:12 Southeastern Gravesend bound train from London Cannon Street, changing at Lewisham onto the Victoria train (arr. 18:28, dep. 18:32)

Return: Return trains every 10-20 minutes alternating between Cannon Street and Victoria until about 23:00

This short walk follows an undulating route through several mostly ancient woodlands with a rich variety of plants and trees, up the southerly flank of Shooter’s Hill, past a large south facing meadow with far views across Southeast London and on through more woods past remnants of a stately home’s gardens to the architecturally interesting folly of Severndroog Castle. Along the way, we should hopefully find wood anemones and bluebells!

More information about the route can be found here.

Enjoy the walk!

t=short.44

  • 16-Apr-24

    Just did part of this walk this evening, lots of Bluebells.

  • 19-Apr-24

    6 on this very pleasant evening stroll on a breezy overcast evening with just a few sprinkles at the end. The bluebells have indeed arrived in number and the wood anemones were no where in sight (as expected from prior reports). I tried on several occasions to get the group lost exploring uncharted territory -- but someone always got us back on course. We emerged from the woods just as darkness set in about 8.30pm and 4 headed to the pub while 2 hopped the next train. All agreed that the pub does not win any awards for culinary expertise.....

Stargazer

Evening Walk: Wood anemones and bluebells in Oxleas Wood

Distance: Approximately 4 miles or 6 km for those more metrically minded

Difficulty: 2 out of 10

Train: 18:07 Southeastern Dartford bound train from London Victoria, arriving Falconwood 18:45 OR 18:12 Southeastern Gravesend bound train from London Cannon Street, changing at Lewisham onto the Victoria train (arr. 18:26, dep. 18:32)

Return: Return trains every 10-20 minutes alternating between Cannon Street and Victoria until about 23:00

First off, apologies to those on last week's walk when I flagged Tuesday for this week's evening walk -- I adjusted my weekend schedule and Thursday proved more convenient after all. This short walk follows an undulating route through several mostly ancient woodlands with a rich variety of plants and trees, up the southerly flank of Shooter’s Hill, past a large south facing meadow with far views across Southeast London and on through more woods past remnants of a stately home’s gardens to the architecturally interesting folly of Severndroog Castle. Along the way, we should hopefully find wood anemones and bluebells!

More information about the route can be found here.

Enjoy the walk!

t=short.44

  • 28-Apr-23

    Sensibly, no one else emerged from the appointed train with your loyal correspondent who spent a few minutes in persistent rain outside the station contemplating doing all or part of the walk. Eventually, she wisely decided to take the next train back to Blackheath for a look around, then pleasant meal before walking home across the common-- so 0 on a total washout....

Thomas G
Through ancient woodlands up to Shooter's Hill with far views across the Southeast, on to Severndroog Castle Folly
Length: 6.3 km, Ascent/Descent: 124m
Net Walking Time: ca. 1 ½ hours, Toughness: 1 out of 10.
Take the 18.15 Southeastern service on the Kent Loop Line from Cannon Street (London Bridge 18.20, then via Lewisham and Blackheath), arriving Falconwood 18.47.
From Victoria take the 18.04 Dartford train via Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye and Nunhead, arriving Falconwood at 18.38.
Return trains: xx.11 and xx.41 to Charing Cross, 20.28 to Cannon Street and xx.18 and xx.48 to Victoria (chg at Lewisham for London Bridge). Falconwood is in Zone 4.
This is an undulating route in the Royal Borough of Greenwich through several mostly ancient woodlands with a rich variety of plants and trees, up the southerly flank of Shooter’s Hill, past a large south facing meadow with far views across South East London (and a café) and on through more woods past remnants of a stately home’s gardens to the architecturally interesting folly of Severndroog Castle, with its tearoom. The descent back to the station passes another terraced garden and drops along Oxleas Meadows to cross over into Shepherdleas Woods for the return to Falconwood station.
Tea: The Falcon A Harvester pub right by the station.
For walk directions, map, photos, height profile and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.44
  • 28-Apr-22

    4 by train, 1 by bike, ie 5 walkers on a cold but dry evening.

    Plenty of bluebells here and there, some anemones, lots of wild garlic that wasn't wild garlic. Fine views, if a bit hazy (East Croydon and the Crystal Palace transmission mast could still be identified though).

    At the end: 1 for the train, 1 for the bike, 3 for The Falcon.

Thomas G
COVID 19
Track-and-Trace: please provide email address or mobile phone number at the start
Rule of Six: from start to finish please, and up to May 16 including
Through ancient woodlands up to Shooter's Hill with far views across the Southeast, on to Severndroog Castle Folly
Length: 6.3 km, Ascent/Descent: 124m
Net Walking Time: ca. 1 ½ hours, Toughness: 1 out of 10.

Take the 18.15 Southeastern service from Cannon Street (London Bridge 18.21, then via Lewisham and Blackheath), arriving Falconwood 18.46.
From Victoria take the 18.04 Dartford train via Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye and Nunhead, arriving Falconwood at 18.38.
Return trains: xx.11 and xx.41 to Charing Cross, 20.28 to Cannon Street and xx.18 and xx.48 to Victoria (chg at Lewisham for London Bridge). Falconwood is in Zone 4.
This is an undulating route in the Royal Borough of Greenwich through several mostly ancient woodlands with a rich variety of plants and trees, up the southerly flank of Shooter’s Hill, past a large south facing meadow with far views across South East London (and a café) and on through more woods past remnants of a stately home’s gardens to the architecturally interesting folly of Severndroog Castle, with its tearoom.
The descent back to the station passes another terraced garden and drops along Oxleas Meadows to cross over into Shepherdleas Woods for the return to Falconwood station.
Tea: The Falcon A Harvester pub right by the station.
For walk directions, map, photos, height profile and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.44
  • 29-Apr-21

    12 walkers, arriving on various trains, up to 10 minutes after the scheduled start time, in dry but cool weather. Shepherdleas Wood had some bluebells and lots of three-cornered garlic, Oxleas had not many bluebells at all, Jackwood and Castle Wood though had plenty, and the other part of Shepherdleas Wood had the most bluebells.

    All in, a pretty good show. 20.41 train.

Thomas G
Through ancient woodlands up to Shooter's Hill with far views across the Southeast, on to Severndroog Castle Folly
Length: 6.3 km, Ascent/Descent: 124m
Net Walking Time: ca. 1 ½ hours, Toughness: 1 out of 10.

Take the 18.42 Dartford via Bexleyheath train from Charing Cross (Waterloo East 18.45, London Bridge 18.51, then via Lewisham and Blackheath), arriving Falconwood 19.15.
From Victoria take the 18.34 Dartford train via Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye and Nunhead, arriving Falconwood at 19.11.
Return trains: xx.00 and xx.30 to Cannon Street via London Bridge and xx.14 and xx.44 to Victoria.
Falconwood is in Zone 4.
This is an undulating route in the Royal Borough of Greenwich through several mostly ancient woodlands with a rich variety of plants and trees, up the southerly flank of Shooter’s Hill, past a large south facing meadow with far views across South East London (and a café) and on through more woods past remnants of a stately home’s gardens to the architecturally interesting folly of Severndroog Castle, with its tearoom.
The descent back to the station passes another terraced garden and drops along Oxleas Meadows to cross over into Shepherdleas Woods for the return to Falconwood station.
Covid-compatibility: not really any fenced paths but lots of semi-wide woodland paths. Trains should not be too busy with this late start and the high frequency and long trains on those lines.
Food/Drink: presumably all shut.
For walk directions, map, photos, height profile and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.44
  • 30-Jun-20

    10 walkers in overcast and a little muggy weather. We formed two groups (though not before some frequented the off-license by the station for provisions for the coming mid-walk drinks stop) and stayed within eyesight (but at distance) for most of the walk (ie the lazy option for the second group as the walk author was leading the first). Fine, undulating route through interesting woodlands, with some far views from Oxleas Wood Cafe and again from just below Severndroog Castle, out to East Croydon/the North Downs. Nice company, a drinks stop with views, no rain. Result!

    21.14 train for group 1, 21.30 for the others.