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Mitcham Junction to Colliers Wood walk

Nature Reserves and the Wandle Trail through south London.

Easy London

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
Sun, 10-Mar-24 Sunday Walk – Mitcham Junction to Colliers Wood 4 mild with constant drizzle and about an hour of dry weather
Sun, 05-Dec-21 Sunday Walk – Mitcham Junction to Morden 7 overcast cold day with occasional light drizzle in the afternoon
Sun, 10-Mar-19 a Sunday Walk – The Wandle Trail from Waddon to Colliers Wood 7 windy and sunny
Sat, 23-Dec-17 Saturday Walk – A Wandle wander (Mitcham Junction to Colliers Wood) 7 mild and overcast
Sun, 18-Sep-16 Sunday Walk 2 – the Wandle valley in south London 13 mild but cloudy
Sean
Extra Walk 273 – Mitcham Junction to Colliers Wood

Length: 15½ km (9.6 miles), or 13¼ km (8.2 miles) if finishing at Morden. Toughness: 1/10

10:38 Dorking train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:45, Balham 10:50), arriving Mitcham Junction (TfL Zone 4) at 11:00. There are no Thameslink trains to Mitcham Jct this Sunday, but you could also get there from Wimbledon or Croydon via Tramlink. Use Oyster or contactless (or buy a Travelcard) as you'll be returning on the Northern line.

NB. If you're on a later train and don't fancy a brisk walk to catch up, you could go one stop further and join the walk from Hackbridge station: see para [4] in the directions.

Lion Sculpture Much of this suburban walk is along firm paths but don't expect it to be completely mud-free. In the first section there's a long stretch alongside what's supposed to be “London's next major nature reserve” but the promised restoration of the Beddington Farmlands site has been painfully slow. After that the rest of the morning leg is a loop through Beddington Park to Carshalton, with several places to choose from if you want a pub lunch.

The afternoon leg follows the Wandle Trail, a riverside path taking in some attractive parkland and more local nature reserves. The National Trust's Potting Shed café in Morden Hall Park makes a convenient tea stop. It's another half hour to Colliers Wood, but you could choose to call it a day and finish at Morden.

You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.273 page.

  • 07-Mar-24

    Looking forward to the walk. Thank you for the information.

  • 10-Mar-24

    Hey, I struggled on the initial directions a bit, and then seemed to miss anyone who was potentially on the walk. I started when I got my bearings, but I didn’t feel too comfortable walking alone and turned back. I’d like to try the next one, I’ll probably arrive a bit earlier.

  • 10-Mar-24

    2 regular walkers got off the train at Mitcham Junction. We looked around the platform and waited for the tram but didn't see anyone else. A 3rd regular walker who had taken a later train caught up with us in Beddington Park so, all included, 4 walkers. It was mild with constant drizzle and about an hour of dry weather . Sorry we missed you, Aldus.

  • 12-Mar-24

    Hi There,

    I arrived at 11AM and waited a bit. Unfortunately I didn't see anyone else. I really enjoyed the walk. Next time we'll see each other, hopefully :)

  • 22-Mar-24

    Thanks for the updates everyone!

Sean
Extra Walk 273′ – Mitcham Junction to Morden

Length: 13¼ km (8.2 miles). Toughness: 1/10

10:41 Epsom train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:48, Balham 10:53), arriving Mitcham Junction (TfL Zone 4) at 11:03. Please wait 5 minutes for anyone taking an alternative Thameslink service starting from Blackfriars at 10:36, which arrives at 11:08.

You'll be returning on the Northern line (from Morden or Colliers Wood), so buy a Travelcard or use Oyster. NB. You can also travel to Mitcham Jct via Wimbledon or Croydon on Tramlink; this is covered by a Travelcard but charged separately as a bus fare on Oyster.

This south London walk was disrupted for a few years by the closure of a permissive path alongside Beddington Farmlands, but this has now been re-opened and provides views across a new urban nature reserve (as well as a less appealing and controversial “Energy Recovery Facility”). A loop through Beddington Park then brings you to Carshalton, with several places to choose from if you want to stop for a pub lunch.

The afternoon leg follows the Wandle Trail, a riverside path taking in some attractive parkland and more local nature reserves. I suggest ending at the National Trust's Potting Shed café in Morden Hall Park, but if it's not too dark you could choose to carry on for another 30 minutes and complete the full walk to Colliers Wood.

You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.273 page.

  • 04-Dec-21

    An extra reason to carry on to Colliers Wood is that the recommended pub, The Charles Holden (facing the tube station), is holding a Christmas fair this Sunday showcasing local makers & craftspeople..looks interesting

  • 06-Dec-21

    A sunny day would have been ideal for this walk but as it was 7 people gathered on an overcast cold day with occasional light drizzle in the afternoon .

    A short stroll through part of Mitcham Common, a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, brought us to Beddington Farmlands. The path through the centre of the new nature reserve is not yet open so we stayed on the current official route, where the 3 bird hides looking over the lakes were busy with birdwatchers.

    After meandering through the historic sections of Beddington Park, most stopped for a brief lunch break overlooking Carshalton Pond with its Herons and Black headed Gulls. 1 went to The Greyhound and reported a good lunch in a heated cabin.

    The afternoon was a gentle stroll along the Wandle Trail, where more Herons, a Kingfisher and other-birds-whose-names-I-can't-remember were spotted or heard.

    As we approached Ravenshury and Morden Hall Parks, the group dispersed, with some continuing to the comforts of the tea shop and others directly to their various transport links.

Sean
Extra Walk 273a – Waddon to Colliers Wood
Length: 13¾ km (8.5 miles). Toughness: 1/10

10:32 Epsom Downs train from Victoria (Battersea Park 10:36, Clapham Jct 10:40, etc), arriving Waddon (TfL Zone 5) at 11:07.

At the end of the walk Colliers Wood is on the Northern line (Zone 3). The directions point out stations and tram stops along the route if you want to drop out earlier. Alternatively, you could extend the walk by around 6 km to the end of the Wandle Trail (see [•] below).

The main version of this south London walk starts at Mitcham Junction, but a permissive path from there to Carshalton has been closed for ages while development work is taking place. So the walk instructions now include an alternative start from Waddon, a rather urban route but taking in more of the waymarked Wandle Trail itself. The afternoon section has some particularly attractive riverside stretches through parkland and nature reserves, and someone helpfully reported that the National Trust have at last re-opened one of these, Watermeads.

The most convenient lunch stop is The Sun in Carshalton, but others sing the praises of The Hope, a fine community pub; there are other eateries too, so take your pick. There's a nice tea place in Morden Hall Park, the National Trust's Potting Shed café.

You'll need to bring the walk directions from the Mitcham Junction to Colliers Wood walk page.

[•] Directions for the extension to Wandsworth (and Putney Bridge, if you want to continue along the Thames Path) can be found on this Colliers Wood to Putney Bridge walk page. There are ongoing improvement works on this stretch of the Wandle Trail and a new riverside section has recently been opened at Earlsfield. T=swc.273.a
  • Anonymous
    10-Mar-19

    7 walkers.

    Weather windy and sunny.

    Lunch at The Hope and tea at the Potting Shed Cafe.

    Good company and an interesting walk,

    thank you to Sean for an enjoyable day.

  • Anonymous
    10-Mar-19

    7 windy and sunny

Sean
Extra Walk 273 – Mitcham Junction to Colliers Wood
Length: Up to 14¾ km (9.2 miles). Toughness: 1/10

10:47 Epsom train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:54, Balham 11:00), arriving Mitcham Junction (TfL Zone 4) at 11:09. The alternative Thameslink service from central London isn't running but you could arrive by tram (every few minutes on Route 3, taking 12 minutes from Wimbledon or 15 minutes from East Croydon); however, be aware that although tram journeys are covered by a Travelcard, you have to pay extra on Oyster.

I'm not sure how much demand there will be for walks this weekend, but this shortish London one does at least give you plenty of drop-out points along the way if you need to finish early. In the morning you head south past a large area being transformed into a new nature reserve, then loop through Beddington Park to a lunch stop in Carshalton. The most convenient pub is The Sun but real ale fans won't want to miss a visit to The Hope. The afternoon leg follows the Wandle Trail, a riverside path taking in some attractive parkland and more local nature reserves, with tea available at the National Trust's Potting Shed café in Morden Hall Park. You can either finish here or complete the full walk past Merton Abbey Mills to Colliers Wood tube station (on the Northern line, in Zone 3).

You'll need to print the walk directions and maps from the Mitcham Junction to Colliers Wood Walk page. T=swc.273
  • 18-Dec-17

    The Hope is a community-owned pub that is the CAMRA Greater London Pub of the Year 2017, and is definitely worth visiting for its extensive range of real ales: http://www.yourround.co.uk/BeerCam/Carshalton/The-Hope/SM5-2PR.aspx.

  • Anonymous
    22-Dec-17

    Yes, the Hope is great. The Sun is more yuppie with some good ales. The Race Course is worth a visit. The Greyhound overlooks the ponds being one of the sources of the Wandle, and does good food and Young's (non-existent ales as they do not brew any more) ales.

    And near Colliers Wood is the Trafalgar in High Path,

    http://www.thetraf.co.uk

    the sister pub to the Hope, with six real ciders or perries, and up to six ales. Nelson used to live nearby (Merton Place-demolished) and there is a plaque in Merton High Street/Doel Close, on one of the newer builds. https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/merton-place

    Gavin

  • 24-Dec-17

    Just five walkers at the start, so perhaps a third walk wasn't really needed two days before Christmas. We briefly caught up with one who'd started earlier and another joined us in mid-afternoon, so perhaps we can claim 7 on a mild and overcast day. It was disappointing to find that one of the walk's nicest stretches (through Watermeads) was still closed off because of the National Trust's tardiness in fixing an undermined bridge, or was it an underbridged mine? We were also mildly inconvenienced by a garden restoration project in Beddington Park, which apparently requires fencing off a vast area.

    Despite the pleas for us to visit The Hope we had lunch in The Sun, which has a good selection of interesting beers and a nice ambience. Their kitchen was busy with a large Christmas party so our food took a little while coming; it was deemed OK but nothing special. Tea at the Morden Hall Park café, after which a gang of four completed the final leg to Colliers Wood in the twilight.

  • 24-Dec-17

    I was another walker who started early and encountered 1 person who was also ahead of the group and another one who was doing the walk backwards but anyway want to say that it was perfect for the time of year and I really appreciated the posting. MG

Sean
New Walk – Mitcham Junction to Colliers Wood
Length: 14¾ km (9.2 miles). Toughness: 1/10

10:52 Epsom train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:59, Balham 11:03), arriving Mitcham Junction (TfL Zone 4) at 11:13. If it's more convenient you can also arrive by tram (every 7-8 minutes on route 3, taking 12 minutes from Wimbledon or 15 minutes from East Croydon), but be aware that tram and train journeys are charged separately.

At the end of the walk Colliers Wood is on the Northern line (Zone 3). There are many places along the way where you can drop out earlier; conversely, fans of Wandsworth's one-way system could extend the walk by 6 km to the end of the Wandle Trail.

I was planning to save this shortish London walk for a gloomy winter's day but it's Open House London weekend and you might be tempted to break off and explore some of the capital's less heralded buildings near this walk's route: Carshalton Water Tower, Morden Cottage, etc.

The walk itself goes past a large area being transformed into a new nature reserve and then swings round to head north on the Wandle Trail, a riverside path taking in some attractive parkland and more local nature reserves. The suggested lunch stop is The Sun in Carshalton, with tea at the National Trust's Potting Shed café in Morden Hall Park.

You'll need to print the walk directions and maps from this temporary New Walk page. T=swc.273
  • Anonymous
    13-Sep-16

    The Hope, Carshalton, is just 5 minutes from The Sun. Community owned, award winning back to basics pub http://www.hopecarshalton.co.uk/

  • Anonymous
    18-Sep-16

    Train cancelled. Anyone getting the next one?

  • Anonymous
    18-Sep-16

    Decided to go home as I don't know how to contact the group, if there is one doing this walk, and don't fancy a solo walk today. Can we have a meeting point at stations for when trains are cancelled as its difficult to leave a comment using the mobile and not everyone has a mobile or internet connection.

  • 19-Sep-16

    Another walk marred by Southern's train crew declining to show up for duty, but at the appointed time eight walkers had already made their way to Mitcham Junction on earlier trains, trams, etc. That seemed enough to be going on with so off we went; in the course of the day we came across five others who'd done most if not all of the walk, though none had actually spotted the walk author's suggestion that anyone on a later train could start the walk at the next station down the line (Hackbridge), where I reckon we would have met them. So overall 13 on a mild but cloudy day.

    There seemed to be some incredulity that anyone had concocted a walk between these two locations and I suspect one or two had turned up to see if the whole enterprise was some mistimed April Fool's joke, but as the day went on I think these (admittedly low) expectations were just about exceeded. On the morning leg we got to visit a fine Arts & Crafts church and a couple of unusual buildings, courtesy of Open House London. Half the group had lunch at The Sun which was pricey but arrived promptly and was well received, though it was *such* a shame to miss the jolly sing-song apparently taking place at The Hope which we later heard about from one of our number who had detoured there.

    The afternoon leg features some nice stretches alongside the River Wandle, with someone remarking that we saw more interesting birds than on many of our country walks: even the distant flash of a kingfisher darting up this much-improved river. Some dropped out after tea in the National Trust's Morden Hall Park café but the rest made it to the downbeat surroundings of Colliers Wood for a tube back at 5.30pm: quite a long day out for a 9-mile walk.