12km (8m) Difficulty 1/10 t=swc.309
An easy and pleasant walk through woodlands to the southeast of London. Petts Wood was saved from developers early in the 20th century. Once owned by Tudor bigwigs, Scadbury Park is managed as a Nature Reserve by Bromley Council. The ruined manor house can still be seen.
Trains Get the 9:40 from Charing Cross, (London Bridge 9:50) arriving Petts Wood 10:18.
Trains return to Charing Cross at xx:27 & xx:57 and to Blackfriars at xx:24 and xx:54. Petts Wood is in zone 5.
Lunch: The Bull's Head in Chislehurst (02084671727)
It being Christmas, they have a Christmas menu and may be busy. Bring festive snacks to cover all options.
Tea: Coffee X, on the east side of the station in Station Square, is recommended. There are other places, including a Wetherspoons, the Sovereign of the Seas on Queensway, and a micropub, One Inn the Wood, 209 Petts Wood Road.
Walk directions: here Note that Chislehurst Caves (mentioned as an option) are closed over Xmas.
Petts Wood Circular walk
Easy and pleasant walk through woodlands nestled in the middle of London's South-Eastern suburbs
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, | Sunday Walk: Christmas Eve - Petts Wood Circular | 5 | A very mild dry day | |
| Sat, | Saturday Walk - Petts Wood Circular | 15 | ||
| Sun, | Sunday Walk: Petts Wood Circular | 4 | sunny and mild | |
| Thu, | Evening Walk: Petts Wood to Chislehurst | 7 | moderate but persistent shower | |
| Sat, | Petts Wood Circular | 18 | overcast | |
| Sun, | Sunday Walk: Petts Wood Circular | 6 | dry and bright | |
| Sun, | Sunday Walk – A woodland walk in south-east London (Petts Wood) | 9 | ||
| Sat, | Petts Wood Circular | 21 | cold sunny day |
Sun, 24-Dec-23 : Sunday Walk: Christmas Eve - Petts Wood Circular
5
Mr M Tiger
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27-Dec-235 people. A very mild dry day .
Sat, 17-Dec-22 : Saturday Walk - Petts Wood Circular
15
PeteG
Length: 8 miles (12km) 1 out of 10
"This is an easy and pleasant walk through woodlands nestled in the middle of London's South-Eastern suburbs." This is a figure of eight walk with plenty of options to make it shorter.
Trains: Get the 1001 Orpington train from London Bridge, arriving Petts Wood 1030. There are frequent return trains with the last train at 1729. Petts Wood station is in zone5 and on bus routes 208, R3 & R7.
Lunch: The Bull's Head in Chislehurst (02084671727)
Tea: Various cafes, tea rooms and pubs in Petts Wood. "Cafe X on the eastern side of the station is recommended."
T=swc.309
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17-Dec-22
15 on this enjoyable walk, very festive with snow lingering on the trees and a bit slippery underfoot. I had thought I'd done this walk before, but it turns out I hadn't. Five of us got to the pub a bit after 12 getting served quite quickly, but it was second drinks time before the food arrived. By then, 4 more had arrived and I guess the rest were having a picnic in the snow? A great little walk for a short winter's day.
Sun, 12-Dec-21 : Sunday Walk: Petts Wood Circular
4
Mr M Tiger
12km (8m) Difficulty 1/10
An easy and pleasant walk through woodlands to the SE of London. Petts Wood was saved from developers early last century and Scadbury Park was once owned by the Walsinghams who were best mates with the Tudor monarchs. The ruins of their manor house can still be seen. The park is now a Nature Reserve open to the public. An optional extension leads you to the Chislehurst Caves with a history stretching back to the 13th Century.
Trains: Get the 9.58 Sevenoaks train from Victoria arriving Petts Wood 10:33.
Trains return to Victoria at xx:01 & xx:31. Petts Wood is in Oyster zone 5.
Lunch: The Bull's Head in Chislehurst (02084671727)
Tea: Cow and Bean open till 4, Costa's till 6. Several pubs.
Walk directions: here
Chislehurst Caves: 020 8467 3264 Open till 4. Entry by guided tour only - on the hour, every hour - last tour at 4, £7 (£5 for seniors). Booking advised but tickets on door if available. They also have a café, open till 4.
T=swc.309
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12-Dec-21
4 , sunny and mild , muddy in Petts Wood,but better later. We were unable to book A table for lunch but Youngs have a policy of keeping some tables for walk in customers and we all had a light lunch served efficiently with the excellent winter warmer dark beer.
Thu, 05-Aug-21 : Evening Walk: Petts Wood to Chislehurst
7
Stargazer
Thursday Evening: Petts Wood to Chislehurst t=swc.309
Distance: Approximately 5 or 6 miles or 9 or 10 km for those more metrically minded
Difficulty: 1 out of 10
Transport: 18:13 Sevenoaks bound train from London Bridge Station, arriving Petts Wood 18:37
Return: Return trains from Chislehurst every 10-20 minutes alternating between Charing Cross and Cannon Street (all via London Bridge) until about 23:00. Both start and finish train stations are within the Oyster Card zone.
I have often thought that a shortened version of this walk would make for a pleasant summer evening outing through a woodland oasis nestled in Southeast London suburbs. So, this is the chance to give it a try.... I suggest we shorten the bit through Scadbury Park and then also shorten the route a bit by finishing at Chislehurst Station which should give us a nice little outing through pretty woodland and some open spaces.
The recommended pub, The Bull’s Head, is about two-thirds of the way along the route in Chislehurst.
More information about the route can be found here.
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06-Aug-21
Six of the most dedicated evening walkers plus one newcomer, making for 7 , met at Petts Wood station in a moderate but persistent shower . The shower continued unabated for most of the first hour through Petts Wood along winding paths. Fortunately, the tree cover kept us from getting completely drenched. Given the weather conditions, we opted for heading straight to the pub rather than doing the full outer loop of the walk....The pub was warm, dry and inviting with very good food....The skies eventually dried and 6 continued on the walk back towards Petts Wood with 5 taking the shorter option to Chislehurst and one carrying on back to Petts Wood. The second stretch of the route was also a delightful mix of woodland with some more open pastures -- again with a very rural feel...A very enjoyable evening notwithstanding the weather....
This walk does make for a pleasant evening stroll in pretty woodland only a short distance from Central London, but with a very rural feel. However, better suited for a proper summer's evening in June or early July...when the evenings are longer (and preferably warmer and drier)....
Sat, 25-Jan-20 : Petts Wood Circular
18
Dirk
t=SWC.309
Length: 12km (8m)
Toughness: 1 / 10
Transport: Take the 10:04 from London Charing Cross to Petts Wood arriving 10:36. There are frequent return trains to Charing Cross and Victoria.
This is a short walk trough the lovely woodlands of Petts Wood and Scadbury Park. Lunch is in the Bull's Head in Chislehurst. After lunch you have the option of visiting the Chislehurst Caves (2km there and back again detour, you can return by train from Chislehurst), ancient chalk mines more recently used as air raid shelters and concert venues. The last guided tour is at 16:00. In Petts Wood the Arabica Coffee House on the left just before you turn to the station received good reviews as a tea shop. Alternatively, there is Cafe X on the other side of the railway tracks.
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If you finish early and want a bit more, the Crofton Woods circular walk is nearby and worth doing. It's about 10-12 mins walk from Petts Wood station, just to the south west. Go along Queensway, left onto Ryecroft then right onto Shepperton Rd to the recreation ground.
A map of Crofton Woods can be found at https://www.bromleyparks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Crofton_Woods_Circular_Trail.pdf
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31-Jan-20
18 walkers turned up in overcast skies. About 12 had lunch in the Bull's Head after which the group splintered in unknown number of subgroups and all further proceedings are lost to history.
Sun, 15-Dec-19 : Sunday Walk: Petts Wood Circular
6
Mr M Tiger
12km (8m) Difficulty 1/10
An easy and pleasant walk through woodlands in the SE of London. Petts Wood was saved from developers in the early part of the 20th century and Scadbury Park was once owned by the Walsingham family who were best mates with Tudor monarchs. The ruins of their moated manor house can still be seen. The park was declared a Nature Reserve by Bromley Council and opened to the public. An optional extension leads you to the Chislehurst Caves with a history stretching back to the 13th Century.
Trains Get the 9.58 Orpington train from Victoria, arriving Petts Wood 10:33.
Trains return to Victoria at xx:01 & xx:31, to Charing Cross at xx:22 & xx:52, and to Blackfriars at xx:17 & xx:47. Petts Wood is in Oyster zone 5.
Lunch The Bull's Head in Chislehurst (02084671727)
Tea: Spoilt for choice in Petts Wood. Cafe X, on the east side of the station in Station Square, is recommended. Open to 5.
Walk directions: here
Chislehurst Caves : 020 8467 3264 Open till 4. Tour (on the hour, every hour), £6 (£4 for seniors). No need to book (unless you're a large group). They also have a café. (Trains from Chislehurst station at xx:25 and xx:55, should you decide to finish there).
An easy and pleasant walk through woodlands in the SE of London. Petts Wood was saved from developers in the early part of the 20th century and Scadbury Park was once owned by the Walsingham family who were best mates with Tudor monarchs. The ruins of their moated manor house can still be seen. The park was declared a Nature Reserve by Bromley Council and opened to the public. An optional extension leads you to the Chislehurst Caves with a history stretching back to the 13th Century.
Trains Get the 9.58 Orpington train from Victoria, arriving Petts Wood 10:33.
Trains return to Victoria at xx:01 & xx:31, to Charing Cross at xx:22 & xx:52, and to Blackfriars at xx:17 & xx:47. Petts Wood is in Oyster zone 5.
Lunch The Bull's Head in Chislehurst (02084671727)
Tea: Spoilt for choice in Petts Wood. Cafe X, on the east side of the station in Station Square, is recommended. Open to 5.
Walk directions: here
Chislehurst Caves : 020 8467 3264 Open till 4. Tour (on the hour, every hour), £6 (£4 for seniors). No need to book (unless you're a large group). They also have a café. (Trains from Chislehurst station at xx:25 and xx:55, should you decide to finish there).
T=swc.309
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15-Dec-19My extensive network of spies tells me there were 6 people. It was dry and bright
Sun, 09-Dec-18 : Sunday Walk – A woodland walk in south-east London (Petts Wood)
9
Sean
Extra Walk 309 – Petts Wood Circular
Length: 12 km (7.5 miles). Toughness: 2/10
10:28 Orpington train from Victoria (Brixton 10:35 and lots of other stations in south London), arriving Petts Wood at 11:03. The station is in TfL Zone 5, so use Oyster PAYG or contactless.
If it's more convenient you can travel out from Charing Cross. The 10:16 Sevenoaks train arrives at 10:51; if you just miss this take the fast 10:25 to Orpington and sprint across to Platform 6 (arr 10:50; dep 10:54) to go back one stop to Petts Wood.
Direct trains back are at xx:22 & xx:52 to Charing Cross, xx:27 & xx:57 to Victoria.
There was a favourable report after this woodland walk's début in February and it looks well suited to a Sunday outing on these short days: well inside the M25, but with a rural nature. The suggested lunch stop is the Bull's Head in Chislehurst; their website says "booking is essential" for Sunday lunch, so call ahead if you want this (you'll get there at around 12:45). Unless you take the optional extension to Chislehurst Caves the afternoon leg should only take an hour, but there are more refreshment places at the end if you need further sustenance.
You'll need to bring the walk directions from the Petts Wood Circular walk page. T=swc.309
Length: 12 km (7.5 miles). Toughness: 2/10
10:28 Orpington train from Victoria (Brixton 10:35 and lots of other stations in south London), arriving Petts Wood at 11:03. The station is in TfL Zone 5, so use Oyster PAYG or contactless.
If it's more convenient you can travel out from Charing Cross. The 10:16 Sevenoaks train arrives at 10:51; if you just miss this take the fast 10:25 to Orpington and sprint across to Platform 6 (arr 10:50; dep 10:54) to go back one stop to Petts Wood.
Direct trains back are at xx:22 & xx:52 to Charing Cross, xx:27 & xx:57 to Victoria.
There was a favourable report after this woodland walk's début in February and it looks well suited to a Sunday outing on these short days: well inside the M25, but with a rural nature. The suggested lunch stop is the Bull's Head in Chislehurst; their website says "booking is essential" for Sunday lunch, so call ahead if you want this (you'll get there at around 12:45). Unless you take the optional extension to Chislehurst Caves the afternoon leg should only take an hour, but there are more refreshment places at the end if you need further sustenance.
You'll need to bring the walk directions from the Petts Wood Circular walk page. T=swc.309
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06-Dec-18
No. Typing 'Wilberforce' into the Search box reveals that the Oak is passed on the Hayes-Knockholt walk.
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09-Dec-18
9 on this attractive half day woodland walk including the walks inspector whom we met just after the start. Attractive trails which were not too muddy and the walk author wisely in my view mainly kept us off the busy and muddier London Loop although there were a couple of times when the path was a bit over-complicated and a simpler route would perhaps have been preferable. Also the minimal written walk directions seemed to work reasonably but I would hesitate to rely on them exclusively and a map or gps was a real help. There are numerous notice boards en route and the walk notes would benefit from more information about places of interest, many of which we missed.
Two walkers got detached from the main group and ended up doing most of it in reverse but we met up at picnic area with seats (worth mentioning this) about 2km before the pub: none of us went to the pub as we all ate there.
We got back to Petts Wood about 2.30pm and found a superb cafe - the Arabica Coffee House just before the short turn off to the station. 4 of us had excellent tea. coffee and cakes there. Its open until 4pm on Sundays and 5pm on Saturdays and weekdays. It could be open later in the summer.
A fine winters walk with much laughter and chat making for an excellent short day out. With a bit of tweaking and shortening this could make an excellent summer evening walk. There are pubs near the station. Oh the weather: it was w= cloudy-with-flashes-of-sun.
Two walker
Sat, 24-Feb-18 : Petts Wood Circular
21
Dirk
t=SWC.309
Length: 12km (8m)
Tougness: 1 / 10
Transport: Two options: Either take the 9:55 from London Victoria arriving at 10:30 or take the 10:05 from London Charing Cross arriving 10:36. The walkers from Victoria should wait for the walkers from Charing Cross. Return trains are frequent to either Victoria or Charing Cross.
This is the first outing of this new walk. From the description:
This is an easy and pleasant walk through woodlands nestled in the middle of London's South-Eastern suburbs. Petts Wood was saved by locals from developers in the early part of the 20th century while Scadbury Park has been in private ownership for centuries until it was bought by Bromley Council in 1983. Bromley Council declared it a Nature Reserve and opened it to the public. In Petts Wood there is a memorial to William Willett who built many houses in South-East London and campaigned for the introduction of Daylight Savings Time. Scadbury Park was for some time owned by the Walsingham family who had close relationships with Tudor monarchs including Elizabeth I. The ruins of their manor house can still be seen.
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21 walkers set off from Petts Wood station on this cold sunny day . Apart from a few muddy patches, conditions on this woodland walk were near perfect, sheltered as we were most of the time from the raw east wind. The walk meanders through Petts Wood, Scadbury Park Nature Reserve and Hawkwood, passing Willetts Memorial sundial, with its Latin inscription (horas non numero nisi aestivas = I count only the summer hours) in tribute to William Willett, who campaigned in the early 20th century for the introduction of daylight saving, only to die in 1915, a year before it was introduced. Later we walked past Scadbury Park Moated Manor House, another site of historic interest. Most walkers stopped at the Bulls Head Hotel in Chiselhurst for lunch. This new walk lies well within the London zones and yet feels remarkably rural in nature. The directions were generally easy to follow.