As you go past the gatehouse, down the steps, the pond in front of Heathfield House reveals itself, followed by the great country house itself. Great, except it belongs to a cash-strapped council. Its grounds, well worth exploring, have seen better days.
More steps connect with Bramley Bank, once part of Heathfield, now a nature reserve with woodland pond and a captivating view past fields of horses to New Addington. The reborn heathland links to Littleheath Woods, saved by locals a century ago. Follow on to an old bridleway cutting through streets from the 1970s. This had once been a Garden Village of smallholdings with poultry and pigs developed for World War 1 veterans.
The bridleway flows into Selsdon Wood, its layout recognizable from when it was bought for public use on the breakup of Selsdon Park estate in the 1920s. The other side of the wood is Surrey, London is over.
The footpath follows the boundary with lovely Surrey views to the escarpment below New Addington. To finish though, make the steep climb up. At the top is another ‘Garden Village’, ‘New’ in the 1930s, which grew post-war – its isolation from London finally over when the tram arrived.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
ant –
Walk 14 and we reach the Surrey border. For those that have completed the 14 walks starting from the Hertfordshire border it is a walk of memories – reflecting North and South London. Some sadness that the walks have come to an end yet the wealth of knowledge that I have gained through Charlie our Guide will stay with me for a long time.
It is with admiration for Charlie in the way he makes each walk individual so it does not matter how many walks you join. The hours that Charlie has spent in planning the route and the research into the history, architecture, social mobility, transport etc etc and made alive by him has been fantastic. Three cheers for Charlie.
Jacky –
What can I say?
The Ultimate London walk – sadly finished today.
Charlie our guide has been amazing from start to finish.
I highly recommend this walk and would do it again in a flash.
Just remember – each walk is complete in itself – you don’t have to do the whole thing.
If you love London, you will love this walk.
A B A –
Section 14 of the Ultimate London Walk September 2026.
Well this it, we are close to the southern border of London. It is hard to believe that just over a week ago we were on the northern boundary about to embark on our crossing.
This final section joins the dots nicely. There is plenty of walking that allows time to reflect on the adventure, and you do not need to worry about the uphill sections, as no one will be left behind. On this leg, we learned about water contamination and the history of a grand hotel, and we saw plenty of wildlife given the more rural setting.
As we reached the end of the walk, I dont think anyone wanted it to finish. If Charlie had announced sections 15 and 16, we would have signed up on the spot.
If you are thinking about doing this walk, do not hesitate. You will walk with like-minded people and have one of the best guides in the business by your side.
Mary K –
I can’t praise these walks highly enough! I live in this area and have done for many years and yet throughout the day I was saying ‘I didn’t know this was here!’ and ‘ I didn’t know this path linked to this!’ Charlie is incredibly knowledgable and shares his knowledge with real enthusiasm. The whole day ( including section 13) was spent walking through green areas. I loved it. I have now completed all 14 sections and may even do it again…
Simon Hargrave –
Starting on Addington Hill, we learned about the story behind the 19th C outbreak of typhoid. Then a long, scenic walk the hill, finishing with a steep walk to the New Addington estate. I thought I knew Addington well until I came on this walk. A fascinating mixture of social and architectural history, and surprising green spaces.
Mara Clarke –
I was lucky enough to catch the last in Charlie’s series of Ultimate London Walks (Section 14: Addington Hill to New Addington). While I am somewhat familiar with Croyden, I had never seen or even heard of most of the places Charlie took us to – a windmill! An ecology centre! One of the best views of London I’ve ever seen bar from a plane!
Please, please, please Charlie do these walks again next year? I would love to join.
Zoe –
As ever, I can’t recommend London Walks highly enough. Thank you, Charlie, for two superb walks today. Despite living in the area all my life, there wasn’t a pathway or trail on the route that I’d walked before and it made me appreciate just how green and tranquil London can be if you know where to look. My only disappointment was not joining you until the end of the series. The hours of walking from North to South and the research you must have put in to cover 14 unique walks is incredible. The celebratory chocolate at the end was a lovely touch too.
I will definitely be joining you for more when the series is run again.