North to South – A Journey Through London
from Hertfordshire Woods and Streams to Surrey Downs
One epic crossing of the capital
14 brilliant walks pieced together = one continuous London crossing.
Each individual walk is around three miles.
42 miles in total.
Do the full sequence and you’ll have made history.
You’ll have crossed London on foot, step by step, story by story.
For Now Sits Expectation in the Air
Why go on it?
The Ultimate London Walk – a 42-mile north to south journey across London in 14 linked walks
Why walk it? Discover hidden London, green spaces, historic villages and the full scale of the capital on this unique journey
The Terrain Breakdown – Where We Walk
“They babbled of green fields…”
20 percent is through Woodland (ecologically, London’s classified as a forest)
20.8 percent is through Open Ground
17.6 percent is through Parks
9.7 percent is along Unpaved Lanes and Paths
23 percent is along Side Streets and Roads (fab Sides, all of them)
8.8 percent is along Main Roads (and they’re Mains you want to walk along!)
The Route at a Glance
By Stages
By Map
It’s a country walk. It’s just that you’re in London.
A Walk with a Short but Serious Pedigree
The Ultimate London Walk was pioneered last summer. It had never been done before. A dozen walkers completed the entire sequence, all fourteen walks, and walked right across London from north to south. A genuine first.
Think of it as the Hillary and Tenzing ascent. The route was there for the creating – and guides Charlie, Dr Ann and Mary B. created it – but no one had put the whole thing together and walked it end to end. Until then.
This summer’s programme is, in effect, the second ascent. Still rarefied territory. Still something special. But now with one crucial advantage: we know it works.
Last summer was the proving ground. We’ve tested the route, made small but important adjustments, and gathered feedback from those first walkers. And happily, they sing its praises. We now have a small but telling body of reviews from people who’ve actually done it.
Not all-or-nothing
It should also be stressed that The Ultimate London Walk isn’t an all-or-nothing undertaking.
Last summer, over 100 people took part. Some did one walk. Some did two. Some dipped in and out. Some joined for a few sections. Only the Magnificent Dozen completed the full sequence and walked all the way across London.
That wasn’t because others didn’t like what they found. Quite the opposite. Many had other commitments. Some were visitors to London and were only here for one or two of the weekends when the walk was running. They came when they could, walked what they could, and enjoyed it enormously.
The Ultimate London Walk works whether you take a bite of the cherry or go for the whole thing.
Two Ways to do it this Summer
This year there are two different ways to go on The Ultimate London Walk, depending on how you like to walk and how you like to live your life.
Option One: The Saunter
A leisurely summer journey…
The Saunter is the relaxed, spaced-out version of The Ultimate London Walk. It takes place across seven weekends – mostly Saturdays – spread through the summer, with two walks completed each day, taken in sequence.
On each of these days, two consecutive sections of the 14-walk sequence are completed. By the end of the seventh weekend, you will have walked the entire route from Hertfordshire to Surrey.
This option suits walkers who like to take their time, let the story unfold gradually, and weave the experience through the summer rather than compress it.
Option Two: The Pilgrimage – the London Camino
An immersive, continuous crossing…
The Pilgrimage – think of the ‘Camino de Santiago’ – is the concentrated version. This is the full crossing of London undertaken over a short, purposeful stretch of time. Momentum, immersion, and a strong sense of shared endeavour.
Two walks per day, in sequence, until the southern border of London is reached.
This option appeals to walkers who relish the idea of commitment and continuity. A proper journey. A modern pilgrimage. A city crossed with intention.
The Choice
Both versions follow the same route, tell the same story, and complete the same 14 walks.
The difference is tempo.
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Choose The Saunter if you want a summer-long adventure taken at an easy, generous pace.
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Choose The Pilgrimage if you want the full crossing to feel immersive, purposeful, and quietly epic.
Either way, you’ll see London differently afterwards.
And that, in the end, is the whole point.
Book the Walks. Any of Them. Or All 14 of Them.
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 1: Hadley Wood to High Barnet
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 2: High Barnet to Woodside Park
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 3; Woodside Park to Mill Hill East
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 4: Mill Hill East to Golders Green
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 5: Golders Green to South End Green
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 6: South End Green to Marylebone
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 7: Marylebone to central Westminster
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 8: Central Westminster to Stockwell
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 9: Stockwell to Herne Hill
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 10: Herne Hill to Sydenham Hill
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 11: Sydenham Hill to Anerley
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 12: Anerley to South Norwood
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 13: South Norwood to Addington Hill
The Ultimate London Walk – Section 14: Addington Hill to New Addington
Don’t Just Take It From Us – Read the Reviews
Melanie Goodwin’s review is just the tip of the iceberg. Click here to read all the reviews of the full “I walked all the way across London” experience. Every one of them 5-star.
To read reviews of individual walks, click on the walk that caught your fancy – for example, click here for the first walk in the series.
Private Walks
And if you’re looking for a series of private walks for your group or club – well, book The Ultimate London Walk… Get all 14 of those feathers in your cap and you’ve got yourself the most magnificent plume – “Ultimate” bragging rights!
Here’s How It Works – The Practicals
The Ultimate London Walk explores the city from north to south. Split into 14 individual sections, it goes all the way from Hertfordshire to Surrey. This is London like you’ve never seen it – exploring every ring of its growth.
Three of the walks will be guided jointly by Charlie and Dr Ann. And five of them will be guided jointly by Charlie and Mary B. Three world-class guides for the price of one!
Full disclosure. The Ultimate London Walk began as a one-guide show – Charlie. It doubled in power when Dr Ann joined the team. Dr Ann’s a born-and-bred North Londoner. She and Charlie will team up for several of the northern stretches.
And now? The South steps in. Mary B. – South London through and through – has come on board. Mary B and Charlie will lead you across several of the southern legs.
Three guides. Two halves of the city. One unforgettable journey.
London Walks at its best. It’s been over half a century in the making but – this bears repeating – with The Ultimate London Walk “the premier walking tour company in the entire world” has achieved its entelechy.
Further Particulars
1. The Ultimate London Walk runs from May to September. You can choose between a Summer Saunter, spread across seven Saturdays, or a September Pilgrimage, completed over seven consecutive days. In both cases, two sections are walked per day, and all fourteen sections together take you right across London.
2. You book in the usual way. Either use the website calendar to see which walks are on specific dates, or type ‘Ultimate London Walk’ into the website search function and the full list will appear. (Or refer to the list above.) Then use the link to book your place.
3. If you book on any of the sections, you will get more detailed travel information in good time before the date of the walk.
4. Morning walks will start at 10.30 a.m. and most afternoon ones at 2.15 p.m. This is the best compromise to give people enough travel time at either end without the walks finishing in the dark.
5. If you do both the morning and afternoon walk on the same day, there will be a long enough break between them to get lunch and some rest.
6. London Walks are usually 2 miles – these are longer, 3 miles on average. On top of this there will sometimes be a short walk from the meeting point to the actual route. So there’s more walking, and a little less talking from the guide. Each section should take a little under 3 hours to complete.
7. Two-thirds of the route is off-road. There are some rough paths, one or two steep climbs, and if there’s been rain, there might be a few muddy patches. It has been designed so the walking is not demanding.
8. These walks cost the same as other London Walks. If you are doing more than one section it will be worth having a London Walks Discount card (costing £5) making the price of each walk £15 or £10 for concessions. If you complete all the sections you will get the last one for free!
This sequence of 14 walks, takes you right across London including many of its most beautiful landscapes and green spaces. It would work just like other London Walks. You book in the same way, you pay the same price. You don’t have to commit to anything more. These walks would have the usual guided commentary The difference is that there would be a bit more walking and a bit less talking. The walks would average three miles each instead of the two miles you would expect on a usual London Walk. So each section would take a little longer – between two and a half and three hours.
The walks are designed in pairs so that if you want to do a full day’s walking the afternoon session will start where the morning one left off. There will be places to rest and have lunch. On the other hand, if you want to do just one walk, there will be a rail or tram station not far from the end of each section.
Down below is a fun “big picture” map showing our route – what the journey across London looks like. Its corollary, the itinerary, complete with dates, is set out in the table above.
The Ultimate London Walk – The Coda
London Walks has found its entelechy
Its fullest realisation: one epic crossing of the capital
Across London, north to south. One continuous journey.
So, yes, exactly what it says on the tin. The Ultimate London Walk is a saunter – an adventure, a singular achievement an exploration – all the way across London, from the northern boundary in Hertfordshire to the southern boundary in Surrey.
It’s divided into 14 separate walks. Linked together, they form one continuous route that traverses the entire capital from top to bottom. Complete all 14 and you will quite literally have walked across London with over two-thirds of your 42-mile journey off-road.
Each individual walk is around three miles. Do the full sequence and you’ll have done what only 12 other people have accomplished –you’ll have walked all the way across London, step by step, story by story.
