Completing the Capital Ring Walk

‘Love Wins’ grafitti on route 15 of the Capital Ring walk

26 July 25 It may well have taken us a year and a half to walk all 15 legs of the Capital Ring Walk, fitting it in when possible, but it feels quite an achievement and I can’t recommend it highly enough. We immersed ourselves in the changing seasons, exploring parts of London we would never otherwise have done, and discovered new routes which we can do next. Much of the walk is through parks and woodlands, strolling along residential roads, passing by ponds, rivers, canals, and not to paint too rosy a picture, it is interjected with some significantly more polluted highways, though these are on the whole fleeting. There was also one particularly wet and marshy patch - walking boots recommended, read ahead and check the weather - the experiences are all part of the fun. Someone told me about this walk at a market I was doing, I’d also been told many years before but it only resonated then, so thanks so much for the recommendation. When we started this we had both lost a parent and it really helped us through this difficult time. Starting at number 1 we followed the route chronologically, in a clockwise circle around London returning to Woolwich Arsenal at the end of route number 15. You can of course pick and choose what you wish and it’s do-able whether you live in London or are just visiting. Some memories were learning about the Seimens factory in Woolwich, taking refuge from torrential rain in the café at Beckenham Place Park, many picnic spots, the Windmill Museum, afternoon tea at Harrow on the Hill, poiré cider at Highgate Wood café, some great views of the city, pizza by the river at Hackney Wick, picking blackberries, spotting a flurry of Jersey Tiger Moths, Woolwich foot tunnel, connecting with nature and just being together.

The route is as follows:
1 Woolwich to Falconwood 7.2 miles
2 Falconwood to Grove Park 4.4 miles
3 Grove Park to Crystal Palace 7.8 miles
4 Crystal Palace to Streatham 4.4 miles
5 Streatham to Wimbledon Park 5.7 miles
6 Wimbledon Park to Richmond 7.3 miles
7 Richmond to Osterley Lock 4.8 miles
8 Osterley Lock to Greenford 5.5 miles
9 Greenford to South Kenton 5.6 miles
10 South Kenton to Hendon Park 7.0 miles
11 Hendon Park to Highgate 5.6 miles
12 Highgate to Stoke Newington 5.6 miles
13 Stoke Newington to Hackney Wick 4.0 miles
14 Hackney Wick to Beckton District Park 5.2 miles
15 Beckton District Park to Woolwich 4.4 miles

Our ‘survival’ checklist for getting us out of the door was: umbrella, water, snacks, packed lunch, apples, fruit, phones, travel cards, waterproofs, plan where eating at the end of the walk (somewhere vegan for us), check the weather.

The theme at Creative Mile this year is ‘neighbourhood’, and I’m thinking the ‘big-wide-expansive-kind-of-neighbourhood’ of London, it’s a National Park City no less. The Capital Ring walk is just one of the many ways to connect with all that nature offers - let me know how you get along if you give it a go.