Description
Nice low traffic scenic route from Bromley to Orpington. Quickly leave the hubbub of Bromley South station by taking a sharp right along the taxi rank and passing under the Kentish Way into a quiet residential area (don't take the stairs up - but turn left and then immediately right under the Kentish Way onto Palace View - map is a bit misleading here but I don't seem to be able to update it). Weave your way to Whitehall Recreation ground and then along a nice straight footpath to some shops and the Chequers Inn where you can optionally stop for refreshment. Leaving the Chequers it is a short walk to the Parkfield Recreation Ground which marks the beginning of a substantial traffic free middle section (where dogs can go off-lead in safety). Follow the path past the back of the Bromley Golf club and into the lovely Sparrow Wood (can be a bit muddy in the winter - see pics taken in mid-April when it was quite hot out) emerge out of the wooded area and cross the busy road (turn left on this road and walk for about 100m for local shops) into the quiet Crofton residential area, find the footpath and take the steep steps down onto a railway footbridge offering spectacular views of Orpington station and beyond. Once over the railway it is a short walk along Knoll rise to Orpington High Street
Nice low traffic scenic route from Bromley to Orpington. Quickly leave the hubbub of Bromley South station by taking a sharp right along the taxi rank and passing under the Kentish Way into a quiet residential area (don't take the stairs up - but turn left and then immediately right under the Kentish Way onto Palace View - map is a bit misleading here but I don't seem to be able to update it). Weave your way to Whitehall Recreation ground and then along a nice straight footpath to some shops and the Chequers Inn where you can optionally stop for refreshment. Leaving the Chequers it is a short walk to the Parkfield Recreation Ground which marks the beginning of a substantial traffic free middle section (where dogs can go off-lead in safety). Follow the path past the back of the Bromley Golf club and into the lovely Sparrow Wood (can be a bit muddy in the winter - see pics taken in mid-April when it was quite hot out) emerge out of the wooded area and cross the busy road (turn left on this road and walk for about 100m for local shops) into the quiet Crofton residential area, find the footpath and take the steep steps down onto a railway footbridge offering spectacular views of Orpington station and beyond. Once over the railway it is a short walk along Knoll rise to Orpington High Street
Status
This route has been reviewed by 3 people.
There are no issues flagged.
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Information
Route status - Live
Reviews - 3
Average rating -
Is this route good enough? - Yes (3)
There are currently no problems reported with this route.
Downloads - 6
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Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Bromley
Grid Ref
TQ4041968709
Lat / Lon
51.40004° / 0.01721°
Easting / Northing
540,419E / 168,709N
What3Words
face.newly.stages
Orpington
Grid Ref
TQ4611465896
Lat / Lon
51.37333° / 0.09787°
Easting / Northing
546,114E / 165,896N
What3Words
gates.deck.truth
Bromley | |
---|---|
Grid Ref | TQ4041968709 |
Lat / Lon | 51.40004° / 0.01721° |
Easting / Northing | 540,419E / 168,709N |
What3Words | face.newly.stages |
Orpington | |
---|---|
Grid Ref | TQ4611465896 |
Lat / Lon | 51.37333° / 0.09787° |
Easting / Northing | 546,114E / 165,896N |
What3Words | gates.deck.truth |
Sorry Land Cover data is not currently available for this route. Please check back later.
reviews
Daisy C
25 Jun 2023 (edited 30 Jun 2023)Very nice. Crofton / Sparrow Woods were thankfully dry. Plenty of other green and even rural feeling sections, plus quiet residential roads Loses a star for the line being messed up twice, briefly just north of Orpington Station but also the km leading to Bromley South Station. On the ground there are beguiling but wrong alternatives that you might reasonably assume the line was supposed to follow.
GPS signal didn't work under the leafy canopy of Crofton Woods and OS maps don't show all the paths or which bits are now woodland. The paths curve, branch and turn. I'd recommend using the London Loop waymarkers and the path along the wood edge by the stream. They meet at a large wood framed info board map, in case the wooden fingerpost is hidden by holly branches again. Lots of dog walkers and locals around though, I'm sure someone could set you right if needed.
I'm going to post a map of the paths later.
ETA I chose a different way at the Bromley end. From the end of Siward Rd, dogleg onto Langdon, a dead end for cars. Out onto Kentish Way/A21. Down a few metres, cross at the lights. Looked up at Waitrose building. Follow sign/arrow right to customer entrance (up Kentish Way a tad then footway round building). Bromley South Station is the other end of the carpark. I was too late to buy a cold drink on a hot day but the crossing was fine and this made more sense to me. If you were coming from the station this would be ok too.
But if trying to use the actual route coming from Bromley, you would probably go up a set of steps behind the other side of the station, and end up on the A21 anyway, except the crossing would be further away, perhaps hidden by the rise and bend of the road. And on the opposite side of 4 lanes of traffic, where the route should be perpendicular to them, there is a blank brick wall. So you'd have to improvise anyhow. It's a bit frustrating that there's a niggle so near the end/beginning point. I don't want people to be wrongfooted and lose confidence before they have a chance to appreciate the route's better parts.
Jack Cornish
01 Feb 2023I think this is a perfect suburban London Slow Way. Much of the first half of the route goes through beautiful woodland, quiet recreation grounds and long, traffic free, alleyways. Along the whole route, the Slow Way only crosses about two roads which can be even vaguely described as busy (and they have good crossing points).
Crofton Woods can get muddy (I walked in January) but there are many side parallel paths which are relatively mud free. There are a free steps along the route which would make this not the most accessible route (such as at the very beginning near Orpington Station) but these could be avoided with some small road diversions.
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NickD
17 May 2022Very much as per the overall description. Pleasant scenic route from Bromley to Orpington. Very similar to BroOrp One, in that much of the middle section, Sparrow Wood and Crofton Wood are shared.
Out of the two, I prefer this one. The start avoids the hustle of Bromley High Street and I believe the end is a far nicer walk and view - but try them both and compare for yourself.
Please be aware on this route, I believe the map at the start and near the end can be a bit misleading. When taking the road next to Bromley South Station, you need to follow around to the left and take the first right, Palace View, to go under Kentish Way and then right into Murray Avenue. On the map, it seems as if you can walk alongside the railway.
Near the end, the map shows as if there is a path at the corner of Andover Road, where in fact you continue around the corner into Cathcart Drive to reach the pathway.
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