It’s finally here! Summer!

All those high bills and low temperatures that come pack and parcel with London life are finally going to pay off! Only… Where to start?

Summertime London has such a plethora of things to do, I could likely start a blog for the season alone! For me though, first and foremost in my summer plans, are always London walks.

Obviously, there is, once again, no shortage of options here, but not as much as the city’s unsurprisingly oversaturated market for beer gardens, pop-up summer hubs, and Al Fresco performances; the list of London walks isn’t quite as long.

Still, it doesn’t hurt to have a small selection to start with right? Here I’ve compiled my five favourite London walks, to give you a small taster of what to expect when walking them. On the walks you may very well meet people who can tell you of bigger, badder, better, walks, but I thought these as good appetizers.

If you can’t see your favourite walk here, I’d love to hear it in the comments at the bottom of this post!

Happy reading, and, more importantly;

Ramble on!

Parkland Walk: 

Length – 5 km (3.1 miles)  Style – Leafy forest trail  

After the railway line from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace was closed, it was turned into London’s longest linear nature reserve. Starting off just over the railway line on the West edge of Finsbury Park, the first half of the trail will take you through the narrow but surprisingly “wild” feeling nature reserve, with unexpected views, abundant birdlife, and street art sprinkled throughout small tunnels and arches. This first section is what people think of as the Parkland Walk. Once the trail reaches Highgate, it goes a couple hundred metres up Archway Road before curling into Highgate Woods, a leafy oasis with many other short trails you can deviate onto if you wish. From here, the last stretch just under a km is on a path through the residential area, so many skip it. I’d continue until the end however, as it ends by Alexandra Palace, which has a spectacular view of London and is iconic in its own right.

Notes: Don’t take this trail after dark for safety reasons.

Shorten: Only walk the section from Finsbury Park to Highgate.

Extend: Start/finish with the New River Path from Woodberry Down West Reservoir to Finsbury Park.

River Lee trail (from Walthamstow to Limehouse): 

Length – 80 km / 50 miles    Recommended section – 7.9 km / 4.9 miles   Style – Relaxed park-lined canal-side walk.

A walk that holds a special place in my heart after three years of weekly Sunday bike rides as a kid, I can’t recommend this walk enough. Though you can walk from the very source, and it’s definitely worth doing for more avid walkers; the last section, from Walthamstow Marshes to Limehouse Basin, is just perfect for a chilled weekend stroll. From the start the canal is lined with colourful house boats, including some which serve as cafes, restaurants, bookshops, and even a school! (at least that’s what it says, I’ve never seen anything “schoolish” about it) The first two thirds or so of this section is consistently lined with a park or nature reserve on (at least) one of its banks. Another great thing about this trail is that it runs alongside the Olympic park. This part of the walk is lined on both sides with homey places to grab a beer, and, especially during the summer, can really feel like a small riverside summer fair, with many seasonal food trucks and beer gardens opening up alongside the canal. 

Note: Beware of bikes on this path, there’s space for them to go past but you don’t want to turn into one and end up with one or both of you in the canal. Also, make sure to cross the bridge at the Bow Locks, turning right onto the Limehouse cut. You can keep left and follow the canal to Leamouth, but the Limehouse section is both prettier and ends in a far more accessible area if you’re taking public transport.

Shorten: Finish/Start at the Old Ford Locks (at the south end of Olympic Park), leaving out the less memorable section from here to Limehouse.

Extend: Spend time on the many trails in the Walthamstow Marshes.

Regents Canal: 

Length: 14.5 km / 9 miles   Recommended section: Full     Style – pleasant canal path through buzzing areas.

A walk through some of London’s more hip and vibey areas along a pleasant canal. Starting in Limehouse (the ending point of the above Lee River walk), the Regents Canal meanders through many pleasant neighbourhoods and spots including Mile End, Victoria Park, London Fields, Islington, Granary Square, Camden Town, Regents Park, and ending in Little Venice. During the spring and summer every one of these areas will be absolutely buzzing, as will most of the path in between. There will be hipsters painting their barges, families kayaking down the river, and guitarists strumming their tunes while balancing precariously on a canal lock. During the autumn and winter the path may be a lot more secluded, which for many is even better.

Shorten: Only walk the sections between Victoria Park and Regents Park.

Extend: Continue from Little Venice to Horsenden Hill. 

Capital Ring: 

Length: 126 km / 78 miles     Recommended section: Choose between 15 sections     Style – Urban path through parks, residential areas, canals, and everywhere in between.

One of London’s most famous but challenging walks. The Capital Ring makes a loop through the entire London whilst staying within 10 miles of Big Ben. It’s not a walk for everyone, as there are some sections which are quite boring. Rather the walk is for ramblers or people looking to complete a challenge. That being said, there are many interesting highlights on the ring, including part of the above mentioned River Lee, and the entire Parkland Walk. Other highlights include Crystal Palace and Park, Richmond Park, a section on the Thames by Que Gardens, and the River Brent. Most people who take on the Capital Ring choose to split it up into fifteen sections (I’m currently doing this myself), for guides to each section and how to split them best, check out Inner London Ramblers, whose guides I’ve been using to great effect.

Shorten: Simply don’t complete the entire ring. The ring includes many sections that are worth doing by themselves, so pick whichever entices you most, and go for it!

Extend: 78 miles not enough for you? Why not take on the London Loop? At 150 miles / 241 km, it’s close to double the length. Instead of making a loop in the capital, the London loop goes around it, meaning the path is more suburban and full with barely known hidden London gems. The guys at London Ramblers have once again done an excellent job in helping you through the path with their guides. 

Thames Path: 

Length: 298 km / 185 miles     Recommended section: Full walk    Style – Riverside walk from quaint countryside through historic sites and London’s busiest districts. 

Perhaps the most famous walk in the entire UK, the Thames path includes a lot more than just London, but since a nice chunk of it falls within the capital, I thought it only right to include it on this list. Following one of the most historically important and iconic rivers from source to the Thames Barrier , the sites and highlights on the Thames walk are almost too many to list (I’ve started an attempt at it here). You’ll pass through nature reserves and reservoirs, castles and wildlife centres, historic villages and towns including Oxford and London, and under and over an exhausting amount of bridges. You can take the trail on in one go, spending your nights at hotels or camping. Or, you can split up the task into daily sections, making your way back to homebase each evening (plan this well, especially between the source and Oxford, as transport options are limited). Alternatively, split it into larger sections to do over weekends, or however you want it. There are enough amenities on the trail to do it however you want. 

Shorten: Like the Capital Ring, many of the sections of the Thames path are worth doing in their own right. An especially nice route could be from Hampton Court Palace to Kew Bridge. The stretches through Oxford or Central London are understandably packed with sites and things to do.

Extend: The Thames Extension Path from the Thames Barrier to Crayford is a simple 10 mile extension that isn’t part of the official Thames Path but fits well in as it will bring you far past the barrier into what can be considered the mouth of the river. There’s no official path all the way to the sea, but there are many roads and paths that you can piece together to get further along the river.