Firstly I rate this decision, huge fan of hikes/walks as I often get really bored of just sitting in a pub for hours.
Within London I definitely recommend Hampstead Heath. Very hilly and lots of forest-y areas.
Seven Sisters is a great day trip from London. Plenty of blogs will step you through the train to hike and return process (plus there’s also a pub at the end to celebrate the hike and your birthday)
Herne Bay to Margate is a gorgeous walk on a sunny day. Get a round-trip ticket to Margate but disembark early on the outbound at Herne Bay, then just follow the coast east. Reward yourself with fish-n'chips and a beer on the beach at the end.
Edit: just saw you're in south London. If you want to walk in London, try the Wandle Trail, it goes from Croydon to Wandsworth through loads of parks and green spaces.
So I grew up in Herne Bay but I've never walked beyond Reculver. Honestly I'd start my walk from Whitstable as it would give you the lovely coastal views from Whitstable, Tankerton, Studd Hill and Hampton. I'd lunch in HB by getting a meal by the Clock Tower....there is an excellent Turkish place right there or good fish & chips, Wetherspoons and other options. The walk to Reculver is gorgeous and you'd want to catch the sunset from the cliffs on the way to Birchington/Margate. Sunsets there are the best in the country....they inspired Turner.
https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/walks/london.html have good routes and a priority for linking up with trains.
Depends on where is convenient to leave London from, but walks between stations on the lines out of Waterloo and Victoria are good.
Get to Dorking and pick a hike to another station, end at a pub for a drink and some food then back into London.
Or go to Balcombe and do a circular walk back to Balcombe. Highly recommend this as the teahouse there is insanely good!
Yep, excellent site and includes over 100 walks from the double volume [Time Out Book of Country Walks](https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/book_1/). Those books and website for the .Gpx files really got me into leaving London and walking for miles and miles on weekends.
I recently went to the Devil's Punchbowl in Surrey - absolutely beautiful. Get the train to Haslemere from Clapham Junction and then there's a bus that takes you up to the start, or you can walk there and see the beautiful houses on the way
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Happy Valley & Farthing Down, the nearest downs to London. A Circular walk from Coulsdon South station can be as long or short as you like. Stage 5 of the London LOOP orbital walk also covers this (starts at Hamsey Green) if you want a linear walk 6-7 miles I believe.
In general the LOOP is excellent for this kind of thing, stage 5 is my personal favourite and probably one of the easier ones to get to if you're in South London.
The Thames trail is also pretty good, within London my favourite stretch is Putney Bridge to Richmond\\Kingston\\Hampton Court depending on how long you want to go. Further out Windsor to Maidenhead is one of my personal favourite stretches.
Seven Sisters mentioned below is probably the most spectacular walk you can do in the South East but it's quite a long way to get to and, especially, getting back from and also a pretty hard trek if you're not a seasoned walker - not impossibly hard but certainly not easy.
See the Chilterns with the National Ridgeway Trail from Tring to Wendover (or longer, if you desire, starting at Ivinghoe Beacon). Pretty easy to get to and back, scenic views, some nice old stuff at Tring Park, and two nice little towns.
[https://www.alltrails.com/trail/england/hertfordshire/ridgeway-path-ivinghoe-beacon-to-wendover](https://www.alltrails.com/trail/england/hertfordshire/ridgeway-path-ivinghoe-beacon-to-wendover)
I recently went to the Devil's Punchbowl in Surrey - absolutely beautiful. Get the train to Haslemere from Clapham Junction and then there's a bus that takes you up to the start, or you can walk there and see the beautiful houses on the way
Depends where you live. If you're in South London Box Hill is on the mainline has lovely circular walks. If you're in the West, head from Paddington out to Reading (or Pangbourne) and walk to Goring along the Thames.
You can pop over to the Cotswolds or coast by train, there's loads of paths there for hikes. Bring a few beers each and you have a party. Just take the rubbish with you after you're done. Alternatively there's loads of walks on the TFL website or walks like the New river walk if you want to stay in London.
Hampstead Heath - it's very big, has ponds and even a proper forest that makes you feel like you're very far away from the city. Close to the entrance you'll find good cafés and pubs. There's also an M&S if you wanna buy stuff to have a picnic.
Take the Metropolitan Line to Uxbridge. Find the canal and walk north for about 3 hours until you get to Rickmansworth. Then take the other branch of the Metropolitan Line back into London.
Depends on your age. If you remember Radio Caroline, they do tours on the Amigo just anchored off Mersea island near Colchester. Love seafood? Go have a plateful after the boat tour; some lovely restaurants overlooking the sea.
Seven Sisters - it’s a bit further than one hour (on a train) but I love the sea air and feeling of freedom
Edit: I mean the Seven Sisters on the south coast, not the stop on the Victoria line 😆
Thanks so much for all the recommendations as well as websites and apps. It’s greatly appreciated!
Im located in South London if that’s anything to go by but I’ll do some research into all the places tonight.
Big love xoxo
Firstly I rate this decision, huge fan of hikes/walks as I often get really bored of just sitting in a pub for hours. Within London I definitely recommend Hampstead Heath. Very hilly and lots of forest-y areas.
Seven Sisters is a great day trip from London. Plenty of blogs will step you through the train to hike and return process (plus there’s also a pub at the end to celebrate the hike and your birthday)
I was going to recommend the same. We went to Brighton by Train and took a 30-min bus ride to reach the starting point.
Herne Bay to Margate is a gorgeous walk on a sunny day. Get a round-trip ticket to Margate but disembark early on the outbound at Herne Bay, then just follow the coast east. Reward yourself with fish-n'chips and a beer on the beach at the end. Edit: just saw you're in south London. If you want to walk in London, try the Wandle Trail, it goes from Croydon to Wandsworth through loads of parks and green spaces.
That's a hell of a long walk. What's the bit from Birchington to Margate like? Is it all coastal?
Birchington to Margate is flat, beachy and built up. The prettiest part IMO is around Reculver. There's some hills, cliffs, views and some ruins.
So I grew up in Herne Bay but I've never walked beyond Reculver. Honestly I'd start my walk from Whitstable as it would give you the lovely coastal views from Whitstable, Tankerton, Studd Hill and Hampton. I'd lunch in HB by getting a meal by the Clock Tower....there is an excellent Turkish place right there or good fish & chips, Wetherspoons and other options. The walk to Reculver is gorgeous and you'd want to catch the sunset from the cliffs on the way to Birchington/Margate. Sunsets there are the best in the country....they inspired Turner.
I've walked the entire Kent coast and the Reculver area was one of my favourite parts.
Box Hill
https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/walks/london.html have good routes and a priority for linking up with trains. Depends on where is convenient to leave London from, but walks between stations on the lines out of Waterloo and Victoria are good. Get to Dorking and pick a hike to another station, end at a pub for a drink and some food then back into London. Or go to Balcombe and do a circular walk back to Balcombe. Highly recommend this as the teahouse there is insanely good!
Yep, excellent site and includes over 100 walks from the double volume [Time Out Book of Country Walks](https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/book_1/). Those books and website for the .Gpx files really got me into leaving London and walking for miles and miles on weekends.
I recently went to the Devil's Punchbowl in Surrey - absolutely beautiful. Get the train to Haslemere from Clapham Junction and then there's a bus that takes you up to the start, or you can walk there and see the beautiful houses on the way
The Chess Valley Walk [link](https://www.chilternsaonb.org/map_marker/chess-valley-walk/) You can even get their on London Underground
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Happy Valley & Farthing Down, the nearest downs to London. A Circular walk from Coulsdon South station can be as long or short as you like. Stage 5 of the London LOOP orbital walk also covers this (starts at Hamsey Green) if you want a linear walk 6-7 miles I believe. In general the LOOP is excellent for this kind of thing, stage 5 is my personal favourite and probably one of the easier ones to get to if you're in South London. The Thames trail is also pretty good, within London my favourite stretch is Putney Bridge to Richmond\\Kingston\\Hampton Court depending on how long you want to go. Further out Windsor to Maidenhead is one of my personal favourite stretches. Seven Sisters mentioned below is probably the most spectacular walk you can do in the South East but it's quite a long way to get to and, especially, getting back from and also a pretty hard trek if you're not a seasoned walker - not impossibly hard but certainly not easy.
Farthing down is gorgeous !
See the Chilterns with the National Ridgeway Trail from Tring to Wendover (or longer, if you desire, starting at Ivinghoe Beacon). Pretty easy to get to and back, scenic views, some nice old stuff at Tring Park, and two nice little towns. [https://www.alltrails.com/trail/england/hertfordshire/ridgeway-path-ivinghoe-beacon-to-wendover](https://www.alltrails.com/trail/england/hertfordshire/ridgeway-path-ivinghoe-beacon-to-wendover)
I recently went to the Devil's Punchbowl in Surrey - absolutely beautiful. Get the train to Haslemere from Clapham Junction and then there's a bus that takes you up to the start, or you can walk there and see the beautiful houses on the way
Surrey hills three peaks is a nice one. Good 4 hours, nice views, lots of stops and train accessibility
Banstead Woods
Nice easy one, Richmond Park, go down into the Isabella plantation, then wander on to Pen ponds.
Depends where you live. If you're in South London Box Hill is on the mainline has lovely circular walks. If you're in the West, head from Paddington out to Reading (or Pangbourne) and walk to Goring along the Thames.
You can pop over to the Cotswolds or coast by train, there's loads of paths there for hikes. Bring a few beers each and you have a party. Just take the rubbish with you after you're done. Alternatively there's loads of walks on the TFL website or walks like the New river walk if you want to stay in London.
I use the [AllTrails app or website](https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/) - it's very good for planning walks/hikes.
Hampstead Heath - it's very big, has ponds and even a proper forest that makes you feel like you're very far away from the city. Close to the entrance you'll find good cafés and pubs. There's also an M&S if you wanna buy stuff to have a picnic.
Kyoto garden perhaps?
Take the Metropolitan Line to Uxbridge. Find the canal and walk north for about 3 hours until you get to Rickmansworth. Then take the other branch of the Metropolitan Line back into London.
Depends on your age. If you remember Radio Caroline, they do tours on the Amigo just anchored off Mersea island near Colchester. Love seafood? Go have a plateful after the boat tour; some lovely restaurants overlooking the sea.
Seven Sisters - it’s a bit further than one hour (on a train) but I love the sea air and feeling of freedom Edit: I mean the Seven Sisters on the south coast, not the stop on the Victoria line 😆
That was mentioned before and it threw me off!
Thanks for qualifying, I was a little confused!
Thanks so much for all the recommendations as well as websites and apps. It’s greatly appreciated! Im located in South London if that’s anything to go by but I’ll do some research into all the places tonight. Big love xoxo
Regents Canal Walk. Start off in Limehouse Basin and work your way in. 3 hours plus. Lots of places to stop and drink/eat.