Best walks near London by train
Middlesex · South East England
Stations: London King's Cross · London St. Pancras International · St Pancras International · Euston · Charing Cross · Victoria · Waterloo · Waterloo East · Marylebone · Paddington · Moorgate · Liverpool Street · Cannon Street · Fenchurch Street · Blackfriars · London Bridge
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near London and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from London.
Guildford Circular via Compton (Surrey)
30 minutes direct from Waterloo.
Beginner-friendly: No coast or river to follow, but pretty straightforward long lines nonetheless, and Watt’s Chapel provides a lovely reward for reaching the midpoint of the circuit. The lunch stop is a simple café in the vicinity of Watt’s Chapel, so no messing around with booking a table in advance.
Watts Chapel: Beautiful Arts and Crafts creation of Mary Watts (1h45 in).
Watts Gallery (1h45 in)
St Catherine's Chapel Ruins (30m in)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
1 lunch spot: Watts Gallery café (1h45 in)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Withies Inn, Ye Olde Ship Inn, the Britannia, the White House, or the George Abbot
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: Walking Post (inc. GPX).
Cambridge Circular via Grantchester (Cambridgeshire)
45 minutes direct from London King's Cross.
Beginner-friendly: A straightforward walk along the River Cam with many lunch options in Granchester. Within Cambridge itself, feel free to wander about randomly rather than following the route — there’s plenty to appreciate.
King's College Chapel (2h45 in)
Fitzwilliam Museum (2h45 in)
Cambridge (2h45 in)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
4 lunch spots: Grantchester (1h30 in) — the Orchard Tea Garden, Grantchester, the Red Lion, the Rupert Brooke, or the Blue Ball Inn
1 end-of-walk reward: the Panton Arms
Warnings: A quarter urban.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Hanborough Circular via Blenheim Palace (Oxfordshire)
1 hour direct from Paddington.
Beginner-friendly: A gigantic well-signposted park. It’s completely fine to deviate from the route — explore as you like! Plenty of options for lunch — no need to reserve a table. It's an easy walk from the station to the beautiful, vast (and free) grounds of the finest example of English baroque architecture. For a somewhat extortionate fee you can also visit the house, but you'd probably want a whole day for that.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Blenheim Palace (1h in)
Woodstock (1h30 in)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
3 lunch spots: Woodstock (1h30 in) — the Crown, the Back Lane Tavern, or the Star Inn
1 end-of-walk reward: the George and Dragon
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Aspley Guise Circular via the Woburn Estate (Bedfordshire)
1 hour from Euston, with one change.
Beginner-friendly: A shortish but satisfying walk. It’s hard to go wrong and, if you do, it’s easy to recover. Lunch is in the pleasant village of Woburn, where there are many choices, so no faffing with making reservations needed. Plus it goes through a safari park and you’ll likely spot some of the beasts.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Woburn Safari Park: a 300-acre wildlife park opened in 1970, home to over 80 species including critically endangered hoofed mammals (2h in).
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
3 lunch spots: Woburn (1h in) — the Black Horse, Lussmanns, or the Woburn Hotel
1 end-of-walk reward: the Anchor
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Henley-on-Thames to Marlow (Oxfordshire)
45 minutes from Paddington, with one change.
Beginner-friendly: Cross the river, make sure it’s on your left, and keep walking all the way to Marlow! You can't go wrong.
Waterway: two thirds along the River Thames.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Lunch: There’s nowhere to eat en route so either pack a lunch or eat in Marlow at the end — there are many cafés, pubs and restaurants there.
4 end-of-walk rewards: the Bull Inn, the Old Brewery, the Prince of Wales, or the Marlow Donkey
Warnings: Very popular and busy. Be warned that the river bank is prone to flooding, making sections of the route impassible — if that happens there will be many other ramblers who you can follow for the alternative route.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Tring Circular via Ashridge Estate (Hertfordshire)
45 minutes direct from Euston.
Beginner-friendly: It’s nearly all in a big National Trust estate that’s extremely well sign-posted. It’s completely fine to deviate from the route — explore and shorten as you like! The lunch options are simple cafés, so no messing around with booking a table in advance. The Ashridge Estate is very beautiful if you appreciate woodland, and covers more then enough ground to cover a day of hiking in itself. There are paths everywhere and you can wander freely. Ancient trees, rolling chalk downlands and lush meadows.
Woodland: half under tree cover.
Ashridge Estate (National Trust)
The Ashridge Estate Café (National Trust; 45m in)
Pitstone Common Woodland Walk (National Trust; 1h in)
Ashridge House (2h15 in)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: the Ashridge Estate Café (45m in), or Ashridge House café (2h15 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Valiant Trooper
Warnings: Relatively busy. Take the minor paths to avoid the crowds. Can be muddy.
Source: Trains2Green.
Windsor Circular via Windsor Great Park (Berkshire)
1 hour direct from Waterloo.
Beginner-friendly: A gigantic well-signposted park. It’s completely fine to deviate from the suggested route — explore as you like! The lunch stop is a simple café, so no messing around with booking a table in advance.
Windsor Castle (15m in)
Windsor (4h30 in)
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
3 lunch spots: Windsor Great Park (2h30 in) — the King And Castle, or Savill Garden Visitor Centre Cafe; plus Water Lilies at Windsor Great Park (2h45 in)
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Two Brewers Pub, the Prince Harry, or the Royal Windsor
Source: Trains2Green.
East Grinstead Circular via Standen House (Sussex)
1 hour from London Bridge, with one change.
Beginner-friendly: This short walk is nearly all National Trust territory and signposted. If you want to make it even shorter and simpler, just skip the detour through the woods. The lunch stop is a simple café, so no messing around with booking a table in advance. Mostly secluded.
Standen House (National Trust; 1h15 in)
Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
1 lunch spot: Standen House café (1h15 in)
Source: Trains2Green.
Sevenoaks Circular via Ightham Mote (Kent)
30 minutes direct from London Bridge.
Highly recommended: Pleasantly rolling hills and dales, fields and vales, oast houses and hay bails. Beautiful expansive views to the South, which make you appreciate well preserved the wooded hills of the Kent Downs are. Wandering through Knole Park is idyllic, especially toward the evening when the humans are gone and the deer are in force. Mostly secluded.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Knole House: enormous aristocratic estate, associated with the Bloomsbury Group; well worth a visit but consumes a day in itself (45m in).
The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio (National Trust; 45m in)
Knole Park (National Trust; 45m in)
One Tree Hill (National Trust; 1h30 in)
Ightham Mote: Immaculately preserved medieval manor house with idyllic gardens. Touring the house thoroughly takes an hour, and the gardens another 30 minutes (2h15 in).
Deer in Kent Downs National Landscape (National Trust; 3h45 in)
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: Ightham Mote café (2h15 in; not bad), or the Bucks Head (3h30 in)
Warnings: Some mud inevitable.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Otford Circular via Shoreham (Kent)
30 minutes direct from London Bridge.
Highly recommended: Quiet country lanes, meadows, rolling wooded hills, and two very attractive villages.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Shoreham (1h30 in)
Otford (3h30 in)
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
3 lunch spots: Shoreham (1h15 in) — the Samuel Palmer (Plenty of seating, including outdoors; excellent), the Kings Arms, or the Mount Vineyard
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Tunbridge Wells Circular via Groombridge (Kent)
45 minutes direct from London Bridge.
Highly recommended: Escarpments.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
Time: 8h (6h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: Frant (1h30 in) — the Abergavenny Arms, or the George
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Crown Inn, the High Rocks, or the Pantiles
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Wendover Circular via Great Kimble (Buckinghamshire)
45 minutes direct from Marylebone.
Highly recommended
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Chilterns Woodlands (National Trust; 1h in)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
1 lunch spot: the Russell Arms (2h15 in)
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Shoulder of Mutton, the White Swan, or the Bel & The Dragon at the Red Lion
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).