Walks you can reach from Sydenham Hill by train

Suburban woodlands, wide woodland tracks, heathland, valleys, moated manor ruins and open green spaces.

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

A commuter-belt rural walk over the North Downs through woodland, chalky fields and rolling downland, with a fair amount of up-and-down and a long road-walking section. Mixed underfoot with gates, kissing gates, stiles, earth steps, tree roots and rutted paths and moderately steep for short stretches. Knockholt station is about 1 km off route, allowing the walk to be split.

Time: 4h30–8h30

Lunch: Pubs on the route at Pratts Bottom and Knockholt Pound, with a shop and a garden centre cafe at Knockholt Pound.

End-of-walk reward: A pub on the route at Riverhead, near the end.

Warnings: Several busy road crossings where traffic moves fast, though most have crossings or a central island. A stretch of road walking begins with no verges and high hedges on a tight bend. Pay attention to flying golf balls when crossing Chelsfield Lakes Golf Course. The footpath at Fairtrough Farm has been diverted and the OS maps are out of date.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A pleasant walk starting and ending with quiet residential streets in Orpington and Swanley, with the peaceful middle section across fields and woods with wild flowers, on tracks that are walking-boot territory in wet weather. Several stiles to cross. Wide views over Kent/London countryside and with Canary Wharf visible in the distance on a clear day. Part of the route follows the Bromley Chelsfield walk and the Windmill Hill Wood Walk.

Time: 2h30–4h30

Lunch: There is a pub and a post office just off route in Crockenhill, and a Tesco and other shops in Orpington at the start.

Walk details: Slow Ways.