by Kay Lockett
Walking is a great way to fight the winter blues, walk off your Christmas dinner
and all those turkey sandwiches.
Just wrap up warm and make the most of London on foot. Fight the urge to hibernate with a refreshing winter walk. It's a great way to explore Wandsworth.
Walking in London
London is a great city to go walking in. You can stroll by the river Thames along the popular Thames Path, or follow a network of lesser-known waterside walks, or you can wander in a wealth of green space, from the various parks or sightseeing trails around our borough.
Obviously in such a populated area a sense of solitude is rare, and traffic can be intrusive on London’s notoriously congested streets. But to compensate there is the fascinating history and culture of one of the world’s great cities, and facilities and services, including a good public transport network, near at hand.
Walking routes that go through Wandsworth
A Wandsworth Walk: A walk of 4½ - 6½ miles from Clapham Junction Station including some of the Wandle Trail. A visit to the De Morgan Centre can be included.
A Putney Walk: A 5 mile circular walk from Putney Station. The route can also be accessed from East Putney tube station. There is the option of following the Beverley Brook walk at one point but this (shorter) route can be muddy.
Capital Ring Section 5 - Streatham to Wimbledon Park: A 5.5 mile walk starting at Streatham High Road and finishing at Wimbledon Park Station. Places of interest include Tooting Bec Common and ponds, Wandsworth Common, Wandsworth Prison and Wandsworth Cemetery.
Thames Path National Trail: A splendid and popular 182.7 mile riverside trail leading from the rural Cotswolds to the capital through beautiful countryside and fascinating urban areas including Oxford, Henley, Windsor and Greenwich.
Capital Ring Section 6: Wimbledon Park to Richmond: A 7.5 mile walk from Wimbledon Park Station to Richmond Riverside with glorious scenery.
You can choose to walk as little or as far as you want by walking them in short sections. For maps and more info on these routes check out www.walklondon.org.uk
Green space
The London borough of Wandsworth contains some 1600 acres of green space in the form of parks, commons, allotments and cemeteries, which is the largest proportion for any inner London borough. At 221 acres, the continuous green swathe of Tooting Common in the south of the borough, between Balham and Streatham, is Wandsworth's largest public open space. If you don’t fancy following a walking trail then pop along to you nearest park.
Walking is a great way of exploring both your local area and new places, it gives you the time to take in your surroundings and you'll notice things that you wouldn't have seen from a car or a train.
Why Walk in London?
London really is a great city for walking. Almost 7 million walking journeys are made in London every day. As well as the network of pavements and paths, the number of walking trails rivals any other city in the world. Walking is the best way to get to and from public transport services and is often the quickest, easiest way of moving around the capital.
Transport for London (TfL) and the London Boroughs are working together to complete and promote six major walking routes. The aim is to create great walking experiences on well-managed routes, making London a more attractive place to live, work and visit.
If you want to know more about what you're passing as you walk why not try www.audioguide2go.com - you can download audio guides to London as well as other cities, with information on heritage, nature, or whatever catches your imagination.
Wandsworth Town Heritage Trail
There are two heritage walks that let you explore Wandsworth's past and discover its new developments. Both walks begin in Wandsworth High Street on the Wandle Bridge outside the Southside Shopping Centre. You can go East or West. The walks take approximately 20 minutes each. For a free copy of the Heritage Trail booklet, phone 020 8871 8277.
The heritage walks help you to explore the changes that have occurred in Wandsworth's past, including transportation, industry and the recent regeneration of Wandsworth town centre.
The River Walk takes you to where Wandsworth's first industries began. Walk along the River Wandle, and down to the Thames, through Point Pleasant and Wandsworth Park in its beautiful riverside setting. Here you'll find where Wandsworth's Riverside Quarter has been developed, with its luxury riverside apartments, restaurants and leisure facilities.
The Town Centre Walk explores how transport by rail, road and water shaped Wandsworth town centre. This also includes the interesting shops and restaurants in Old York Road and East Hill.
You can find out more about the Heritage Trail walks on the following website: www.wandsworth.gov.uk
Walking is a simple way to stay healthy. It can help reduce your blood pressure, lower your stress levels, and manage your weight. It can also help prevent serious health conditions. NHS Wandsworth has teamed up with Wandsworth Council to offer a series of free walks around the beautiful local parks. The walks will be led by trained instructors who can advise and guide you towards building up your physical activity at a pace that suits you.
The walks are free of charge and you don’t need to book a place - you can just turn up on the day. Take a look at www.wandsworth-pct.nhs.uk for more information on local activities.
