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Chislehurst Walks

5.3 miles (8.5 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap This circular walk around Chislehurst takes you to some of the highlights of the area. You'll visit Chislehurst Common, the National Trust's Petts Wood and the pretty Scadbury Park. The route uses various public footpaths and a section of the waymarked 7London Loop to explore the area.
The route starts on Chislehurst Common where there are some nice woodland trails to follow across the public open space. Follow the paths south across the common and they will take you past Hawkwood House and over the Kyd Wood to Petts Wood. Here you pick up the London Loop to follow it east through the woods though you could take a small detour south to visit Jubilee Country Park. The woods are good for wildlife spotting with a variety of woodland birds to look out for. The peaceful estate is run by the National Trust and covers 338 acres.
After passing through the woods you follow the London Loop north and then east to visit Scadbury Park. The park is also a nature reserve which includes 300 acres of ancient woodland, grassland and ponds. There's also the ruins of the historic Scadbury Manor where playwright Christopher Marlowe stayed in the late 16th century.
From the park footpaths then head west past Icehouse Wood before heading through the town to return to the war memorial on the common.

Postcode

BR7 5LX - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Chislehurst OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Chislehurst Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

The Crown Inn is nicely located next to Chislehurst Common. The pub does good food and has a decent sized garden area to relax in on warmer days. You can find it on School Road at a postcode of BR7 5PQ for your sat navs.

Dog Walking

The area is popular with dog walkers so you'll probably bump into plenty of other owners on your walk. The woodland trails in Petts Wood are particularly good for you and your pet. The Crown Inn mentioned above is also dog friendly.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

To continue your walking in the area you could pick up our circular walk around Orpington and visit the lovely High Elms Country Park. Elmstead Woods is also located just to the west of the common.
You could also try our circular walk around Bromley which visits High Elms, Keston Common and Hayes Common.
Just to the east you could pick up the Cray Riverway. This pleasant waterside walk will take you south along the River Cray to the source at Orpington or north to Erith where it meets the River Darent and the Thames.

Photos

War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 1530880

War Memorial At the crossroads of Bromley Road, Centre Common Road, Bromley Lane and Royal Parade, on Chislehurst Common. Made of Portland Stone, it was dedicated in 1920.

Chislehurst Common - geograph.org.uk - 1716063

Chislehurst Common. A path across Chislehurst Common, with Church Row on the left.

William Willett memorial, Petts Wood, Chislehurst, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 54683

The William Willett memorial, Petts Wood, Chislehurst, Kent. Willett was one of the prime movers behind the Summer Time act of 1925. The memorial takes the form of a sundial which, naturally, shows Summer Time.. The stone is Shap granite. The motto is horas non numero nisi aestivas - I only count the Summer hours.

Footpath, Pett Wood - geograph.org.uk - 423714

Footpath, Pett Wood. Following the course as it dips down to cross a small stream before rising again. Bluebells are also visible in this spring shot.

Kyd Brook - geograph.org.uk - 1098705

Kyd Brook 1. For a short stretch in Petts Wood, the Kyd Brook emerges from its culvert. These are the bridge parapet on Willett Way.

Kyd Brook - geograph.org.uk - 666773

Kyd Brook 2. This stream would seem more at home in the New Forest rather than the London Borough of Bromley! North of here it disappears from the map, presumably by running through a culvert as it passes through Petts Wood.

Scadbury Park Nature Reserve, Chislehurst - geograph.org.uk - 1053625

Scadbury Park Nature Reserve, Chislehurst. Scadbury Park was acquired by the London Borough of Bromley in 1983 and became a nature reserve in 1985. Though surrounded by suburbia, its extensive woods and grazing land give it a very rural character.

Scadbury Park, Sidcup, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 54682

Scadbury Park, Sidcup, Kent. The water is part of the moat belonging to the manor house which once stood on this site.

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Chislehurst.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Chislehurst.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)