Away Day - River Wandle Walk (12.5 miles / 20 km - Moderate, Booking Required)

This walk is for up to 25 people, including the leader.

A linear walk through the Wandle Valley of South London, following the river Wandle from Croydon to its confluence with the Thames at Wandsworth.

Please note that it is strongly advised that you use public transport to reach the start point of this walk and to return home.

This walk starts at Wandle Park in Croydon, where the river first emerges and briefly flows through the middle of the park before disappearing underground again. To find the river once more, we must head west, along Purley Way (apparently the first road in Britain to have sodium street lamps), and then passing Waddon Ponds and an industrial estate. The river then appears again, now both wide and fast flowing. We follow it through residential streets to Beddington Park, passing by the large St Mary’s Church and the Tudor house of Carew Manor. Here, the Wandle is easy to follow as it continues in a westerly direction, gradually widening as it reaches a mill pond at the edge of the park. The river rushes through channels and under small stone bridges here, then under the road, where it must temporarily be lost from sight again.

We continue westwards to the edge of Carshalton to find another tributary of the Wandle, and follow this to Wilderness Island nature reserve, where the two tributaries meet. We then turn northwards, passing by the sites of mills from the Wandle's industrial past, eventually reaching Ravensbury Park at the southern edge of Mitcham, before stopping for lunch in Mordern Hall Park, where we can see an operational waterwheel, and those who wish can make use of the National Trust cafe and facilities.

After lunch, we continue onwards past Deen City Farm, and then Merton Abbey Mills, which were once home to various textile manufacturers, and are now occupied by a market and numerous eateries. The most iconic resident of the site though is the large waterwheel, which has become the logo for the borough of Merton's council. We then pass through Collier's Wood, with a chance to see the former Brown and Root building - once an infamous eyesore, but now reclad to look less imposing. We then get a sense of déjà vu, entering a second Wandle Park, and then on to a quieter section of the route through wasteland, woodland, and under railway lines, before reaching Summerstown, and then Earlsfield.

Here is one of the few points where the Wandle Trail does not follow the river, but has to divert through central Earlsfield, before rejoining the watercourse at King George Park. We soon reach Wandsworth, and after navigating roads and footpaths, we will see the Wandle split in two before quickly converging again around a small, green patch of land, where we can look out on the Wandle meeting the Thames. We will then follow the Thames Path west to Putney, where those who wish can have a drink (and perhaps dinner).

To return home, the District Line can be used to reach Blackfriars, where Thameslink trains heading north can be caught.

This walk is not suitable for dogs except assistance dogs.

Booking your place: If you would like to join, you must book in advance using the Stag Walkers Meetup group - see Notes for how to book & what to bring. If you are unable to attend, please cancel your booking so that someone else can take your place.

Please do not turn up for a walk without booking, as places are limited.

Unless you opt in to further communications, we will only use contact information you provide to get in touch about the walk.

Please car-share or use public transport if possible. To offer a lift or ask for one from a fellow walker, please use the Meetup event page. However it is recommended that walkers use public transport for this walk due to the long drive and relative difficulty in parking in the area. There are two very good train services to East Croydon from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.