Travel Book for February 2009
The Rough Guide to Walks in London & Southeast England by Helena Smith
Few cities can rival London’s distinctive mix of the urban and the pastoral. Despite being the largest city in Western Europe, home to a staggering 7.5 million people, the capital preserves surprisingly extensive stretches of green space. In fact, over a third of it is made up of greenery, not only in the famous parks and gardens, but also in less obvious places – canalside paths, disused railway tracks and reclaimed industrial land – as well as along the banks of the Thames as it winds through the city. These hidden footpaths are thoroughly enjoyable in themselves, and also offer a fascinating insight into the social, architectural and industrial history that went into the making of one of the world’s most vibrant cities.
Despite the sprawl of suburbs that girdles the city, many parts of southeast England remain almost miraculously unspoilt. Fast train services make it very easy to reach open countryside from just about anywhere in London – indeed, it’s surprising just how far from the capital you can get in a single day and still have time for a rewarding walk and a great pub lunch.
To the south and west of the capital there’s sweeping downland: the lush North Downs and the barer and more open North Wessex and South Downs. You’ll find spectacular stretches of coast – from the towering sandstone cliffs at Hastings to the wavy chalk formations further west – as well as areas of dense ancient woodland, which are at their most extensive in the New Forest. The Thames cuts a green swathe west of the capital, linking a chain of attractive towns and villages, while to the north are the pristine wooded hills of the Chilterns and the limitless flatlands of the Fens around Ely. The striking variety of landscapes around the city is part of the attraction – from the prettily manicured landscapes of the Kent Weald to the hauntingly bleak chalk uplands of the Wessex Downs.
As with London itself, the southeast has always been a densely inhabited area, and the impact of human activity on the land, while more diffuse, is no less profound, visible in Iron Age forts, medieval field terraces and grand country-house estates
Five of the Best Pubs
The Garden Gate A cheerful, buzzy place with a big garden, on the edge of Hampstead Heath. Generous portions of food and farm cider on tap. See p.30
The Harrow Inn An archetypal Kentish village pub, which serves award-winning grub. See p.109
The Ram Spectacularly located at the foot of the South Downs, with good lunches, local ales and a ghost upstairs. See p.144
The Stag & Huntsman A cheery and busy place, located in the attractive brick and flint village of Hambleden in the Chilterns. See p.222
The Swan Tasty organic food is the draw at the seventeenth-century Swan, on the edge of the North Wessex Downs. See p.197
The Rough Guide to Walks in London & Southeast England by Helena Smith is published by Rough Guides (paperback; £11.99). It is also available through roughguides.com and all good booksellers.
Extracted from The Rough Guide to Walks in London & Southeast England, 2nd edition published January 2009. Written and researched by Helena Smith.
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