The London LOOP: A 150-mile ramble through London’s green spaces

The London Outer Orbital Path (better known as the London LOOP) is an official walking route that rambles around the outskirts of the city. Split into 24 sections and clocking in at 150 miles, the London LOOP explores some of the capital’s most beautiful green spaces, such as Bushy Park, Epping Forest, and Hainault Forest Country Park.

Often described as the “M25 for walkers,” the London LOOP is designed to be easily accessible by public transport, meaning you don’t need a car to enjoy the trails. Each of the LOOP’s 24 sections begins and ends near a bus stop or train station, so you can get there and back from the city centre without too much hassle.

As I live on the outskirts of London, I’ve spent many weekends over the last year exploring the LOOP, and feel that it’s a great way to see a different side of this remarkable city.

What’s the London LOOP like?

It’s important to remember that the London LOOP circles the edges of a sprawling capital city. As such, many parts of the route do follow urban streets and run alongside busier roads. This is the nature of a walking trail that’s designed to be easily accessible by public transport from the city.

So while the LOOP is certainly not as beautiful as somewhere like the South Downs or the Lake District, it is a pleasant way to explore London and enjoy some fresh air.

Along the way, you’ll pass many of London’s best-loved green spaces, such as Bushy Park and Farthing Downs. You’ll also stroll through the ancient forest of Epping and alongside several London waterways, including the Grand Union Canal and the Colne, Crane, Cray, Darent and Ingrebourne rivers.

London LOOP sections

Here’s a breakdown of the 24 London LOOP sections, including the mileage, and where they begin and end.

Section No.	Route	Miles
1	Erith to Old Bexley	8.5
2	Old Bexley to Petts Wood	7
3	Petts Wood to West Wickham Common	8.7
4	West Wickham Common to Hamsey Green	10
5	Hamsey Green to Coulsdon South	6
6	Coulsdon South to Banstead Downs	4.3
7	Banstead Downs to Ewell	3.4
8	Ewell to Kingston Bridge	7.3
9	Kingston Bridge to Hatton Cross	8.5
10	Hatton Cross to Hayes & Harlington	3.5
11	Hayes & Harlington to Uxbridge	7.5
12	Uxbridge to Harefield West	4.5
13	Harefield West to Moor Park	5
14	Moor Park to Hatch End	3.8
15	Hatch End to Elstree	10
16	Elstree to Cockfosters	10
17	Cockfosters to Enfield Lock	9.5
18	Enfield Lock to Chingford	4
19	Chingford to Chigwell	4
20	Chigwell to Havering-atte-Bower	6
21	Havering-atte-Bower to Harold Wood	4.3
22	Harold Wood to Upminster Bridge	4
23	Upminster Bridge to Rainham	4
24	Rainham to Purfleet	5

Highlights along the LOOP

Mayfield Lavender Farm

Mayfield Lavender Farm is a family-run, organic lavender farm just outside of London. It consists of 25 acres of beautiful lavender fields, which are really wonderful to see. The lavender usually starts to bloom towards the end of June, but the peak time to visit is July and August. Section 6 (Coulsdon South to Banstead Downs) will take you to the lavender farm.

Bushy Park

At over 1,000 acres, Bushy Park is the second-largest of London’s eight Royal Parks. Thanks to its waterways, gardens, and roaming herds of red and fallow deer, it’s one of London’s best-loved green spaces. Section 9 (Kingston Bridge to Hatton Cross) goes through Bushy Park.

Grand Union Canal

The Grand Union Canal runs for 147 miles from London to Birmingham, serving as the main waterway between the two cities. Many of its towpaths are really scenic and are a great feature on the London LOOP. Sections 11 (Hayes & Harlington to Uxbridge) and 12 (Uxbridge to Harefield West) follow the Grand Union Canal.

Epping Forest

Epping Forest is a huge woodland, covering 8,000 acres across London and Essex. It’s also a very ancient woodland, home to roughly 55,000 trees that were around during the Spanish Armada, the signing of the Magna Carta, and some even during the Viking invasion of Britain. Sections 18 (Enfield Lock to Chingford) and 19 (Chingford to Chigwell) will take you through the edges of Epping Forest.

Hainault Forest

Hainault Forest consists of 300 acres of ancient woodland pasture, a boating lake, cafes and a golf course. Once a royal hunting ground, it’s now a haven for wildlife, with over 150 bird species, bats, voles, badgers and more. Section 20 (Chigwell to Havering-atte-Bower) will take you through Hainault Forest Country Park.

What are the best sections of the London LOOP?

The following are, in my opinion, the best three sections of the London LOOP.

Section 5: Hamsey Green to Coulsdon South

This 6.2-mile section of the London LOOP begins with a stroll through the fields of Sanderstead to the Whyteleafe Countryside Area. About 2/3 of the way into the walk, you’ll stroll past the pretty 18th-century village pub, The Fox. I recommend stopping here for some refreshments before you continue into the Downs. The final part of the walk will take you through Farthing Downs and the Happy Valley, a stunning area of woodland, grassland and lowland meadows.

Section 11: Hayes & Harlington to Uxbridge

Much of this 7.2-mile walk follows the Grand Union Canal, so you’ll enjoy plenty of riverside paths and canal towpaths. Beginning by Hayes & Harlington Station, you’ll follow the Grand Union Canal for a while, before deviating from it to head into Stockley Country Park. Then, it’s back onto the Canal before dipping into the gorgeous Colne Valley, where you’ll follow paths along the River Colne. You’ll meet the Grand Union Canal once again, before finishing up by Uxbridge High Street.

Section 20: Chigwell to Havering-atte-Bower

Full disclaimer: the inclusion of this section might be due to bias. I’ve lived in this part of London my entire life, and childhood nostalgia runs strong through the green spaces here. This is one of the most rural parts of the London LOOP, being almost entirely in open country, woodland or farmland. You’ll meander for 6.5 miles through some really beautiful scenery on this walk, with Hainault Forest and Havering Country Park being the highlights.

I’ve actually written an entire blog post about this section — you can read it here.

Navigating the LOOP

As the London LOOP is a sizeable 150 miles in length, it’s been broken up into 24 shorter sections. This means the LOOP can be completed in manageable, bite-sized chunks, or you can simply cherry-pick the sections you want to walk.

Tip: I’ve created a list on the AllTrails app which contains a map of each section of the LOOP. You can use it to plan and navigate your London LOOP walk. See it here.

Each section conveniently begins and ends near a TfL service, such as a tube, train or bus station. This means getting to and from the route by public transport is easy.

The London LOOP is waymarked, although not always very well. I recommend having a navigation app to accompany you. There are a variety of different signposts in use along the route. Look out for the following:

• A green disc displaying a white arrow with a blue bird and text — these are mounted on wooden posts in country areas.
• A sign featuring a walking man symbol — these are strapped to lamp posts in urban areas.
• The word link — this is incorporated into the large, aluminium signage on link routes to stations.
• A green and white signpost — these are found at major focal points and will tell you the distances to three points in either direction.

More London walks 🌳🦆

• See all my London walks here
• Chigwell to Havering-atte-Bower
• Regent’s Canal walk
• Epping Forest walks
• Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill circular
• Check out my Hiking Hub for hiking tips

Thank you for reading! If you found this post useful, I’d be grateful if you would consider using the affiliate links below when planning your travels. I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you. This will help me to keep this blog running. Thanks for your support — Lauren.

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