Walk from Croydon.
🖥

Parametric data

• Route name:

  Croydon station.

• Distance:

  10.6 miles.

• Topology:

  Point to point (southward).

• Seasonal suitability:

  Dry.

• Ascent:

  200 metres+

• Landmark of note:

  Chaldon Church.

• Feasible excursion:

  Farthing Downs saves ½ a mile, but that
  leads into Ditches Lane (traffic).

• Walking in the road:

  < 340 m (Shepherd's Hill).

• Footpath quality:

  Top notch apart from up to Ditches Lane (muddy).

• Duration 09th Aug 2022:

  4.8 hours

• Refreshments:

  Pistachios.

Route map and notes.

1. E. Croydon Station.

   At exit

   turn left into

   George St.
2. At ped. crosng.

   Continue along S. side of

   George St.
3. After 30 m

   turn right into

   Altyre Rd.
4. At its end

   turn right into

   Barclay Rd. (A232).
5. At ped. crosng.

   cross into

   Park Hill Park.
6. After 750 m

   turn right into

   Coombe Rd.
7. After 50 m

   turn left into

   footpath toward S. Croydon St.
8. After 320 m

   turn right into

   Hurst Rd.
9. At its end

   turn left into

   St.Peters Rd.(B274)
10. At rbout

    cross into

    Selsdon Rd.(B275)
11. After 65 m

    turn right into

    Drovers Rd.
12. At its end

    turn left into

    Brighton Rd.(A235)
13. After 410 m

    take 2nd right into

    Haling Park Rd.
14. After 130 m

    take 1st left into

    Avondale Rd.
15. At its end

    turn right into

    St Augustines Ave.
16. After 35 m

    take 1st left into

    Blenheim Park Rd.
17. At its end

    turn right into

    Kinsdown Ave.
18. After 310 m

    bear left into

    Montpellier Rd.
19. After 170 m

    take 1st right into

    Montpellier Rd.
20. At its end

    cross into

    Purley Park Rd.
21. After 75 m

    take 1st right into

    Whytecliffe Rd. N.
22. At its end

    turn left into

    Whytecliffe Rd. S.
23. At its end

    turn left into

    Godstone Rd.(A22)
24. After 170 m

    turn right into

    Foxley Hill Rd.
25. At rbout

    turn right into

    Higher Drive.
26. After 850 m

    take 4th right into

    Burcott Rd.
27. After 205 m

    take 1st left into

    Haydn Ave.
28. After 690 m

    bear right into

    Colescroft Hill.
29. After 200 m

    continue into

    Old Lodge Lane.
30. After 500 m

    bear right into

    footpath opposite School.
31. After 540 m

    continue along

    Canon's Hill.
32. At its end

    turn left into

    Coulsdon Rd.(B2030)
33. After 930 m

    turn right into

    Parsons Pightle.
34. After 60 m

    bear left into

    Happy Valley Park.
35. After 1730 m

    bear left into

    Ditches Lane.
36. After 40 m

    bear right into

    Lane to church.
37. After 105 m

    turn left into

    Footpath toward Alderstead.
38. After 930 m

    cross

    Rook Lane (B2031).
39. After 480 m

    turn left into

    Shepherd's Hill (B2031).
40. After 1110 m

    turn

Croydon's pavements predominate the first five miles of this walk. The exception is ½ mile of Park Hill, running north to south from Barclay Road to Coombe Road. Look for the Victorian water tower undergoing lengthy and expensive repair. If you are a tower then Croydon loves you.

Cross to the west side of the delightful Brighton Road and thread your way through quieter residential Purley. To your left along Kingsdown Avenue look for the memorial to the 1924 de Havilland aircraft crash .

A little further on you recross the Brighton Road at Rotary Field. Here can be seen the last remnant of the Surrey Iron Railway .

At the ultra delightful Purley one-way system veer east along the A22 for 160 yards before resuming southerly motion toward Coulsdon. The temptation here is to head over Farthing Down. It's shorter and viable, but is busy and entails the full length of Ditches Lane thereafter. The route as listed takes in the Dollypers Hill Nature Reserve, Grange Park (refreshments at Pistachios ) before Happy Valley .

Sign posting is rather thin so, as you leave Parsons Pightle (I thought Dollypers Hill was a laugh) your best bet is to proceed southwards for 500 metres until you reach the paved Fox Lane. Turn right and in 240 metres you emerge from the trees at the valley proper . The sp here indicates Chaldon Church. You then have to traverse both sides of the valley; warm work in August. If you begin to wheeze a bit then that will be the only sound you hear.

The way across the fields was unmistakable when I took it. At the far end of them is the last of Greater London, approaching a short stretch of Ditches Lane. Listen carefully for oncoming vehicles and you may have time to jump to safety. Any survivor then passes the church with the style for Alderstead directly in front of him. Leaving the second field from there you disappear under the trees at the (concreted) Downlands Woodland Trail. Bear left until you see the sp off to your right. It's then brambles and nettles (about 30 metres) until the B2031.