Oxleas Wood

1.2 miles (2 km)

This lovely park in south east London has good footpaths through bluebell woodland, a terraced garden, a rose garden and parkland. The area is in an elevated position on Shooter's Hill so there are great views of the city of London and the surrounding countryside to enjoy. In the park you will find ancient woodland including oak,�silver birch,�hornbeam and�coppice�hazel. There's nice wide lawns where you can enjoy a picnic and the far ranging views.
In Castle Wood you will find the 18th century Severndroog Castle. The impressive Gothic-style castle has a viewing platform from which you can see several of the surrounding counties on a clear day.
The park also has good facilities with a car park and a nice cafe.
The Green Chain Walk passes right through the park so you can pick this up to extend your walking in the area. Heading north will take you through Eltham Common and Woolwich Common before coming to the River Thames in Greenwich. Head east and you will soon come to Bostall Woods where there are more nice walking trails to try. Adjacent to Bostall Woods is the fine Lesnes Abbey Woods where you can explore the ruins of the 12th century abbey and visit the lovely ornamental garden and arboretum.

Postcode

SE18 3JA - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

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Oxleas Wood Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map

Oxleas Wood Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map

Oxleas Wood OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Oxleas Wood Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

The woods have good facilities with an on site cafe selling hot drinks, snacks and meals. There's also an outdoor gym in this area if you are still feeling energetic after your walk!
Another nice idea is to follow the Green Chain Walk south to nearby Eltham where there's some interesting pubs to investigate. One place of note in this area is the 16th century Tudor Barn which is slightly off the route. The unique venue is notable as the only�existing Tudor Barn in London. There's a wonderful, large outdoor area here where you can enjoy a meal with views over the surrounding gardens. It's a special place and ideal location to rest your legs on summer days. Indoors there's an attractive, modern interior with real fires in a cosy atmosphere. After your meal you can enjoy a stroll around the 13 acres of gardens where there's a medieval moat. You can find the barn at Well Hall Pleasaunce, Well Hall Rd with a postcode of SE9 6SZ.
You could also head to the Park Tavern where there's a nice rear garden which is a nice place to relax outside on warmer days. There's also a good menu and a terrace at the front. You can find the pub just off the route at 45 Passey Place with a postcode of SE9 5DA for your sat navs.
In this are we'd also recommend a visit to Eltham Palace, one of the highlights on the route. A medieval palace and then a Tudor royal residence, the palace was transformed into a striking Art Deco mansion by millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld. The site also includes 19 acres of lovely gardens with a pretty moat crossed by a 15th-century bridge.

Dog Walking

As you'd imagine the woodland trails are ideal for a dog walk. It's a popular place so expect to bump into other owners on your visit.
The cafe mentioned above is also dog friendly.