Green Chain Walk
The Green Chain Walk visits a number of London's prettiest parks and open spaces while also passing through some interesting urban areas. This section of the route runs from Thamesmead to Crystal Palace. It covers a distance of just over 14 miles on a fairly flat, waymarked footpath. As such it could be completed on a single day. You'll visit a number of peaceful woods, attractive parks and historical sites allowing you to reconnect with nature in an urban environment.
The walk begins on the River Thames at Thamesmead and passes Lesnes Abbey Woods, Oxleas Wood, Bostall Woods, Avery Hill Park, Eltham Palace, Elmstead Woods and Beckenham Place Park before finishing at Crystal Palace Park.
Highlights on the walk include the fascinating ruins of the 12th century Lesnes Abbey and the splendid views from the elevated terrace garden in Oxleas Wood.
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Green Chain Walk Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Green Chain Walk Open Street Map 
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Green Chain Walk OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Green Chain Walk Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
Eltham is roughly the half way point on the walk so a nice place to stop for refreshments. 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 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
The trail is a great place for a dog walk with a number of nice woods and parks for your pooch to explore in. The Park Tavern mentioned above is also dog friendly.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
Green Chain walk signs. These are in Charlton Park directing you the way to follow the route which covers green space in South East London.
Here you could visit Charlton House, a Jacobean house with beautiful gardens. You can reach this section of the chain by heading north from Oxleas Wood to Shooters Hill and then on towards the Thames.
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Gorse alongside the Green Chain Walk on Bostall Heath and Woods. The wood is owned and maintained by the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The area was once the haunt of highwaymen. Although now bricked up, there's a cave named after the most famous highwayman of all, Dick Turpin.
The Green Chain Walk, alongside Haha Road, London SE 18. Photography in this grid square is not easy in view of the large number of military installations, where personnel are understandably reluctant to permit it. But this quiet section of the Green Chain walk could cause no one any offence. The eponymous haha can be seen to the left of the path.
Eltham Palace. The fine 1930s house is surrounded by 19 acres of award-winning gardens and a moat. It is run by English Heritage and includes a series of pleasant footpaths and woodland trails.
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Winter in Elmstead Woods. A junction of footpaths on the Green Chain Walk. The woods consist of oak, beech and sweet chestnut trees.
Thamesmead from near Lesnes Abbey. The 1970s tower blocks of Thamesmead contrast with the slopes leading up to Lesnes Abbey and the beautiful Lesnes Abbey Woods
Beckenham Place. The original house, focal point of Beckenham Place Park, now used as a golf centre.
Oxleas Wood. A typical view of one of the more open parts of the wood in winter. The woodland is an ancient one, and a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), but was largely felled or coppiced for timber by the mid-nineteenth century, so there are few trees more than 100 years old.