Catbro one

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I walked from Bromley to Catford.
I grew up in Bromley and it is almost unrecognisable, so very ugly now.
Not much to add to Randonneur's most excellent review.
The mapping through Beckenham Palace Park is very poor, don't follow it, you'll be hacking through the undergrowth. Follow the orange Capital Ring signs through the Park, this adds about 500m to the walk. Or you can wander around, the Lake is now finished (it was being dug when I did the Ring years ago) and it is very pleasant. The Riverview walk is also lovely if a little over-managed. The rest is suburban walking.
Okay for wheels but long steep hills (17%) in places.

Very pleasant walk. Excellent review by Randonneur. Completed Bromley to Catford, will do the reverse hopefully soon.

Not much to add to Randonneur's comprehensive review. For an urban route there is a lot of off road, though unfortunately some busy roads encountered without regulated pedestrian crossings.

Bromley to Catford
We walked this route in the opposite direction suggested, so of course if you're coming from Catford station just follow the description the other way round.

Bromley South Station to Beckenham Lane
Gradient: slight incline
Surface: pavement
There are ladies’ and gents’ toilets at the station. Turn right upon leaving the station and walk up Bromley High Street. A couple of hundred yards up from the station the High Street becomes pedestrianised. There are a few cafes and pubs as well as the Glades shopping centre on your right-hand-side. Most of the High Street is 1960s and 70s totally unimaginative architecture and if you didn't know you were in Bromley you could be in any identikit High Street. However, after Market Square you get an inkling of what Bromley would have looked like before the developers got their hands on it. There are some very pleasant and interesting Victorian buildings, at least from the 1st floor upwards.

Beckenham Lane, Bromley High Street London Road junction to Ravensbourne station
Gradient: quite steep descent to Farnaby Road, might be hard for wheelchair users, particularly in the opposite direction.
Surface: pavement

At the top of the High Street turn left into Beckenham Lane and walk down the Hill on the right-hand side of this rather busy road. Just after Valley Primary School on your left, look out for Farnaby Road on your right-hand side. This is a long, straight, leafy, residential road with not much traffic and large well-to-do Edwardian houses on either side. The road curves to the left at the junction with Warren Ave and Bromley Ave, so continue along Farnaby Road and cross the culverted river Ravensbourne. Just after the river you will come to a T junction (Ravensbourne Ave). Turn right and follow the signs for the station. Turn left at Crab Hill. (Presumably named after crab apples and not the crustaceans). Cross the road opposite the station and you will find the entrance to Beckenham Place Park.


Beckenham Place Park
Gradient: undulating
Surface: woodland paths, pebble, gravel

Beckenham Place park is perhaps the most pleasant part of your walk. There are plenty of paths through the park, so if you've got time, you can choose your own and discover. Try and follow a path to the new lake, where you can indulge in wild swimming, and other aquatic activities if that tickles your fancy. You have to book online at www.ptpcoaching.co.uk There is a lovely café, called Homestead, in a courtyard in the middle of the park. Here you can buy the usual range of hipster coffees as well as pizzas, cakes and other snacks. Even under Covid restrictions it's very nice because you can sit out in the newly laid out gardens and enjoy a drink in the sunshine. Whichever way you decide to take this walk, this is probably the best place to stop for a coffee and a bite to eat. It is also the first toilet stop which is directly on your route if you're coming from Catford, and probably the first if you are coming from Bromley, unless you sneaked into Wetherspoon’s on the way.

Beckenham Hill Rd to Bell Green
Gradient: steep descent down Braeside
Surface: grass, earth and woodland track from café up to road then pavement.

Leave the courtyard of the Homestead café by the exit opposite the café itself, and go straight ahead through the small coppice until you get onto Beckenham Hill Rd. Turn sharp left, cross the road at the pedestrian refuge and turn right into Braeside. Walk down this steep residential road and either turn left into Overbrae, then right at the bottom onto Worsley Bridge Rd or carry on along Braeside (both quite steep) turn left in to Greycot Road and again right onto Worsley Bridge Rd. You will now be walking for a few hundred yards between two playing fields. You can either carry on along Worsley Bridge Rd to the busy road junction at Southend Lane, or when you cross the small river (the Pool) turn right along the footpath and follow the river which will be flowing on your right-hand side. Come out onto Meadow View Rd. Here you might like to take a detour on your right into Southend park which is a very pleasant little green space. You will have to come out again at the same entrance as there isn't a convenient exit onto Southend Lane. At the bottom of Meadow View Rd turn left onto Worsley Bridge Rd until you reach Southend Lane.

Bell Green to Catford station.
Gradient: level
Surface: pavement, cycle track

As you exit Worsley Bridge Rd. on the right-hand side, cross over Southend Lane at the traffic lights, turn right, then straight away left into Moormead Rd. You will see the River Pool on your left-hand side. Take the footpath on the left signposted Waterlink Way and go under the railway bridge. There is a nice mural of a kingfisher on your right-hand side just as you come out from under the bridge. In front of you will be a wide path which is also used by cyclists, so be careful, because not all cyclists have discovered the concept of the bell yet, just as not all pedestrians have discovered the concept of looking where they are going. The river here is culverted for quite a distance. Unfortunately, the concrete cannot be removed because the land on the other side of the river was used for industrial purposes for over a century and a half and is badly contaminated. The concrete acts as a dam to stop most of the pollutants reaching the river. When you reach the blue bridge just follow the path. (However, should you require, there are two supermarkets if you carry on straight ahead once you've crossed the bridge. Sainsbury's has a pharmacy and toilets.)
The River Pool can be quite deep in places so just be careful. After a while, you will cross the river again, just after small play area on your left-hand side. About halfway down, just beyond the pumping station you will see a picnic table on your left. If you go down there, you can walk along the river's edge. Here you will see some of the work that a local volunteer group, Friends of the River Pool, have been carrying out. The river, like most urban rivers was artificially straightened in stages from the 19th century onwards. The volunteer group have been building berms, which are artificial bends in the river, made from hazel, willow, clay and mud, in order to create deeper and shallower areas, as well as shelter and refuge, that various types of fish and other water creatures can take advantage of. It also goes without saying that volunteer groups regularly clean rubbish from and around the River Pool itself. If you are walking on the riverbank rather than the cycle track you will eventually have to come up onto the track itself just before the bridge at the confluence between the Pool and the Ravensbourne. Follow the track, back over another bridge and under the railway bridge and you will come to an industrial/commercial area where you will find Wickes, Halford's and Poundland. This is not the most picturesque part of your walk but fortunately, it won't take you long to get through it. It does have one saving grace in the form of a Caribbean food stall. Keep to your right, across the car park and you will come to a passageway under the South Circular. Don't try and cross over the South Circular here, as the traffic is always heavy. When you come out to the passageway, you have Catford Bridge station on your right and Catford station on your left. Your walk (or indeed ride) is now ended or has just begun if you're doing it the other way round. Inconveniently Catford Station does not appear to have disabled access and there are no toilets at either station. There is however a pub on the bridge called, unsurprisingly, the Catford Bridge Tavern, recently restored to all its former mock Tudor glory. There is also a small Sainsbury's between the two stations.

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