Description
This is a mostly quiet route along residential roads and through two large parks. Sutcliffe Park does not get locked at night, but Mountsfield Park does, Lewisham Council website has the times. The section beside the A2 near Eltham station is on a separate walk way which is on the original level of the land, not directly adjacent to the multi-lane road.
Break points
Hither Green and Lee stations are on the route and it intersects with 10+ bus routes.
The streets just outside Hither Green station are probably the best option for eating, a couple of cafés, a pub, restaurants/takeaways and food shops. Mountsfield Park and Sutcliffe Park both have cafés and there are other options where the route crosses bigger roads.
A review of BlaElt one said that Edith Nesbitt Walk in Eltham felt unsafe. As a local I can understand that, probably wouldn't use it late at night on foot myself. Although there is already an alternative route, Catelt one, this also uses the same section
This is a mostly quiet route along residential roads and through two large parks. Sutcliffe Park does not get locked at night, but Mountsfield Park does, Lewisham Council website has the times. The section beside the A2 near Eltham station is on a separate walk way which is on the original level of the land, not directly adjacent to the multi-lane road.
Break points
Hither Green and Lee stations are on the route and it intersects with 10+ bus routes.
The streets just outside Hither Green station are probably the best option for eating, a couple of cafés, a pub, restaurants/takeaways and food shops. Mountsfield Park and Sutcliffe Park both have cafés and there are other options where the route crosses bigger roads.
A review of BlaElt one said that Edith Nesbitt Walk in Eltham felt unsafe. As a local I can understand that, probably wouldn't use it late at night on foot myself. Although there is already an alternative route, Catelt one, this also uses the same section
Status
This route has been reviewed by 3 people.
There are no issues flagged.
Photos for Catelt two
Photos of this route will appear when they are added to a review. You can review this route here.
Information
Route status - Live
Reviews - 3
Average rating -
Is this route good enough? - Yes (3)
There are currently no problems reported with this route.
Downloads - 4
Surveys
What is this route like?
Surveys are submitted by fellow users of this website and show what you might expect from this Slow Ways route. Scroll down the page to read more detailed surveys.
| Grade 1X based on 1 surveys | Sign up or log in to survey this route. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Note | ||
| Grade 1: Entirely smooth and compacted surfaces. Access grade X: At least one stile, flight of steps or other obstacle that is highly likely to block access for wheelchair and scooter users. |
Grading is based on average scores by surveyors. This slow way has 1 surveys. | ||
| Full grading description | |||
Only people who have completed our training can become Slow Ways surveyors and submit a survey. We do not vet contributors, so we cannot guarantee the quality or completeness of the surveys they complete. If you are dependent on the information being correct we recommend reading and comparing surveys before setting off.
Survey Photos
Facilities
Facilities in the middle third of this route.
Challenges
Potential challenges reported on this route. Some challenges are seasonal.
Obstacles
Obstacles on this route.
Accessibility
Is this route step and stile free?
Measurements
Surveyors were asked to measure the narrowest and steepest parts of paths.
The narrowest part of the path is 60.0cm (1)
The steepest uphill gradient walking East 12.0% (1)
The steepest uphill gradient walking West 15.0% (1)
The steepest camber gradient across the path 3.0% (1)
How clear is the waymarking on the route: Unsigned (1)
Successfully completed
We asked route surveyors "Have you successfully completed this route with any of the following? If so, would you recommend it to someone with the same requirements?". Here is how they replied.
Recommended by an expert
We asked route surveyors "Are you a trained access professional, officer or expert? If so, is this route suitable for someone travelling with any of the following?" Here is how they replied.
Terrain
We asked route surveyors to estimate how much of the route goes through different kinds of terrain.
75.0% of the route is on roads (1)
80.0% of the route is lit at night (1)
100.0% of the route is paved (1)
There is no data on muddiness
There is no data on rough ground
There is no data on long grass
Report a problem with this data
1 surveys
Information from verified surveys.
Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Catford
Grid Ref
TQ3728073527
Lat / Lon
51.44410° / -0.02602°
Easting / Northing
537,280E / 173,527N
What3Words
seat.wire.stuff
Eltham
Grid Ref
TQ4271174900
Lat / Lon
51.45510° / 0.05263°
Easting / Northing
542,711E / 174,900N
What3Words
grows.chef.survey
| Catford | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ3728073527 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.44410° / -0.02602° |
| Easting / Northing | 537,280E / 173,527N |
| What3Words | seat.wire.stuff |
| Eltham | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ4271174900 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.45510° / 0.05263° |
| Easting / Northing | 542,711E / 174,900N |
| What3Words | grows.chef.survey |
Sorry Land Cover data is not currently available for this route. Please check back later.
reviews
Strider
05 Mar 2024I walked from Eltham to Catford.
Always good to walk away from Eltham station, so ugly.
This route is greener and further away from main roads than the map might suggest. Some slightly monotonous suburban streets but they are well paved and are generally quiet. No nasty road crossings.
Two parks with some good views. Steps exiting Mountfields park. Quite hilly. Easy to navigate.
A good enjoyable walk making the best of green spaces.
JohnMyerson
15 Feb 2024Pleasant quiet roads in the main on this walk. There's a Tesco's in Catford Shopping Centre. The sign at Mountsfield Park says it's closed from dusk to 8am. There's a public toilet here but currently no lock on the door! It was good to learn about the River Quaggy at Sutcliffe Park. Toilets inside the ticket barriers (open when I was there) at Eltham Station.
-
Share your thoughts
Daisy C
27 Sep 2022 (edited 30 Jun 2023)The route is fairly quiet, has some nice green spaces and does pretty well given the heavy geographical constraints - the A2, the A20, the particularly congested A205 (South Circular), other busy roads linking them, plus multiple train lines with few crossing points. It uses quiet roads most of the time and there are some points of interest: the Catford Cat, views along the "Vale of Catford" from the top of Mountsfield Park, the quirky cafe/florist in Hither Green (near the station) and Sutcliffe Park where the River Quaggy has been re-naturalised - if you wander north a little there are wildflower-rich meadows, and boardwalks through the reeds and wet woodland (my favourite part, if that's not clear).
I'd walked this route but in pieces, so I did a full-route test starting at Eltham station early evening, and got a sunset view from Mountsfield Park in Catford at the other end. No problems encountered and the quiet roads were as expected. I was happy to walk along Edith Nesbitt Walk (beside/below the A2) but there are no exit points so perhaps you'd rather not. You could take Sherard Rd opposite the station then cut through to the big roundabout and come into Sutcliffe Park from the bottom of Eltham Green Road. It's more direct but fiddly and would have directions like this: "Don't turn right onto X road here, although it is actually straight ahead and feels just like staying on the same road, instead stay on Y road as it bends around to the left, and does feel like you are taking a turning, then after only 40m take Z road, which is genuinely a right turning" or "going clockwise take the second of the five turnings at this junction". ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯
Brizet Park has kissing gates at either end, but it's very small, just follow the pavement around it. Sutcliffe Park isn't locked at night and the path stays near the side, just through railings from a fairly busy, well-lit road with houses on the other side. Mountsfield Park is dark, not overlooked and technically should be locked at night. If in doubt it is simple to go around on Davenport / Laleham Roads. It's paved all the way, but there are 100-200m long slopes, approx. 5%, at Beacon Rd and Mountsfield Pk.
-
Share your thoughts
Share your views about this route, give it a star rating, indicate whether it should be verified or not.
Include information that will be useful to others considering to walk or wheel it.
You can add up to 15 photos.
Other Routes for Catford—Eltham See all Slow Ways
Review this better route and help establish a trusted network of walking routes.
Suggest a better route if it better meets our methodology.
Share your thoughts