Description
Designed to be a dog-friendly route, it is almost 2km longer than either KenCat 1 or 2 but considerably more off-road (around 75% off-road vs 25%). Mostly through woodland but also meadows, green lanes, a park and some quiet or very quiet roads.
Starting from Caterham (as that is how I made the initial test) it goes uphill along Waller Lane, which is steep but effectively pedestrian-only, and then avoids the residential streets of Caterham-on-the-Hill, first through a park, then along a quiet green alley/footpath and then along 'Green Lane' which I discovered via the CouCat routes. This comes out near, but does not actually pass, The Fox pub, the only potential mid-route refreshments. You then meander eastward across Coulsdon Common through woodland and some very steep meadows, up to and then around Kenley Aerodrome (public and popular around the edges). Hayes Lane is fairly busy and fast but hopefully this crossing has better sightlines than the alternatives. From the airfield it is downhill taking another somewhat indirect but green descent via Kenley Common, which has views across the valley, and then along two old trackways through woodland. It briefly joins KenCat 2 on Kenley Lane but quickly turns off onto Church Road, along pavements passing front gardens. This was recommended by a local as being safer than Kenley Lane which has no pavements and is lined by hedges, fences or steep banks. It may also have less traffic.
Caterham has a train station (with toilets) which is within the Oyster zone, several bus routes, a busy high street and apparently public toilets too. (NB there's a bus connection here to Blindley Heath, another SlowWays destination.)
There's a mid-route bus stop just a few metres down the northern junction with Coulsdon Road, refreshments at The Fox, see above, but no other facilities.
The Kenley end point is at the small and somewhat isolated station, but a few minutes beyond is a small parade of shops, pub, takeaway, etc and two bus routes
Designed to be a dog-friendly route, it is almost 2km longer than either KenCat 1 or 2 but considerably more off-road (around 75% off-road vs 25%). Mostly through woodland but also meadows, green lanes, a park and some quiet or very quiet roads.
Starting from Caterham (as that is how I made the initial test) it goes uphill along Waller Lane, which is steep but effectively pedestrian-only, and then avoids the residential streets of Caterham-on-the-Hill, first through a park, then along a quiet green alley/footpath and then along 'Green Lane' which I discovered via the CouCat routes. This comes out near, but does not actually pass, The Fox pub, the only potential mid-route refreshments. You then meander eastward across Coulsdon Common through woodland and some very steep meadows, up to and then around Kenley Aerodrome (public and popular around the edges). Hayes Lane is fairly busy and fast but hopefully this crossing has better sightlines than the alternatives. From the airfield it is downhill taking another somewhat indirect but green descent via Kenley Common, which has views across the valley, and then along two old trackways through woodland. It briefly joins KenCat 2 on Kenley Lane but quickly turns off onto Church Road, along pavements passing front gardens. This was recommended by a local as being safer than Kenley Lane which has no pavements and is lined by hedges, fences or steep banks. It may also have less traffic.
Caterham has a train station (with toilets) which is within the Oyster zone, several bus routes, a busy high street and apparently public toilets too. (NB there's a bus connection here to Blindley Heath, another SlowWays destination.)
There's a mid-route bus stop just a few metres down the northern junction with Coulsdon Road, refreshments at The Fox, see above, but no other facilities.
The Kenley end point is at the small and somewhat isolated station, but a few minutes beyond is a small parade of shops, pub, takeaway, etc and two bus routes
Status
This route has been reviewed by 1 person.
There are no issues flagged.
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Information
Route status - Live
Reviews - 1
Average rating -
Is this route good enough? - Yes (1)
There are currently no problems reported with this route.
Downloads - 0
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Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Kenley
Grid Ref
TQ3241160111
Lat / Lon
51.32470° / -0.10103°
Easting / Northing
532,411E / 160,111N
What3Words
caked.vines.raves
Caterham
Grid Ref
TQ3411655408
Lat / Lon
51.28203° / -0.07834°
Easting / Northing
534,116E / 155,408N
What3Words
tunes.wide.soon
| Kenley | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ3241160111 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.32470° / -0.10103° |
| Easting / Northing | 532,411E / 160,111N |
| What3Words | caked.vines.raves |
| Caterham | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ3411655408 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.28203° / -0.07834° |
| Easting / Northing | 534,116E / 155,408N |
| What3Words | tunes.wide.soon |
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review
Daisy C
06 May 2026Very enjoyable with a mix of environments keeping things interesting. I walked this in combination with CouCat 2 and two other new routes, Kenley to Purley and thence back to Coulsdon. I didn't walk downhill from Queen's Park to Caterham Station (and then back up) as I've already tried 3 different ways on 4 different walks out of Caterham and this is best: traffic free, simple and pleasant, although through the church is nice too. I didn't walk with dogs in the end but it should be suitable. There were cows on Coulsdon Common but many other potentially off-the-lead sections.
On another trip I enjoyed the small museum in Caterham. The extra distance on this route compared to KenCat 2 was well worth it even if those roads were fairly quiet. Missing Caterham-on-the-Hill's shops didn't matter. Kenley Aerodrome has several information boards about the history, mostly WWII, and it was fun watching a glider taking off. Also keep an eye out for the (seasonal) cowslips outside the church in Kenley. Also see my narrative on the route overview.
There were no stiles but a few gates and some cows. Probably unsuitable for wheelchairs as it is sometimes extremely steep, the ground is sometimes uneven, there are some raised roots, several sections of significant winter mud judging by the fossilised remains. I had to duck under a fallen tree and dodge another in Hawkhirst Wood but an older fall had been tidily cut away from the path. Two road crossings need particular care. Chaldon Road/Rook Lane has limited sightlines: a bend one way and a rise hiding the other. Hayes Lane is faster and busier but the sightlines were fair and the traffic came in pulses. I saw benches in Queens Park and more near/beyond the aerodrome.
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