Wesdul one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

I walked from Dulwich to W. Dulwich.
Short and sweet route.

This is a lovely (and little) walk linking pretty (and pricey) Dulwich Village to West Dulwich station under a mile away. Granted that is a weird choice for the network as Dulwich is mostly playing fields or very low density housing, hardly deserving two "settlements" in that space. But I'm rating this route on how it gets from A to B not the network design.

Walked on a weekday lunchtime, starting at the bus stop next to Pickwick Rd, about 250m from the start. The roads were a lot quieter than you might expect. And the same was true (same roads) while testing DulCat 4 and DulCry 1. Today some autumn leaves were still clinging on and the sun came out so the tree-lined avenues looked very elegant (and expensive). Almost immediately after the "village" ends the route turns down Gallery Road which is bordered by a community orchard, several visually enticing playing fields (if you ignore the discrete Private Land signs) and, of course, Dulwich Picture Gallery and grounds. Then it goes through charming Belair Park and exits opposite West Dulwich station station, the end point, avoiding a trudge along the notoriously busy A206 / South Circular Road.

You can drop into Dulwich Picture Gallery for the cafe, museum shop, or even to see an exhibition. Some cheeky types might try it on and just use the toilets. There's also Belair House, a "glossy bar/restaurant" serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Very good mid-route facilities for such a short route, at least if you aren't on a budget.

My small quibble is that the line suggests you turn off Gallery Road into Belair Park through a fence. If following it exactly you would overshoot a gate from either direction but it's not a struggle to anticipate it, nor tricky to remedy if you didn't, also from either direction.

See Southwark council website for Belair Park closing times. The alternative way around is pretty obvious.

A nice route and the best available between these locations. There are a number of shops and pubs in Dulwich but not much at Dulwich. Passes the Dulwich Picture Gallery where you can go through the gardens to avoid a little of the road.

A short and pleasant enough walk but not a great choice of facilities. Dulwich aka Dulwich Village tends to be expensive and West Dulwich railway station has little to offer in that way either. Not sure why either of them were chosen as hubs. You would be better beginning or ending your walk in East Dulwich which has a much greater range of shops and eateries - some more affordable. It also has better transport links with a station and numerous buses going off in all directions.

A straightforward route which keeps off the road as much as is possible but inevitably involves a fair percentage of pavement walking.

This is a perfectly satisfactory route between Dulwich Village and West Dulwich station. Apart from the section through the park it is on roadside pavements, but there are no practical alternatives which avoid roads. It is largely flat and the route is paved the whole way, with the only obstacles being curbs at road crossings. It only gets 3 stars from me because it is not very interesting or scenic, but no alternatives would be any different.

Easy to follow and direct while taking in as much green spaces as possible including a nice park area with a small river/pond. You go past plenty of pubs/cafes/restaurants in Dulwich and it has the station at one end of the route. Easy to follow on from to get into Peckham where you have further connections.

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.