Looking for a new way to explore London? The London Outer Orbital Path, otherwise known as the LOOP, is the answer. This 150-mile walking route almost completely circles Greater London, linking parks, woodland walks, farmland, rivers and open countryside with the outer edges of the capital.
Rather than tackling all 150 miles in one epic expedition, the LOOP is divided into 24 sections, so you can take on one walk at a time. The route starts at Erith in southeast London and heads clockwise around the capital, finishing at Purfleet-on-Thames.
What to expect from the LOOP
The LOOP gives you a chance to experience a side of London that you don’t often see: ancient woodland, country parks, reservoirs, historic buildings, and stretches of open countryside, often only a short journey from the city’s built-up areas.
Most sections of the walk are flat or gently sloping, although some are more challenging, and the terrain can include fields, earth paths, stiles and other countryside walking conditions.
You don't need to be an experienced long-distance walker to give it a go. With the route split into manageable stages, all of which start and finish at railway stations or Tube stations, you can choose a section that suits your time, fitness and appetite for adventure. It also makes a good project for anyone who wants to explore more of London without spending the whole day in the city centre.
London LOOP Route and Sections
The LOOP is part of Transport for London’s walking network and volunteers from the Inner London Ramblers walking group help to maintain it. You can find detailed walk guidance for all sections, including maps, on the Ramblers' website
Volunteers from the Inner London Ramblers, namely Andrew Hunt, have mapped the whole of the London Loop on Go Jauntly, making it easier than ever to follow this long-distance walking route. You can find each of the sections below:
- Section 1: Erith to Old Bexley
- Section 2: Old Bexley to Petts Wood
- Section 3: Petts Wood to West Wickham Common
- Section 4: West Wickham Common to Hamsey Green
- Section 5: Hamsey Green to Couldson South
- Section 6: Couldson South to Banstead Downs
- Section 7: Banstead Downs to Ewell
- Section 8: Ewell to Kingston Bridge
- Section 9: Kingston Bridge to Hatton Cross
- Section 10: Hatton Cross to Hayes & Harlington
- Section 11: Hayes & Harlington to Uxbridge
- Section 12: Uxbridge to Harefield West
- Section 13: Harefield West to Moor Park
- Section 14: Moor Park to Hatch End
- Section 15: Hatch End to Elstree
- Section 16a: Elstree to Cockfosters (part a)
- Section 16b: Elstree to Cockfosters (part b)
- Section 17: Cockfosters to Enfield Lock
- Section 18: Enfield Lock to Chingford
- Section 19: Chingford to Chigwell
- Section 20: Chigwell to Havering-atte Bower
- Section 21: Havering-atte-Bower to Harold Wood
- Section 22: Harold Wood to Upminster Bridge
- Section 23: Upminster Bridge to Rainham
- Section 24: Rainham to Purfleet
Why the LOOP is the perfect way to go walking
Perhaps the biggest appeal of the LOOP is how easy it is to make it your own. Because the route is divided into sections, you can tackle one at a time rather than committing to a multi-day expedition.
Better still, all of the sections are connected by public transport, allowing you to use an open-jaw approach: travel by train to one station, complete your chosen section of the LOOP, then finish at a different station and head home from there.
That means you can keep moving forwards without retracing your steps, gradually ticking off the LOOP section by section. It gives the whole thing a satisfying sense of progress, whether you decide to walk a section every weekend, fit one in once a month, or simply pick a route whenever you have a free day.
The entire route is well waymarked and easy to follow, and you can find your way even more easily by using the Go Jauntly app.
Walking the LOOP - Section 7: Banstead to Ewell
Here’s how I got on walking Section 7 of the LOOP, which starts at Banstead railway station and finishes at Ewell West railway station.
This section is 6.6km (4.1 miles) with no uphill sections, making it perfect for families or anyone in the mood for an easy walk. You can follow a slightly shorter version which ends at Ewell East station instead and get a Southern train back from there.
I decided to do most of the original route, but cut off the final few hundred metres so that I finished at Ewell East instead of Ewell West.
Read more: Explore Epsom and Ewell by train
Getting to the start of the walk
I took a Southern train from London Victoria to Banstead, which takes around 45 minutes. The entirety of this section of the walk is within the Oyster contactless zone, meaning you can just tap in and tap out at each station to get the best fare. It’s super easy and convenient and means you don’t have to do any forward planning.
The walk starts right at Banstead station, so there’s no need to find your way through town first. I just stepped off the train, opened the Go Jauntly app and set off.
From Banstead to Nonsuch Park
The first part of the walk takes you through woodland and then across a golf course. The route is well waymarked and the golfers I passed were very friendly, although I was glad to have Go Jauntly open as the path became quite faint in places. I definitely wouldn’t have felt as confident navigating the golf course without it.
From there, the route heads along residential streets lined with some seriously impressive houses. I enjoyed having a look at them as I walked before the route changed again, taking me underneath some lovely old railway arches and into Warren Farm, part of Nonsuch Park.
Nonsuch Park is a large open park between Ewell and Cheam, with woodland, open grassland and historic buildings. It was quite busy when I visited on a Sunday, with families out on bikes, people walking their dogs, and couples enjoying the romance of the scenery.
One of my favourite sections was The Avenue, a wide tree-lined route through the park. I did the walk in mid-September, when the weather was still warm but the leaves were starting to turn orange. There were conkers scattered across the ground and plenty of wildlife to spot, which made this part particularly enjoyable.
Discovering Tudor history in the woodland
The route passes Castlemaine Lodge, a historic park lodge named after Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine, who was a mistress of Charles II. The Nonsuch estate was given to her in the 17th century, and the palace was later demolished, with its materials sold for reuse. I had no idea about any of this until I did this walk.
From here, the walk heads back into woodland. This was another highlight for me because it felt completely different from the golf course and residential streets earlier in the walk.
Eventually, I came out into a clearing where I found the ruins of the Banqueting House associated with Henry VIII’s Nonsuch Palace. The remains are all that is left of the Tudor building, with the original cellars and fireplace surviving beneath the site.
I had no idea this Tudor history was here before doing the walk, so I stopped for a while to take it in. Without the Go Jauntly app, I probably would have walked straight past without realising what I was looking at.
Finishing the walk in Ewell
After leaving the woodland, the route follows a lane before reaching Ewell. I’d never visited Ewell before, so I spent some time looking around and doing a bit of window-shopping. By this point I was pretty hungry, so I stopped for a coffee and something to eat before continuing towards the station.
The official walk finishes at Ewell West, but I carried on to Ewell East to catch a Southern train home. I liked that the day started at one station and finished at another, rather than having to retrace my steps.
I really enjoyed this section of the London Loop. I’m guilty of walking the same routes quite often, so it was good to explore somewhere completely new. There’s also a lot of variety packed into a relatively short walk, from woodland and open parkland to residential streets and historic sites. I finished the day with a roast at the pub, which was the perfect way to end it.
