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Lloyd Park to Coombe Lane Walk

The Shirley Hills, taking in Addington Hill, Croham Hurst and Coombe Wood.

London

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Tue, 26-Dec-23 Lloyd Park to Coombe Lane - Shirley Hills 10 sunny but cold
Sat, 29-Jul-23 Exploring the Shirley Hills (new walk) 15 sunshine and rolling cumulus

Tuesday 26-Dec-23

Margaret
Lloyd Park to Coombe Lane

Length: Length: 14.2km km (8.8 miles). Toughness: 5/10. For a shorter version, you could omit the afternoon loop to Croham Hurst and Breakneck Hill

11:00 Brighton service from London Victoria (Clapham Junction 11:07) arrives East Croydon 11:16 then take the 11:21 Tram (New Addington service) from outside the staion main entrance to arrive at Lloyd Park 11:29. A good meeting point is the cafe near the entrance to Lloyd Park (although note that it is closed today).

If you have a local connection, you could instead catch the above same Tram from West Croydon Tram Stop at 11:16 or the 11:17 Tram from New Addington Tram Stop arrives Lloyd Park 11:30. Trams also run from Beckenham Junction, Elmers End and Wimbledon but for those you'll usually need to change.

Lloyd Park and Coombe Lane are both within London Zones so you can use Oyster or Contactless.

Return trams from Coombe Lane to East and West Croydon are frequent (approx 6 trams per hour) and return trains from East Croydon are at xx:16, xx:24, xx:46, xx:54. Return trains from West Croydon to Victoria are ar xx:16 and xx:46.

Heather on Addington Hill (image courtesy of croydoncentralparks website) This map-led walk explores parts of the Shirley Hills and is mainly through parks, heathland and quiet woodlands, where deer are sometimes seen. It climbs up and across Lloyd Park then explores the woodland and heathland of Addington Hill, a Site of Nature Conservation Interest. The walk then leads you through Heathfield House gardens, Bramley Bank Nature Reserve (home to stag beetles and woodpeckers) and Littleheath Woods. Then it's on to the ancient wood of Croham Hurst and Breakneck Hill, a Site of Special Scientific Interest with a Bronze Age Barrow and a view to the south from the top. From there, the walk takes you around Coombe Wood, where there are ornamental gardens, a small woodland and a cafe, before a final stretch along Addington Hill to Coombe Lane.

There are some nice spots for a picnic lunch on the route, with the benches in Heathfield House's Walled Garden probably being the most practical. Lloyd Park Cafe is closed today (so you won't be able to sample the bacon buttie, rated as "best of the decade" by one walker). The Royal Garden Chinese Restaurant is also not open but refreshments are available near the end of the walk at The Coach House Bistro Cafe in Coombe Wood, 020 8686 8914, which offers hot food as well as cakes, ice creams etc...

There isn't a walk leader and this walk is map-led so you'll need to bring the map or GPS route, which can be downloaded from the L=swc.411 page.

  • Wed, 27-Dec-23

    10 walkers met outside East Croydon Station on a sunny but cold winter's day, that was perfect for walking off the previous day's gastronomic excesses. We caught the New Addington tram to Lloyd Park. It was soft underfoot in the approaches to Addington Hills, with a few waterlogged patches that we skirted around. There were plenty of families and dog walkers around to enjoy the favorable weather. Everyone had brought sustenance of some kind and we consumed this in the walled garden of Heathfield House. One walker omitted the Croham Hurst leg near the end. The rest enjoyed the fine view from the top, before returning via Coombe Wood to Coombe Lane tram stop for the short return journey to East Croydon. At Sandilands - mid-route - we were reminded of the fatal accident in November 2016 on the Croydon Tramlink... a sobering moment on what was otherwise a very pleasant Boxing Day trip.

Saturday 29-Jul-23

Margaret
Lloyd Park to Coombe Lane

Length: Length: 14.2km km (8.8 miles). Toughness: 3/10

Take a London Tram to arrive at Lloyd Park at 11.00. Meet at the cafe just inside the entrance to Lloyd Park (turn right coming off the Tram from Croydon then left after a few metres to enter Lloyd Park. The cafe is just on the right). Trams run to Lloyd Park from West or East Croydon (New Addington service) and from New Addington, Beckenham Junction, Elmers End and Wimbledon. See the Tram Map for more detail.

London buses also run to the start and end of this walk

Lloyd Park and Coombe Lane are both within London Zones so you can use Oyster or Contactless.

Heather on Addington Hill (image courtesy of croydoncentralparks website) This map-led walk explores parts of the Shirley Hills and is mainly through parks, heathland and quiet woodlands, where deer are sometimes seen. It's fairly short but there are some ups and downs to work the leg muscles. It climbs up and across Lloyd Park then explores the woodland and heathland of Addington Hill, a Site of Nature Conservation Interest, which is looking especially nice at the moment as the heather is beginning to flower. The walk then leads you through Heathfield House gardens, Bramley Bank Nature Reserve (home to stag beetles and woodpeckers) and Littleheath Woods. Then it's on to the ancient enchanted wood of Croham Hurst and Breakneck Hill, a Site of Special Scientific Interest with a Bronze Age Barrow and a view to the south from the top. From there, the walk takes you around Coombe Wood, where there are ornamental gardens, a small woodland and a cafe, before a final stretch along Addington Hill to Coombe Lane.

There are plenty of nice spots for a picnic lunch on the route. Alternatively refreshments are available at:

Lloyd Park Cafe in Lloyd Park. 020 8633 1633 This is right at the start of the walk but you could probably get a take-away.

The Royal Garden Chinese restaurant on the top of Addington Hill. Shirley Hills Road, Croydon CR0 5HQ 020 8654 0170. Booking essential. You pass it early along the route but you could circle back there at the end of the walk.

The Coach House Cafe in Coombe Wood, near the end of the walk. 020 8686 8914. Serves hot meals as well as cakes, ice creams etc...

Remember to bring the map and/or GPS route, which can be downloaded from the L=swc.411 page.

  • Fri, 28-Jul-23

    Some of us are planning to rendezvous at East Croydon 10:20 -10:30 am (trains permitting) to catch a tram to Lloyd park

  • Sun, 30-Jul-23

    After stepping off the tram, there's a pleasant start to to this new walk at the cafe next to the entrance to Lloyd Park. Plenty of outdoor seating, efficient staff and great prices if you're a little early. Two of the highlights were the view of the London Skyline from the Shirley Hills (https://what3words.com/finely.parks.riding) and the lunch stop at Heathfield ecology centre (https://what3words.com/rare.bunk.prime) an almost secret garden. I think there was one latecomer so that makes the attendees 15 with sunshine and rolling cumulus (and a few spots of rain). Looking forward to reading others impressions ...

  • Sun, 30-Jul-23

    I was the latecomer. I rate the bacon roll I had at the unpretentious looking Lloyd Park cafe before starting walking as the best of the decade, and it was cheap and quick to arrive. Locals I met on the route said that place has been "rammed" since the franchise was relet by the council fairly recently. Before it had been uninviting and empty.

    The Coach House Cafe in Coombe Wood which served as the tea stop was the opposite: more expensive, better decorated, slower and unnotable in terms of taste.

    Thanks to Margaret for defining a new accessible walk in an area I have wanted to an excuse to explore. At the viewing point one can see Croydon, Wembley, the City and the Docklands in a single view.

  • Sun, 30-Jul-23

    That’s useful to know, thanks David. Perhaps the route would be better in the reverse direction so that the Lloyd Park Cafe is the tea stop.