Full Description
The new, thoroughly updated second edition of Bradt's Freedom Pass London brings to life the UK capital through 26 carefully curated walks that reveal historical landmarks, wildlife hotspots and quiet corners with fascinating pasts. As the title suggests, this travel guidebook is designed for the 1.1 million people who can enjoy free travel by train, tube and bus in central and Greater London thanks to the Freedom Pass, but its focus on walking destinations accessible by public transport makes it a must for anyone living in or visiting London.
One of London's unexpected glories is the way that the city meets countryside, not just in the surprisingly rural Green Belt, but also in the 'villagey' corners of suburbs, along urban rivers and amid the city's commons, parks and woodlands. The area featured extends from Amersham, northwest of London, to Epping in the northeast, Orpington in the southeast and Epsom in the southwest. Whether you are a city-dweller keen to explore parts of Essex, Kent, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Hertfordshire, or you live in suburbs and fancy visiting central London, Freedom Pass London proposes itineraries for you.
With Bradt's Freedom Pass London, you can discover where Charles Darwin lived and the local area where he studied flora and fauna. You can meet Keats, Shakespeare, Pepys, Dr Johnson, Dorothy L Sayers and Vera Brittain on a literary tour. Or walk through ancient woodland covered with trees since Neolithic times. Or venture into murder and mayhem as you find locations from the TV series Midsomer Murders in the deceptively peaceful-looking Chilterns. Or wander along the Wandle for a throwback to the days of country estates, watermills and legendary textile designer William Morris. Or even stroll through Soho, Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury to discover how Karl Marx wrote, lectured - and fenced with a murderer.
For each walk, there are tips about the best options for using public transport, along with a detailed route description, maps, options for flexibility and suggestions for pubs, cafés and museums en route. So lace up your walking shoes and let Bradt's Freedom Pass London bring the capital to life.
Contents
Introduction
How to Use This Book
1 A Natural Selection at Downe
Kent: Downe to Bromley
2 On the Box
Surrey: Burford Bridge to Mickleham
3 In Woodland We Trust
Hertfordshire: Heartwood Forest & Sandridge, circular
4 A Grand Canal & a Great Road
Hertfordshire: Watford to Kings Langley on the Grand Union Canal/River Gade
5 Bluebell Blitz
Surrey: Banstead Woods & Chipstead Downs, circular
6 Fleet of Foot
London: Hampstead Heath to Blackfriars
7 Epic Forest Fight
London/Essex, Epping Forest: Chingford to Loughton
8 The Canal, the Old Railway & the Quaker
Hertfordshire: Rickmansworth to Bushey
9 Holly, Ivy & Chestnuts
Southeast London: Lesnes Abbey Wood, circular
10 A Racing Certainty
Surrey: Epsom Downs
11 Happy Valley
Surrey, North Downs: Coulsdon Common, circular
12 A Trail of Two Forts
Essex, River Thames: Tilbury Riverside Terminal to Coalhouse Fort Park
13 Wandering along the Wandle
Southwest London, River Wandle: Colliers Wood to Croydon
14 Picnickers' Paradise
West London/Surrey, River Thames: Staines to Chertsey
15 Dragonflies & Gunpowder
North London/Essex, River Lea: Tottenham to Waltham Abbey
16 Death in the Churchyard, Life by the Lake
Hertfordshire: Elstree & Aldenham Reservoir, circular
17 The Nazi, the Queen & the Highwayman
Middlesex/Hertfordshire: Trent Country Park, circular
18 Midsomer Murders Trail
Buckinghamshire, River Misbourne: Amersham to Great Missenden
19 From Dickens to the Rolling Stones
Kent, River Darent: Farningham to Dartford
20 Brookside & the Big Green Space
Southwest London: New Malden to Putney Bridge
21 Colne Riverside Ramble
Hertfordshire: London Colney, circular
22 Animal World
Surrey: Chessington, circular
23 Literary London
London: London Bridge to Bloomsbury
24 Inspiring Women
London: Charing Cross to Bloomsbury
25 Karl's Trail, On Your Marx
London: Leicester Square to Highgate
26 Saviours, Spitfires & Swans
Berkshire/Buckinghamshire: Maidenhead to Taplow
Index
