London Outer Orbital Path

Infobox Hiking trail
Name=London Outer Orbital Path
Photo=London Loop sign.jpg
Caption=The London LOOP's logo, a flying kestrel, can be seen on the signs marking the route
Location= London, England
Designation=
Length=Convert|240|km|0
Start/End Points= Circular
Use=Hiking
ElevChange=
HighPoint=
LowPoint=
Difficulty=
Season=All year
Sights=
Hazards=The London Outer Orbital Path — more usually the "London LOOP" — is a 240 km (150 mile) signed walk along public footpaths, and through parks, woods and fields around the edge of Outer London, England, described as "the M25 for walkers".

History

The walk was first proposed at a meeting between ramblers and the Countryside Commission in 1990. It was given an official launch at the House of Lords in 1993. The first section was opened on May 3, 1996, with a ceremony on Farthing Downs, Coulsdon. Other sections followed at the rate of two or three per year as signs were installed and leaflets for individual sections published, the route becoming fully walkable in 2001.

Following the election of Ken Livingstone as Mayor of London, the London Loop has become one of his key routes, along with its sister route, the Capital Ring.

Route

The route is divided into 24 sections in three groups: the "blue" section in South London, the "green" section in north-west London, and the "yellow" section in north-east London. Each of the 24 sections links public transport nodes, though they vary greatly in length, from 6.1 km (section 14) to 16.8 km (section 16). The guidebook by David Sharp divides the route into 15 approximately equal stages, designed to be day walks.

The walk begins at Erith on the south bank of the River Thames and passes clockwise through Crayford, Petts Wood, Coulsdon, Kingston upon Thames, Uxbridge, Elstree, Cockfosters, Chingford and Upminster Bridge before ending at the Rainham marshes, directly across the Thames from its starting point. Unfortunately, there is no way to cross the river there and complete the loop, although there was once a ferry which was mainly used by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.

Signposts, waymarks and information boards direct the walker along the route. In countryside locations the waymarks consist mostly of a simple white disc mounted on a wooden post, with a directional arrow and flying kestrel logo in blue and text in green. However, local authorities are responsible for funding these signs, so the quality varies from one borough to the next, with some sections not signed at all. The 54-mile blue section from Erith to Kingston is maintained by the Downlands Countryside Management Project, a joint initiative by several councils, and is complete with signs and information boards, in addition to maps available from Tourist Information Centres.

ee also

*Capital Ring
*Walking in London
*South East London Green Chain

Further reading

*cite book
first = David
last = Sharp
date = 2001-02-22
title = The London Loop
publisher = Aurum Press
id = ISBN 1-85410-759-3
*cite book
year = 1999
month = June
title = LOOP Walks: South London
editor = John Barber (Illustrator)
publisher = Downlands Countryside Management Project
id = ISBN 0-9535991-0-8

External links

* [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/walking/localroutes/1164.aspx Transport for London guide to London Loop]
* [http://www.bertuchi.co.uk/loopindex.php Photos and a brief description of a walk taken around the London Loop]