Scenic Circular Walk to Banstead via the Little-Known Scratch Wood

*Walks* The stunning view above is a just a short distance from Carshalton. It’s one of my favourite hidden circular walks that very few people know about (until now). It’s around 4 miles from the start and you can stop off in Banstead half way, for a cuppa. Park by the small Lakers Rise recreation […]

Breathtaking hilltop views and a long lost Coaching Inn at Happy Valley

*Walks* One of the area’s most stunning walking destinations is in Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. It consists of Happy Valley, New Hill and Farthing Downs. It’s an historic area with remnants of an iron-age field system and Saxon burial mounds. It also has an abundance of rare wildlife being on scarce chalk […]

The Hidden Woodland Gardens in South Croydon

*Walks* Coombe Wood was once the private gardens of Coombe Wood House, which was built in 1898. The land was purchased by Croydon Council in 1948 and now it’s free for the public to visit. We went on a wet January afternoon, and it was just as dramatic as any other time of year. Scroll […]

Explore Chipstead village and Shabden Park Farm

A short 10 minute drive* from Carshalton brings you to historic Chipstead Village. There’s Elmore pond by the recreation ground. The White Hart pub dates dates back to the 1770s. A short walk further are the picturesque Shabden cottages built in the 1870s for workers on the Shabden estate, and listed in the 1980s. Shabden […]