- Walking in London
London is a large but congested city. The public transport system is well developed and world-famous but operates at capacity, can be unpleasant to use and is relatively expensive. A congestion charge is made for motorists to enter central London during busy times. For these reasons and others, walking has become increasingly popular for both recreation and as a means of transport in the capital. In addition, London is relatively flat, despite tourist mythology is not especially rainy, and is blessed with pavements on most roads.Walking routes
There are several key routes in London and
Transport for London promote the use of several of them:Capital Ring A circular route with 15 sections and a radius of approximately 4-8 miles (6-13 km) from
Charing Cross , mostly through the innerOuter London suburbs and partly inInner London . The route forms a complete circuit, crossing theRiver Thames twice and with a notional starting point ofWoolwich .London Outer Orbital Path A 150 mile (240 km) circular route with 24 sections mostly through the
Outer London suburbs and partly in the districts of neighbouring authorities. The "M25" for walkers. The path is broken by the lack of crossing of the Thames betweenPurfleet andErith .Jubilee Walkway A route through central London, originally called the Silver Jubilee Walkway, laid down in
1977 as part of the celebrations of theSilver Jubilee of Elizabeth II . The route takes in many of London's major attractions.The Lea Valley Walk starts outside Greater London but has around 12.5 miles (20 km) within its boundary. The route follows the
River Lea and theLee Navigation .Reuse of the land above the
Northern Outfall Sewer fromHackney Wick toBeckton as a walking and cycle path.Guided walks
Several companies provide guided walks around parts of London. These walks are aimed primarily at tourists and the guide will often be an expert in a particular area. Such walks often are around a theme, such as 'haunted London' or 'London of
Jack the Ripper '. It is also possible to download a tourist guide of London onto anMP3 player or use mobile phone-based services. There are also a number of volunteer led groups such as themetropolitan walkers of the Ramblers association, that offer walks for people in their 20s and 30s both inside and outside London.External links
* [http://www.walkit.com/london walkit.com Walking route planner]
* [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2694.aspx Transport for London walking]
* [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/walkfinder/ Key routes]
* [http://www.innerlondonramblers.org.uk Inner London Area of the Ramblers' Association]
* [http://www.londoncross.co.uk London Cross - A straight line walk across London]
* [http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/ UK Pedestrian Advocacy Group] [http://www.metropolitan-walkers.org.uk Metropolitan Walkers]
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