Living in London, it’s a privilege to have so many famous landmarks and parks right at your doorstep. It feels pretty incredible to be able to jump on the tube and go see the Big Ben or Buckingham Palace on a random day. However, those famous places are rather crowded pretty much every day. And sometimes, it’s nice to go on a long walk in a quieter place. Today, I’m bringing you a list of 7 unusual ideas for a walk in London, away from the biggest crowds. From nature walks to glass skyscrapers, there’s something for everyone.
1. Greenwich along the Thames Path, from Thames barrier to Cutty Sark
Let’s start with a walk that I do quite often – the Thames Path in Greenwich. If you go to Greenwich Park or Cutty Sark, especially on a weekend, chances are that you’ll see a crowd of people. But not many people choose to walk along the Thames Path!
If you fancy a really long walk, I recommend the section of the Thames Path between Cutty Sark and Thames barrier. If you prefer a shorter route, you can start at North Greenwich / O2 arena and choose whether to go towards Cutty Sark or Thames barrier. The latter is definitely more unique and less known!
The Thames bank around North Greenwich is really modern, refurbished in recent years. You can see the cable car above the Thames and some unique sculptures. Farther east, you’ll walk past Greenwich Ecology Park – a small nature reserve, free to visit, where you can spot a few species of birds. The section of the path closest to Thames barrier is more industrial, but the Thames barrier itself is pretty interesting if you’ve never seen it before. On a rare occasion, you can see all of the gates shut!
- Start: Cutty Sark
- End: Thames barrier
- Length: 5 miles / 8.5 km – 1 hour 45 minutes (feel free to start at North Greenwich and do a shorter walk in either direction)
- Landmarks in the area: Greenwich Park, Cutty Sark, O2 arena/shopping centre, Cable Car, Greenwich Ecology Park, Thames barrier
2. Olympic Park – Hackney Marshes – Walthamstow Wetlands
Next, let me take you to Hackney Marshes and Walthamstow Wetlands. If you look at east London on Google maps, between Stratford and Walthamstow you’ll see a long green patch. It offers a great opportunity for a long nature walk! The Olympic Park in Stratford is quite a busy place, located near a major train station and a large shopping centre. If you walk towards the north part of the park and into Hackney Marshes, there will be fewer people and you’ll get to enjoy more of a nature walk along Lea River. Walthamstow Wetlands are even quieter, being a nature reserve and a nesting place for many species of birds.
- Start: Olympic Park, Stratford
- End: Walthamstow Wetlands
- Length: depends on the route – you can easily do even a 20km walk there
- Landmarks in the area: Olympic rings, V&A East Museum, Walthamstow Wetlands
3. Central London – Thames north bank
If you fancy a walk in central London near the Thames but want to avoid the most crowded areas, stick to the north bank of the river. The south bank route, between Westminster and London Bridge, gets incredibly crowded. The parallel route on the north bank of the Thames tends to be a lot quieter. In the past, part of that route was inaccessible to the public, which is probably why the south bank was much more popular (besides the fact that there are a few tourist attractions on the south bank). But recently, the north bank path opened up in full!
Near Waterloo Bridge, you’ll find a few small gardens with colourful flower beds: Victoria Embankment Gardens and Temple Gardens. Closer to Blackfriars Bridge, there’s a newly built area with benches overlooking the Thames.
This walk runs through central London, so you won’t be able to enjoy it in solitude. The biggest crowd tends to be near Westminster. Closer to London Bridge, the path gets much quieter. What’s most important is that this path is by far less crowded than the parallel alternative on the south bank, making it a good choice if you need to stay in central London, but don’t enjoy crowds. There are many bridges over the Thames, so you have a lot of opportunities to cross the river if you need to.
- Start: Westminster Bridge (north bank of the river – same as Houses of Parliament)
- End: London Bridge
- Length: 2.3 miles / 3.7 km – 55 min
- Landmarks in the area: Big Ben, London Eye, Millenium Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral
4. Rembrandt’s Little Venice
London has a lot of canal paths, and most of them are a great choice for a quiet walk. In central London specifically, there’s even a place called Little Venice, located north of Paddington station. If you follow the canal path, you’ll enjoy a peaceful walk away from the bustle of the cars. You’ll walk past London Zoo, and maybe even have a chance to see the Colobus monkeys. You’ll also get to see some incredible mansions and their neat gardens, on the other side of the canal. I always wonder what kinds of people live there.
Eventually, you’ll get to Camden. It’s a busy area, especially on weekends, but you can find a lot of interesting street food options in Camden Lock Market. A good way to finish a walk!
- Start: Paddington Station
- End: Camden Lock Market
- Length: 2.8 miles / 4.75 km – 1 hour
- Landmarks in the area: London Zoo, Regent’s Park, Primrose Hill, Camden Lock Market
- Extensions: for a longer walk, start at Hyde Park / Kensington Gardens and head towards Paddington. Or, from Camden, go towards King’s Cross following the canal path
5. Canary Wharf
The next location on my list is, in my opinion, the most surreal area of London. Filled with modern skyscrapers, it feels like a glass maze. There are many office spaces in that area, empty on weekends. If you enjoy futuristic landscapes but prefer to avoid large crowds, visiting Canary Wharf on a weekend should be right up your street. There’s also a shopping centre in Canary Wharf, but be warned! It spans across multiple floors, partially overground, and feels like a labyrinth. Google Maps struggle in Canary Wharf, big time. I got completely lost there during my first few visits, and it took me some time to figure out how to get out. Learning to navigate around Canary Wharf is a flex in itself!
In Canary Wharf, you’ll also find a hidden gem – a rooftop garden, free to enter. You can find it at Crossrail Place, above the Elizabeth Line train station.
Not too far from Canary Wharf, there’s Mudchute Farm – a 180° change from the urban scenery. At Mudchute Farm, you can see – and pet – cows, goats and sheep. How about combining it all in one walk?
- Start/end: Canary Wharf underground station
- Length: not too long, good for a short stroll… unless you get lost!
- Interesting places in the area: rooftop garden at Crossrail Place, Mudchute Farm
6. City of London on a weekend
City of London on weekdays is one of the busiest areas of London, especially around commuters’ rush hours. But visit it on a Saturday morning, and it’s a complete ghost town. Walking around the glass skyscrapers can be quite fun when there isn’t a crowd of people around you!
There are two famous free viewing terraces in the City of London, both worth a visit: Sky Garden and Horizon 22. Both are best booked online a few weeks in advance, but Horizon 22 usually welcomes walk-in visitors. You can read more about free viewing platforms in London in this post.
In the City of London, you can also see the Leadenhall Market – a Victorian arcade which played as Diagon Alley in the first Harry Potter film!
If you want to continue your walk, after City of London, you can head towards the Thames Path on either side of the river and walk towards Westminster. Keep in mind that the south bank of the Thames gets very busy during the day.
- Start and end: underground stations in the City of London, e.g. Liverpool Street, Bank, Monument
- Length: not too long, the City of London is only one square mile – but you can roam around the streets for a long while
- Landmarks in the area: Sky Garden, Horizon 22, Leadenhall Market, Monument to the Great Fire of London
7. Thames Path In West London
Let’s finish this list with another nature walk. The Thames Path in west London is a fantastic place for a walk, and you can also see some interesting landmarks in the process. The Thames Path is really long, and it’s probably not feasible to cover it all in one day, but you can split it into segments. That way, you can make a list of a few walk ideas!
I recently walked all the way between Fulham and Richmond, and wrote about it in this post. I visited Fulham Palace and Chiswick House Gardens, besides following the Thames Path itself. Last summer, I spent a day in west London visiting Ham House and Marble House, which included walking along the Thames Path for a short while, and even taking a ferry boat to cross the river! I heard that the best part of Thames Path in west London is actually near Teddington, and I’m planning to walk between Richmond and Kingston on one of the upcoming weekends. Keep your eyes peeled for that blog post!
- Start: Fulham
- End: Kingston
- Length: 13.6 miles / 21.8 km – 5 hours – best split into several walks
- Landmarks in the area: Fulham Palace, Chiswick House, Kew Gardens, Marble House, Ham House
Final thoughts
So there you have it – a list of 7 ideas for a long walk in London, away from the biggest crowds. I feel like it’s a good selection of routes in east, central, and west London, featuring both nature walks and urban spaces. I don’t think I have a single favourite – all of the places mentioned in this post are amazing! I’ve visited some of them a lot more than others simply because they’re closer to where I live, but I recommend them all equally. And if you have your own favourite places for a long walk in London, don’t gatekeep them! Share them in a comment please so we can all check them out.
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