Paul says:

Hello All (and Happy Groundhog Day, by the way!),

There appears to be no event this weekend, so I am offering people to come along again and do some more of the LOOP, a 150-mile walking route around the outskirts of London where it meets the countryside – while we can.

It will be Bexley to Petts Wood, 7-8 miles in all.

In the guide book it says the following:
…You can leave the route at Foots Cray after 2.5 miles(by bus), or at Queen Mary’s Hospital after 3.5 miles (by bus). [You can also leave after 0.5 mile near Albany Park Rail Stn!]
…Cafes at Bexley and Petts Wood. Pubs at Foots Cray, Sidcup Place, and Petts Wood. Toilets at Bexley [couldn’t see them last week, but I wasn’t looking] and Petts Wood [some of the pubs along the way could, I’m sure, be used]. Best picnic opportunities at Five Arch Bridge, Sidcup Place, and Scadbury Park.
…Continuing on level ground beside the River Cray, there’s plenty of open space across Old Bexley Conservation Area and the delightful Foots Cray Meadows. The route passes through Foots Cray village and climbs to Sidcup Place, then undulates through the ancient woodland to Scadbury Park, where you can view the remains of its manor house, before descending through Petts Wood. There are no stiles but towards the end you must cross three footbridges, each with 20-30 steps up and down.

Meet at East Croydon Rail Station at 9.40am (I am intending to be there) to catch the 10.03 to London Bridge, and from there the 10.30 to Bexley, arriving at 11.01 (there is a slightly later train, if anything goes wrong). These rail stns are within the zone 1-6 area.

Back from Petts Wood Rail Stn (zone 5) via London Bridge (at least two per hour).

(POSSIBLY IF ANYONE FEELS LIKE IT some could continue along the LOOP to Farnborough (Kent!) some three miles further on, and come back from there by the 458 bus to Crystal Palace. It is a long bus journey of just over an hour, but it’s possible to jump off at Beckenham and join the Tram link back to Croydon. I think it’s unlikely we will do this)