This walk starts at Brixton and goes through several parks to eventually arrive in Dulwich. It is the first half of another walk from Inner London Ramblers. Although I had touched on a couple of areas on my previous walks I found most of it new territory.
There are several ways to get from Waterloo to Brixton underground station or the adjacent National Rail station. I decided to use the Northern Line with its cross platform interchange to the Victoria Line at Stockwell. It turned out that most Charing Cross branch trains now head for Battesea Power Station so I had to change as well at Kennington, but still arrived in good time around 10.30. Out to the bustle of Brixton and by the outdoor market in Electric Avenue, named as being the first street to have electric lighting many years ago.
Then into Windrush Square, created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948 with the Tate Library and Lambeth Town Hall adjacent. St. Matthew's church is one of four "Waterloo" churches built in the borough in 1822, the others being St. Mark's, St. Luke's and St. John's.
Soon out of the bustle and into Brockwell Park, a largish park with much of it playing fields.
One of the three large lakes, then at the entrance to the Walled Garden four little houses which is all that remains of a model village once at Vauxhall.
The Walled Garden is an area for peace and reflection with box privet hedges and a pergola. Apart from a gardener's bucket I was all on my own there.
An ornamental clock, Little Ben, and nearby Brockwell Hall, built in 1811, which now contains a cafe.
Down the hill towards Herne Hill station an excellent view of London appears.
Railton Road, a pedestrianised shopping area, then past Herne Hill station, passing under it through a narrow passageway.
There now follows a lenghy stretch of road walking along the pleasant Ferndene Road. The impressive Carnegie Library built in 1904 was hidden behind scaffolding. Eventually Ruskin Park is entered. A pleasant area and with gardens and a Pergola.
Inside the ornanental gardens and then the large pond which I had visited while following Earl's Sluice which is its source.
Out of Ruskin Park and into Denmark Hill. A bit more urban walking mainly through the student's accomodation of King's College, before reaching Green Dale. This is a pleasant footpath through the adjacent estate with sports and leisure areas each side. It seems from a notice I saw that there is a plan to build houses here, strongly opposed.
Towards the end of this long path the railway line is crossed. There are coats of arms on the bridge which are for Alleyn's College.
A short stretch of urban road brought me down to Dulwich Village and the old churchyard dating from 1616, where lie the Dulwich victims of the Great Plague. I stopped here for lunch at the Crown and Greyhound before catching the train from North Dulwich station back to London Bridge and home after quite a pleasant day's walking.