Here are a few walks that combine big skies, history and family‑friendly paths.
Greenwich Park and Blackheath views
Start in historic Greenwich and you can turn a simple stroll into a full day out.
A popular route runs from the Cutty Sark up through Greenwich Park’s avenues, past the Royal Observatory and on to the open grass of Blackheath, with sweeping views back over the Thames and Canary Wharf.
Families can mix in playground stops, a look at the ships in Cutty Sark Gardens or a picnic on the Heath before heading home.
Along the Thames Path
For older kids with a bit more stamina, sections of the Thames Path through Greenwich and Woolwich offer long, flat riverside walking with plenty to spot.
This stretch is split into short, signed sections between Tower Bridge, Greenwich and the Thames Barrier, so you can choose anything from an hour’s amble to most of a day following the river.
Highlights include views of the Old Royal Naval College, the O2 and working docks, plus the chance to hop on a train or DLR back if legs get tired.
Sydenham Hill and Dulwich Woods
If you want something that feels wilder, Sydenham Hill Wood and neighbouring Dulwich Wood give you proper woodland walking without leaving zone 3.
The linked woods, part of the old Great North Wood, have waymarked paths, ponds, a Victorian folly and plenty of logs and tree roots for younger children to clamber over.
Simple circular routes starting near Sydenham Hill station can be kept to around a mile or extended towards Horniman Gardens and Crystal Palace Park.
Beckenham Place Park loops
Beckenham Place Park, the largest green space in Lewisham, has its own marked walking trails, including a family‑friendly parkland loop and a waterside circuit around the swimming lake and the River Ravensbourne.
The park also sits on both the Capital Ring and Green Chain Walk, so more confident walkers can follow waymarked sections and take in the restored Georgian mansion, formal gardens and woodland edges.
Green Chain Walk taster
The wider Green Chain Walk is a 50‑mile network linking parks and woods from the Thames at Thamesmead and the Thames Barrier right down to Crystal Palace and Nunhead Cemetery.
For half‑term, pick off a shorter section – for example, from the Thames Barrier up through Charlton and into Oxleas Woods, or from Crystal Palace towards Dulwich Park and Nunhead – and you’ll still get playgrounds, cafés and plenty to explore without straying far from a bus or train home.
Waterlink Way and River Pool Linear Park
For a shorter, mostly flat riverside walk, try the stretch of the Waterlink Way between Catford and Lower Sydenham, where the path runs through Riverview Walk and River Pool Linear Park.
This traffic‑free green corridor follows the River Pool, with a small playground midway, plenty of ducks to spot and space for children to scoot or cycle alongside you.
It’s part of a longer walking and cycling route from Sydenham to the Thames, but you can simply do the mile‑or‑so between stations and still feel like you’ve escaped the main roads.
