This walk starts at Blackheath National Rail Station and ends at North Greenwich Underground Station, visiting Blackheath, Greenwich, the Thames Path and the O2 (Millennium Dome).
It is an easy walk of 5.69 miles (9.17) kilometres, but with some hills in Greenwich Park.
The walk can be extended back to Blackheath by following the North Greenwich to Blackheath walk, which starts at the O2 (Millennium Dome) and continues through Charlton, Woolwich Common and Kidbrooke, making a complete circuit of 14 miles (23½ km).
This is a walk of surprising contrasts. Starting on the airy open spaces of Blackheath, it explores Greenwich Park and Maritime Greenwich — a World Heritage Site — before following the Thames Path National Trail, with its industrial relics, and ending by North Greenwich Tube and Bus Stations.
1. From Blackheath Station turn and keep left to ascend Tranquil Vale. Towards the top of the hill, opposite Camden Row, cross to a grassed traffic island, then cross again by the Victorian water fountain. Turn right alongside the shops in Royal Parade, then left before the church up All Saints Drive. Continue onto the heath, turning right on a path slightly uphill.
All Saints Church, designed by Benjamin Ferrey, was built in 1857-67 and curiously stuck on one corner of Blackheath - the heath's name is thought either to derive from the colour of its soil. Blackheath has a long connection with protest and rebellion, being a rallying point in the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381, Cade’s Rebellion in 1450 and the Cornish Rebellion in 1497. This last ended in the Battle of Blackheath when some 2,000 of the rebels were slain. Houses began to encroach on the heath from the late 17th century, and from a barren wilderness and haunt of highwaymen, Blackheath has become one of the most up-market districts in London.
2. On reaching the corner of Talbot Place, bear right over the remainder of the heath. Continue forward to cross Shooters Hill Road and Charlton Way, then enter Greenwich Park on the drive ahead. Fifty metres on, just past toilets, take the path on the left, eventually swinging right to closely follow the park wall. Ignore a cross-path by the gate and continue on.
Greenwich Park, measuring 74 hectares, and originally enclosed by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in 1433, is the oldest enclosed Royal Park. Later, in the 17th century, Le Nôtre, Louis XIV’s gardener, laid out formal avenues. The public have been admitted since the 18th century.
3. Shortly, on the left, is Queen Caroline’s Bath, so-called, although Caroline was never actually crowned queen. Another irony is that she was notoriously lacking in personal hygiene. This, together with her poor social graces, led to her estrangement from George IV, whom she had married whilst he was still Prince of Wales. Caroline lived at Montague House, which stood here, between 1798 and 1814. The house was demolished in 1815 and the land returned to the park. All that is left now are the blocked windows in the park wall and the remains of this bath.
4. Go forward into the Rose Garden which is currently (Dec) being replanted. On your left is the Ranger’s House (originally named Chesterfield House), built in 1723. It now houses the Wernher Collection of medieval and Renaissance works of art, brought together by Sir Julius Wernher, a Victorian diamond magnate. An English Heritage site, it is open to the public (admission charge). Continue forward, leaving the Rose Garden, then pass tennis courts. Just after passing Macartney House on the left, where lived General Wolfe, the victor of the Battle of Quebec in 1759, go forward past a circular seat to immediately take a right fork, which eventually curves right.
The buildings of the Old Royal Observatory are clearly visible across the field on the right. The black-domed building is the Planetarium, with the public entrance to the Observatory itself over to the left. The Observatory was built by Christopher Wren for John Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal, appointed by Charles II in 1676. The field contains Saxon burial mounds, believed to be pagan and dating to the sixth or seventh century.
5. Pass by "Standing Figure: Knife Edge" by Henry Moore and descend steeply downhill. Cross the road at the bottom then, after 30 metres, swing right on a rising path which soon turns steeply between railings to reach shallow steps. Just as you reach the Royal Observatory, be sure to look back through the swing gate on the right, where the position of the Meridian Line is marked on the wall. The main entrance to the Observatory is close-by (admission charge).
 Greenwich Viewpoint |
 Greenwich Park |
6. Go forward a few paces to the statue of General Wolfe, from where there are spectacular views encompassing the City of London, the Canary Wharf complex and the O2 (Millennium Dome); the domed buildings below are of the Old Royal Naval College, which we visit later in the walk. The scars on the rear of the statue's plinth were caused by a wartime V1 flying bomb. At present (Dec 23) it is necessary to continue to the end of the cordoned-off area; once there, cross the road and take the narrow path in the reverse direction until a cross-path is reached, then turn right.
7. Ignore the first cross-path to come out by the caged remains of Queen Elizabeth's Oak, reputedly over 900 years old. Turn right up the hill and, at the top, turn left on the cross-path. As you come to a path junction, the mound in front of you conceals the remains of a Romano-Celtic temple, confirmed as such by Channel 4's Time Team excavation in 1999. Adjacent display boards give its history. Turn left here on a downhill path. Ignore all side paths, passing, on the left, the broad sweep of the lawns below the Old Royal Observatory. At the bottom of the hill, at a multiple path junction, go forward still through a short avenue of trees, passing a small lake on the right. Thirty metres before park gates, turn left alongside railings, behind which are the buildings of the Queen's House and the National Maritime Museum.
The Queen’s House was begun in 1616 by Inigo Jones and is considered to be the earliest classical building in England. It was intended to be the home of Anne of Denmark, the consort of James I. She died before it could be completed, however, and the project was eventually resuscitated by Charles I for his queen, Henrietta Maria. The wings were added in 1807-16 as part of the Naval Asylum School. Adjoining the Queen's House, the National Maritime Museum (free entry) is claimed to be the largest maritime museum in the world.
8. Continue to the end of the path, then turn right through St Mary’s Gate to leave the park. On the right is a large statue of William IV (originally sited near London Bridge). Go forward down King William Walk. Then cross Romney Road by the lights and continue in the same direction.
Drop-out point: There are numerous bus routes running from Greenwich town centre; the 386 running along Romney Road connects back to Blackheath.
9. Continue along King William Walk, passing an entrance to the Old Royal Naval College on the right, to arrive at the Cutty Sark, which pass on its right.
The clipper, built in 1869, gained its fame on the China tea run, where speed of delivery was critical. In later years she plied in the Australian wool trade for a time, before enduring changes of name and fortune after having been sold to the Portuguese. She was eventually restored, and served as a stationary training ship before being brought to Greenwich in 1954. The name Cutty Sark means “short shirt” and derives from Robert Burns’ poem, Tam o’ Shanter. A recent restoration has now elevated her to give a better view of her hull.
The domed building by the riverfront contains the entrance to the foot tunnel passing under the Thames to Island Gardens on the Isle of Dogs. If you have time, a fine view of Greenwich’s riverfront can be gained from there.
Cutty Sark
10. Now turn right past Greenwich Pier and alongside the River Thames. The obelisk on the right commemorates the French naval officer, Joseph Bellot, who died while assisting the search for the explorer, Sir John Franklin, who had disappeared on an expedition to find the North-west Passage. Continue by the river until gates to the Old Royal Naval College are reached. Pass through these to walk towards the two domed building ahead.
The College site, now part of the University of Greenwich, began life as the Palace of Placentia where both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were born. The palace was swept away by Charles II. The site was then used for the Royal Naval Hospital, established by Royal Charter by Queen Mary, Wren being asked to draw up plans in 1694. The hospital became the Royal Naval College in 1873. Also on the site are a café, brewery, toilets, and information centre containing a small museum.
11. The building on the right contains the Painted Hall (admission charge). The hall contains spectacular wall and ceiling paintings, executed by Sir James Thornhill between 1707 and 1726. The paintings have recently undergone extensive restoration. Lord Nelson lay in state here after his death at Trafalgar. On leaving the Painted Hall, turn left to the second domed building to see the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, which again contains fine decoration, executed after a fire in 1779, this time in a neo-Grecian style by “Athenian” Stuart and William Newton. There is no charge to enter the chapel. On leaving the Chapel, turn right to leave the College site through gates into Park Row, where turn left to the Trafalgar Tavern.
Recommended pub: The splendid Trafalgar Tavern was built in 1837 and is worth entering both for its atmosphere and its real ale.
12. Just before the tavern, turn right along the pedestrianised Crane Street, then Highbridge Wharf, to arrive at the petite Trinity Hospital, almshouses dating from 1613, and somewhat overshadowed by a power station, once redundant, but now acting as a back-up generator for London Underground.
13. Passing under the gantries of the power station, notice the “Thames Tale”, set in the wall on the right at Crowley’s Wharf. The Thames now veers northwards towards the Millennium Dome. By Anchor Iron Wharf, there is an elegant pub, the “Cutty Sark”, which boasts a huge curved bay window. The rest of this street, Ballast Quay, is late Georgian and terminates in the Harbourmaster’s Office. As you pass No 15, note the fire insurance plaque, dating from when individual insurance companies ran their own fire brigades.
14. At the end of Ballast Quay, continue ahead to the riverfront again, a thin strip of planting separating the path from the riverfront. Smart new apartment blocks have replaced former industrial buildings. A great deal of demolition has taken place all along the riverside path, including the large Amylum grain silos. However, we are still following a right of way which forms part of the Thames Path National Trail, and we now follow this for some distance.
15. Further along, go past Enderby's Wharf to find the Alcatel Jetty, which has been planted with mosses and stonecrops in support of birdlife. Go past Tunnel Wharf, then follow the path to just past Morden Wharf to reach the Amylum Jetty. Go on to the jetty and look back, to appreciate how Greenwich sits at the southernmost end of the great loop of the river around the Isle of Dogs.
16. The path now turns briefly away from the river. When a path junction is reached, ignore the forward path, and turn left between metal fences to regain the river, passing a dry-docking station, followed by a giant ramp leading to enclosed silos. Now go along an open quay past Hanson's Victoria Deep Water Terminal — still very much a working site. After the arid environment of the Terminal, it is something of a surprise to find it followed by a newly-constructed golf driving range. Over the river, the low-rise housing on the Isle of Dogs now has the skyscrapers of the Canary Wharf complex as a backdrop. Maintain your contact with the river by eventually passing around an inlet at the end of Drawdock Road and keeping left of the O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome), the river itself swinging right as it finally finishes with the Isle of Dogs.
Drop-out point: If you want to omit the riverside loop around the O2, a shortcut to North Greenwich Underground and Bus Stations can be had by following Waterview Drive just left of Drawdock Road, keeping the Intercontinental Hotel and the O2 on your left.
 River Barges |
 Decay and Splendour |
17. If not taking the shortcut, turn back to the river, with the Intercontinental Hotel on the right. A collection of artworks can be found alongside the river, part of an installation known as "The Tide". The first of these is "Here", in the form of a simple signpost; the figure of 24,859 (miles) relates to the polar circumference of the Earth. At the apex of the bend there is a portion of a ship hard-by, titled "A Slice of Reality", by Richard Wilson. A third artwork was added in 2022, "Tribe and Tribulation", which references wooden cubes from Ghanaian fishing boats together with sound effects. Continuing past a large control sign, which regulates shipping passing through the Thames Barrier. the Emirates Cable Car, which crosses the Thames to Royal Victoria Dock, comes into view. We arrive at our fourth installation, "Liberty Grip", by Gary Hume. In the distance yet another artwork can be seen — "Quantum Cloud" by Antony Gormley, although we leave the river before this is reached.
18. Just as we begin to leave the O2 behind, look for a reed-bed, separating the path from the river. Here, ascend diagonally up a shallow slope, embellished with bold stripes. This is still part of "The Tide". Continue to follow the raised footpath alongside the Ravensbourne Building, which has cladding like a tri-coloured jigsaw. Go across a bridge, then descend on the slope to the left (by "Coffee Couch" and "Wagamama") to arrive at a broad plaza with North Greenwich tube and bus stations directly ahead.
However, if completing the circuit back to Blackheath Station — another 8½ miles (13½ km) — continue forward alongside the river by the reed-bed described above, and refer to the North Greenwich to Blackheath walk for instructions.
Ravensbourne Building
© Mike Biggs, Ramblers (Inner London Area), 2022.
If you have any comments about this walk, or notice that it needs updating to take account of changes on the route, then please contact Mike at