Orpington to Knockholt: An Easy Sunday Walk

On a cloudy day in October, I took my dear hiker friends on a walk from Orpington to Knockholt ending in a pub for a traditional Sunday roast. You might be wondering why this walk is in the “Walks in London” category because Orpington is not London! But in fact, it is London, somehow… as it is accessible by Oyster card … no train tickets needed. And believe it or not, I have made the mistake myself! So, I prefer to mention it to save you from making the same mistake I did.

Updated: 13/02/2023. Following a review of this walk posted on a navigation app platform, I have made some amendments to the below walk guide.

Logistics for the Orpington to Knockholt walk

Distance: 10.5 miles (16.9 km)
Ascent: 286 m
Walking Estimate: 3 hours and 45 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
How to get there: Train from and to London Bridge
What to pack: Comfortable clothing, pair of trainers as you would be walking on tarmac paths a lot, water (2 litres recommended)

Highlights of the Orpington to Knockholt walk

Orpington
Woodlands and valley
Chelsfield Golf Club
Eat at the Bo-peep

Orpington to Knockholt walk

Start of the walk

This is a fairly easy walk but I ranked it as an “intermediate” due to the distance. We are passing through a lot of small towns and residential areas. So, I prefer to warn you there are a lot of concrete paths on this walk. I would recommend that you wear the footwear you are comfortable in when walking long distances on concrete such as trainers.

First, we arrive in the town of Orpington (15 minutes by train from London Bridge). We are walking through the town passing by Goddington and Green Street Green. We then leave the town to get onto the woods of Whitelands Wood and Cuckoo Wood. Once we exit the woods, we go through Hazelwood, which unlike its name indicates is actually a residential area.

View in the woods, Orpington — In the woods

Time for a break

We then head onto the fields all the way to the hill of Homefield Spring. I would recommend making a stop there to have a snack, not lunch, as a pub is waiting for us at the end. It’s the perfect place at the top to admire the view.

View from the hill, Orpington — View from the hill

The arrival at Chelsfield

After a short break, we are then back onto the field, crossing Charm Wood to get to Pratt’s Bottom. We then leave the residential area of Pratt’s Bottom to adventure ourselves into the Gold Club of Chelsfield – be careful of the golf balls!

View in the valley, Pratt's Bottom — Valley before Pratt’s Bottom

A well-deserved Sunday roast

From there, you have two choices. You could either walk back to Orpington and make it a loop or you could head towards Chelsfield for lunch. If you have been following me, you may have noticed that I was talking about having lunch earlier. There it is! My recommendation is to stop for lunch at the Bo-peep. It’s a lovely countryside restaurant, 20 minutes walk from Knockholt Station – hence why I advised coming back via Knockholt. The restaurant has a nice countryside atmosphere, a friendly service, and amazing food … but no lamb option, despite having a sheep on the sign! However, they do have a vegetarian option, which is important for me. Perfect for a late Sunday roast!

PS: Oh, and I almost forgot! The goat on the trampoline is a must-see 🤣🤣