A Ruined Abbey, Ancient Woodland & Thames Boat Trip – Urban Hike

Walk length 10 miles/16km approx. Circular.

A mixed urban, river and woodland hike towards the south east of London also involving a river trip passing many great London sights.

Beginning at the Royal Arsenal Woolwich Pier after a river bus from Westminster pier this hike passes some unusual south east London green spaces finally finishing at Woolwich.

Some of the sights include the Thames Path extension east, the Green Chain walk, the curious brutalist architecture of Thamesmead used in the Stanley Kubrick film Clockwork Orange and Lesnes Abbey and its woods.

Lesnes Abbey was built in the 12th century and has views across the Thames. It was closed down following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1534. Lesnes Abbey woods, Bostall Woods and Plumstead Common contain areas of ancient woodland. The area is a hidden gem.

The terrain is largely flat but undulating a little towards Woolwich from Lesnes Abbey, there are options to leave early such as Abbey Wood.

Lunch & Finish: Bring water and a snack lunch. This hike should finish before 5.00pm and include a snack lunch stop at Lesnes Abbey and pub stop at the end, probably at Woolwich, however the time may be earlier or later than this depending on the weather and pace. We will have optional drinks at the end of the walk in Woolwich.

Meeting

River Bus: Meet outside Westminster Pier (see photo at the bottom) from 9.00am to get the river bus at 9.37am direct to Woolwich Arsenal Pier arriving for 10.57am, we need to get this boat so please be on time so we can get in the queue, these boats can get busy.

Cost

Walk Cost: £5 cash on the day organizer fee. For paypal it is 'colin45@hotmail.co.uk' Please send as friends and family to avoid charges. For bank transfer message organizer.

The single river bus trip East is £7.40 with Oyster or Contactless. See www.thamesclippers.com.

You can if you wish skip the boat trip and meet us at Royal Arsenal Woolwich pier at 11.00am for the start of the walk.

Return trip after the hike is via Woolwich Arsenal train station (Zone 4) which has regular trains back to London Bridge; and also has a DLR station. See National Rail (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/) & Transport for London (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/)

Please make a note of the organizers numbers - Colin 07709305681

Walking Safety: Walking is a great way to keep fit and generally very safe; however it does contain an element of risk. Before going on any of these walks you need to be reasonably fit and be prepared to be responsible for your own safety. You should wear appropriate clothing such as proper walking shoes, warm and wet weather clothing and carry sufficient food and water. Please see our Terms and Conditions (https://www.meetup.com/London-Explorers/pages/Terms_and_Conditions/)

COULD EVERYONE PLEASE AVOID COMMENTS BELOW THAT ARE NOT SPECIFIC TO THE EVENT AS THIS GENERATES SPAM, JUST CHANGE YOUR RSVP IF YOU CAN'T GO. YOU CAN MESSAGE ME. MANY THANKS.