Discover London’s hidden green spaces — Capital Ring

The Capital Ring is a circular hike around London that crosses the city's leafiest suburbs and explores some of its most prized parks, woodlands, marshlands, lakes, reservoirs and wildlife-rich nature reserves.

Whilst London might be perceived as a vast urban landscape, this hike shows just how much green and semi-rural space is hidden amid the ancient streets; affording a wonderfully-fresh perspective on England's capital city.

Starting and finishing at the Woolwich Foot Tunnel, the 77-mile (124 km) loop encircles inner and central London, taking in the city's best scenery, many historic places, plus some of London's most enchanting viewpoints.

The walking is leisurely throughout. Whilst there are hills, they are gentle and the trail is generally flat, well-maintained and well-signposted. Whilst there are significant sections on hard surfaces, there is a good proportion of walking on more natural terrain.

The Capital Ring is split into 15 short sections by Transport for London (TfL). However, in this Collection, I combine three TFL sections per stage; making for five stages of between 12.5 and 17.6 miles (20.1 - 28.3 km).

Of course, you can split up each stage into as many days as you are comfortable with. You can also walk any single stage, or a couple of stages, in isolation. Public transport links are excellent throughout and accommodation is abundant. There is nothing to stop you from walking the route counterclockwise either.

King George V tube station is 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the start of the hike. From the station, you can access the full London Underground network, taking you to any train station or coach station you require with ease.