Farm Walk, Hawkwood/PettsWood

This gentle circular route weaves through the woods and former farmland on the edge of Petts Wood and Hawkwood, a National Trust green space in the south-east corner of Greater London. At around 3.7 km with only modest ascent, it makes for an easy hour's walking on well-used paths.

From the start you follow the line of Pond Wood Ditch before dropping to cross Kyd Brook, the small stream that threads through the estate. The route then opens out across Great Thrift, one of the meadows that give this corner of the woods its distinctive patchwork feel, before returning through the trees past Edlmann Ditch and the quiet pool of Walk Wood Pond.

Along the way you pass close to the Willett Memorial and the Edlmann Memorial, two landmarks tucked into the woodland, with Walk Wood, Goshill Wood and Little Thrift all within easy reach if you want to extend the loop. It is a peaceful, low-effort walk that feels surprisingly rural for somewhere so close to the capital.