10 ridiculously scenic walks near London

Length: 9.8 miles
Start: Ramsgate (trains from St Pancras International, Charing Cross and London Victoria)
End: Margate (trains from St Pancras International, Charing Cross and London Victoria)

Bookend a ramble along the Kentish coast with a visit to two gorgeous seaside towns: traditional, old-school Ramsgate and artsy Margate, awash with vintage shops and cocktail spots. Along the way, you'll pass Broadstairs and several other scenic and less populated bays. Following the Thanet Coastal Path, you’ll be able to choose between walking along the top of the chalk cliffs or the promenades at beach level. You’ll also pass plenty of former smugglers’ caves that are great for rock pooling and fossil hunting, and there are beachside cafes dotted along the route at regular intervals.

Post-walk pub: Quench your thirst with a pint of Kentish Kölsch, the signature brew at Xylo, a microbrewery and taproom with spectacular views over Margate Sands.

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Length: 6.6 miles
Start and end: near Theydon Bois station (Central line)

For centuries, Londoners have escaped to Epping Forest to immerse themselves in the beauty of ancient woodlands (or get up to mischief after dark). You'll find wonderful things to look at whichever way you go, but look out for the green-labelled posts that mark Essex’s Oak Trail, which takes walkers across the M25 towards 6,000-acre Epping Forest’s secluded northern realms, where gnarled beeches have grown massive crowns. You also pass a deer sanctuary and Iron Age earthworks – legend has it that Boudicca battled the Romans here. It’s wild in these woods. 

Post-walk pub: The Queen Victoria (Coppice Row, CM16 7ES) is an old-school pub opposite a pretty village green and duck pond.

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Length: 19 miles 
Start and end: Eastbourne (trains from Victoria station)

Ready to make a full weekend of it? Opt for this hefty loop of the South Downs Way, which will treat you to every terrain a self-respecting rambler could dream of: lofty hilltops, dense woodland, a meandering river, a pebble beach and a rollercoaster cliff hike.

The trail climbs inland on day one, passing Jevington (the birthplace of banoffee pie) and ending at Alfriston village. Here, you'll find plenty of places to rest your head. Flop in front of a roaring fire at Wingrove House, an elegant B&B with an excellent restaurant and doubles from £100 per night. On the second day, it tackles the breathtaking (in every sense) Seven Sisters. You can hunt for fossils at Birling Gap before conquering the infamous finale: Beachy Head.

Post-walk pub: You'll find beautiful harbour views at The Garden Bar, which boasts a sizeable terrace and plenty of down-to-earth atmosphere.

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Length: 6.8 miles
Start and end: Box Hill and Westhumble station (trains from London Victoria)

If you're a stairs-not-lift kinda person, take things to the next level at Box Hill. There are a whopping 272 steps to that'll take you to the top, where the trail begins, giving you gorgeous views over the green fields beyond. The endorphins are definitely pumping by the time you reach Juniper Bottom – maybe that’s how it got the nickname “Happy Valley”.

Post-walk pub: The aptly named Stepping Stones is a spacious country pub for a post-walk pint, or sample a glass of Juniper Hill at Denbies Wine Estate, which is only a mile down the road.

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Length: 9.9 miles

Start: Chorleywood station (Metropolitan, trains from London Marylebone)
End: Chesham station (Metropolitan Line)

As far as we know, Chess Valley in the Chiltern Hills isn’t home to any chess masters, but it did used to produce a lot of watercress, fed by its sparkling chalk stream. This bucolic walk follows the river, wending through rolling meadows, woods carpeted in dainty yellow celandines, and the chocolate-box villages of Latimer and Chenies (which has had several cameos in Midsomer Murders).

Post-walk pub: The George & Dragon is an unpretentious old coaching inn on the High Street with a log fire, real ales and giant burgers.

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Length: 16 miles
Start and end: Near Tring station (trains from London Euston)

The woodland around Ashridge is known for the magnificent blankets of bluebells that appear in early summer, but a circular walk around the boundaries of the sprawling estate takes in plenty more – from England’s oldest footpath at Ridgeway to the ancient Chiltern beechwoods and the Grade II-listed Bridgewater Monument. 

Post-walk pub: Tucked away in a secluded wooden valley, the Alford Arms serves up local award-winning beers from Chiltern and Tring Breweries. They've got a weekly changing menu of seasonal grub, too.

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Length: 10.1 miles
Start: Hassocks (trains from London Bridge, Blackfriars, St Pancras International and London Victoria)
End: Upper Beeding (bus to Burgess Hill or Shoreham-by-Sea on Sundays, then train to London Victoria)

No laughing at the name, please. Because fabulously-named Devil’s Dyke boasts some of the finest views in the whole South East, its skies studded with hang-gliders soaring over patchwork fields. You’ll appreciate those vistas all the more after walking up three steep hills to get there on this spectacular stage of the 109-mile South Downs Way (which has an awful lot of ups, too). It passes through National Trust-owned Saddlescombe Farm, where caravan cafe The Wildflower serves afternoon tea and slabs of homemade cake.

Post-walk pub: Upper Beeding’s The Rising Sun is a favourite with locals (who call it ‘The Riser’) thanks to its welcoming staff, decent beers, hearty portions and garden.

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Length: 5 miles
Start: Goring & Streatley station (trains from London Paddington)
End: Pangbourne (trains to London Paddington)

Don't be fooled by the name: Goring is far from boring! This oh-so-pretty Oxfordshire village marks the start of a gentle rural amble down a stretch of the 184-mile Thames Path is far from boring. This is the spot where the Thames Valley is squeezed to its narrowest point by the Berkshire Downs and tree-blanketed Chilterns. Look out for the footpath (waymarked with acorn symbols) which follows the curve of the river as it flows south, winding past wildflower meadows, woods and the Hartslock Nature Reserve, which is home to red kites and rare orchids. 

Post-walk pub: Pretty local inn The Cross Keys has a quaint courtyard garden and serves up gastropub classics in its low-beamed dining room.

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Length: 13.2 miles
Start and end: Marlow (trains from London Paddington, changing at Maidenhead)

By the time it gets to London, The Thames is a vast, grey-hued thoroughfare full of boats, dropped umbrellas and nameless effluvia. But head west and you'll discover its daintier, prettier side. You might even be tempted to paddle! This circular route takes in a good chunk of picturesque countryside around the quaint Georgian village of Marlow in Buckinghamshire. You’ll find pleasant meadows, wooded hills and overhanging trees along a lazy, tranquil section of The Thames, passing plenty of historic pubs and historic manor houses along the way.

Post-walk pub: Tom Kerridge’s The Hand & Flowers is the only pub in the UK to boast two Michelin stars. Stop by the bar for a cracking selection of draught beers, bar snacks and signature cocktails including an aged negroni and a duck fat-washed old fashioned (sounds dubious, but you know it’ll taste amazing.)

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Length: 14.3 miles
Start: Glynde (trains from Victoria)
End: Seaford (trains to Victoria)

If you’ve already done the classic Seven Sisters clifftop walk (see below) or can’t face all those hills, this is a long but lovely alternative. Largely following the South Downs Way, the route snakes along a ridge and a river valley, before curving round Seaford Head – which looks across to the Seven Sisters’ rippling white bluffs. Refuel on posh grub at The George Inn, a timber-beamed 14th-century pub in the old smuggling village of Alfriston.

Post-walk pub: There are always 10 real ales on tap at old-school boozer The Wellington, including South Downs brewery Long Man’s award-winning malty bitter.

Read more here.