A Valley at Christmas with Added Happiness

Enjoy a pre-Christmas hike around the popular Happy Valley area of Coulsdon. The terrain will be varied and we'll see some stunning scenery on route. If that wasn't enough there are plenty of historic points and landmarks to keep us entertained. Near the end we can also enjoy a Christmas drink before our return. 

Click on this Link to view the route (opens OS Maps)

A Few Features:

Farthing Downs

The most extensive area of semi-natural downland left in London.  Views are offered over a great distance.  There are also cows roaming freely as they graze.  History is also paramount here.  The site is believed to go back to Neolithic times with evidence of a historical past dotted around. 

St Peter and St Paul Church

Work started on the church before 1086 and it is still in use today.  The church is famous for having a wall painting believed to have been done around 1170.  Amazingly, the painting was only discovered during restoration works in 1870-1.  It has been described as “perhaps the most interesting ancient wall-painting in England”. 

Happy Valley

The general name for the whole area.  Originally, things were known as the Coulsdon Greenbelt Lands.  That is obviously quite a stuffy name so in 1970 the name was changed to Happy Valley Park.

St Lawrence's Hospital Burial Ground

The Caterham Metropolitan Asylum, later known as St Lawrence’s Hospital opened in 1870. Between this time and 1915 the burial ground was used to facilitate the hospital.  The site is now a place of history but graves and a memorial garden remain.  The site of the former chapel is visible.

Coulsdon Common

Another lovely green space where fields and woodland meet.  As with other areas we pass through it is easy to forget we are in London.

Kenley Airfield

RAF Kenley was a main operating airfield from 1917 to 1959.  It saw heavy use during both World Wars.  Sadly, few buildings remain and the Control Tower itself was demolished following fire in 1978.  That said it is thought to be one of the best preserved Second World War RAF fighter stations.  Some land has been used for housing but the site is still active.  The RAF 2 Flying Training School are still an active presence. Due to this the site falls under the Ministry of Defence.

Dogs: 

I love having dogs on my walks. I just ask that owners please ensure they are kept on a lead as appropriate, especially around livestock and when near busy roads. Please, also remember that not everyone is a dog lover.

Don’t Waste That Space!

Walks get filled up quite quickly, so please only sign up if you know you are free to attend. Plans do sometimes change, but remember to free up your space so someone else can attend.

New Members:

If this is your first event or you are new to OutdoorLads we’d love to see you. Please message me if you have any questions.

Looking For More:

Check out this Link for details of other walks taking place in the South East.

Check out this Link for details of provisional upcoming events in the ODL diary.

(All photos taken by the leader and permission is given for OutdoorLads to reuse them.)