From the car park walk back along the road, past the windmill, to a junction. Turn right and pass the Ranger’s Office and Interpretation Centre on the right-hand side. Pass beside a metal gate and continue ahead on Inner Windmill Road, alongside a bridleway. Walk ahead, with golf greens to your right. Eventually the path curves to the right and crosses Wimbledon Golf Course (beware of low-flying golf balls). At a fork, follow the left-hand track to a tarmac road.
Cross this road and take the path opposite, across the heath towards the trees – follow the track through this woodland area. At a T-junction turn right, downhill. Continue through the woods with the golf course on your right and Caesar's Camp Fort on your left. At a fork, leave the wide track and take the narrower path that forks to the right by concrete posts. The next stretch of the walk, which later curves right again, passes some buildings.
Your path continues for about a mile (1.6km). Cross a brook and continue to a crossing of paths, with a ‘no horses’ post on the left. Keep ahead and at another track crossing keep ahead again. It can get very muddy here. When a path comes in from the right ignore it and, in a few paces, take the right-hand fork that swings to the right and then runs parallel to some playing fields. Keep on this gentle, uphill track through woodland, but stop to take a look at the war memorial beyond the playing fields.
Continue to go uphill past some buildings on your left and 100yds (91m) further on, a cemetery in Putney Vale. The path descends gradually. On the right, opposite a metal gate to the cemetery, look out for a red brick ditch. Turn right over this ditch until the path opens up to Queen’s Mere, a picturesque pond that is home to swans and various species of wildfowl. The deepest of the ponds on Wimbledon Common, it was created for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
Follow the path with Queen’s Mere on your right. At the end take the right-hand track uphill, bearing right. At the top, turn left and walk back to the car park.
If you are unfamiliar with this area, you may be surprised to discover that 495 acres (462ha) of Wimbledon Common comprises thick woodland, with the rest made up of heath and grassland. Together with Putney Common it encompasses 1,140 acres (460 ha) of green space – a precious resource so close to... the city. In 1987 the Common was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as its proximity to London makes its valley mires unique. While heathland in other areas has fallen prey to developments such as supermarkets and airports, Wimbledon Common’s status as a candidate for a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) has ensured its protection from such an outcome. An uncommon common By the 1860s, Wimbledon Common had come into the ownership of Earl Spencer, as titular Lord of the Manor of Wimbledon. In 1864 he revealed plans to enclose 700 acres (284ha) of common for parkland, a garden and house building. Though the commoners raised few objections, the Enclosure Bill stalled in the committee stage as MPs had become increasingly concerned about London’s diminishing open spaces. After seven years of legal wrangling, a solution was found in the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act of 1871. Earl Spencer was compensated for his lost land, and the rights of the common were passed to conservators, charged with preserving their natural character. While other commons have been lost, or greatly reduced in size, Wimbledon’s independence has allowed it to survive in as wild a state as possible. Shrews, stoats and stag beetles Between them, Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common now contain 50 per cent of London’s heathland. But these are not the only natural credentials about which the Commons can boast – there is a rich range of wildlife too with over 100 species being spotted. As you might expect, grey squirrels are abundant and foxes are often seen, but there are also some less obvious (in fact, very elusive) creatures. These range from the bank vole, the field vole, the pygmy shrew and the wood mouse, to adders, grass snakes and the occasional stoat. The woodlands also support six (possibly seven) species of bat. This is also a prime site for the endangered stag beetle. The variety of birds that have been seen is extraordinary, with goldfinches, nuthatches, reed buntings and even ospreys.
Greater London is one of the world’s largest urban areas; 33 boroughs stretching north to Enfield, south to Croydon, east to Havering, west to Hillingdon and with central London at the heart of it all. Greater London contains a multitude of parks and green spaces, from the six Royal Parks to other huge open spaces like Hampstead Heath and Clapham Common.
From the car park walk back along the road, past the windmill, to a junction. Turn right and pass the Ranger’s Office and Interpretation Centre on the right-hand side. Pass beside a metal gate and continue ahead on Inner Windmill Road, alongside a bridleway. Walk ahead, with golf greens to your right. Eventually the path curves to the right and crosses Wimbledon Golf Course (beware of low-flying golf balls). At a fork, follow the left-hand track to a tarmac road.
1 of 5
Cross this road and take the path opposite, across the heath towards the trees – follow the track through this woodland area. At a T-junction turn right, downhill. Continue through the woods with the golf course on your right and Caesar's Camp Fort on your left. At a fork, leave the wide track and take the narrower path that forks to the right by concrete posts. The next stretch of the walk, which later curves right again, passes some buildings.
2 of 5
Your path continues for about a mile (1.6km). Cross a brook and continue to a crossing of paths, with a ‘no horses’ post on the left. Keep ahead and at another track crossing keep ahead again. It can get very muddy here. When a path comes in from the right ignore it and, in a few paces, take the right-hand fork that swings to the right and then runs parallel to some playing fields. Keep on this gentle, uphill track through woodland, but stop to take a look at the war memorial beyond the playing fields.
3 of 5
Continue to go uphill past some buildings on your left and 100yds (91m) further on, a cemetery in Putney Vale. The path descends gradually. On the right, opposite a metal gate to the cemetery, look out for a red brick ditch. Turn right over this ditch until the path opens up to Queen’s Mere, a picturesque pond that is home to swans and various species of wildfowl. The deepest of the ponds on Wimbledon Common, it was created for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
4 of 5
Follow the path with Queen’s Mere on your right. At the end take the right-hand track uphill, bearing right. At the top, turn left and walk back to the car park.
If you are unfamiliar with this area, you may be surprised to discover that 495 acres (462ha) of Wimbledon Common comprises thick woodland, with the rest made up of heath and grassland. Together with Putney Common it encompasses 1,140 acres (460 ha) of green space – a precious resource so close to... the city. In 1987 the Common was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as its proximity to London makes its valley mires unique. While heathland in other areas has fallen prey to developments such as supermarkets and airports, Wimbledon Common’s status as a candidate for a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) has ensured its protection from such an outcome. An uncommon common By the 1860s, Wimbledon Common had come into the ownership of Earl Spencer, as titular Lord of the Manor of Wimbledon. In 1864 he revealed plans to enclose 700 acres (284ha) of common for parkland, a garden and house building. Though the commoners raised few objections, the Enclosure Bill stalled in the committee stage as MPs had become increasingly concerned about London’s diminishing open spaces. After seven years of legal wrangling, a solution was found in the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act of 1871. Earl Spencer was compensated for his lost land, and the rights of the common were passed to conservators, charged with preserving their natural character. While other commons have been lost, or greatly reduced in size, Wimbledon’s independence has allowed it to survive in as wild a state as possible. Shrews, stoats and stag beetles Between them, Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common now contain 50 per cent of London’s heathland. But these are not the only natural credentials about which the Commons can boast – there is a rich range of wildlife too with over 100 species being spotted. As you might expect, grey squirrels are abundant and foxes are often seen, but there are also some less obvious (in fact, very elusive) creatures. These range from the bank vole, the field vole, the pygmy shrew and the wood mouse, to adders, grass snakes and the occasional stoat. The woodlands also support six (possibly seven) species of bat. This is also a prime site for the endangered stag beetle. The variety of birds that have been seen is extraordinary, with goldfinches, nuthatches, reed buntings and even ospreys.
Greater London is one of the world’s largest urban areas; 33 boroughs stretching north to Enfield, south to Croydon, east to Havering, west to Hillingdon and with central London at the heart of it all. Greater London contains a multitude of parks and green spaces, from the six Royal Parks to other huge open spaces like Hampstead Heath and Clapham Common.
