The excellent official route guide, The London Loop by David Sharp, makes walking the Loop considerably easier than it would otherwise be. As with all official route guides for long-distance paths in the UK, the guide contains sections of 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey Explorer maps, specially highlighted to show the route. All you need to walk the Loop is this book and a compass; the directions in the book are impeccable and most sections are well signed, though be warned that some boroughs have yet to put up any markers at all, and in others the local retards smash them up for fun.
Not only does the route guide contain all the information you need to walk the Loop, it's also chocka-block with interesting historical information. There are plenty of photographs of the walk in the book, which are fun to compare with the walk as you do it, and there's a useful appendix that explains which trains, tubes and buses you need to catch to get to each section. Here's the route that the book describes, going clockwise from Erith in east London:
Day | Walk | Miles |
---|---|---|
1 | Erith to Old Bexley | 8.5 |
2 | Old Bexley to Jubilee Park | 7.25 |
3 | Jubilee Park to West Wickham | 9 |
4 | West Wickham to Hamsey Green | 8.5 |
5 | Hamsey Green to Banstead | 10 |
6 | Banstead to Kingston | 10.75 |
7 | Kingston to Donkey Wood | 9 |
8 | Donkey Wood to Uxbridge | 10.5 |
9 | Uxbridge to Moor Park | 9.25 |
10 | Moor Park to Elstree | 11.5 |
11 | Elstree to Cockfosters | 10.5 |
12 | Cockfosters to Enfield Lock | 8.5 |
13 | Enfield Lock to Chigwell | 8 |
14 | Chigwell to Harold Wood | 10.75 |
15 | Harold Wood to Coldharbour | 11.75 |
Total distance | 143.75 |
It's worth pointing out that this is only a suggested itinerary. If you're really fit then you could easily polish off two sections in one day; conversely you could break it down into countless shorter walks, as each section can be broken in at least one place. The terrain is gentle throughout, though, so most people should be able to manage the above.