Blackheath, Greenwich Park and River Thames

The walk starts on the heath above Greenwich at the neo-Gothic All Saints Church. Blackheath's proximity to London has made it historically strategic (encamped by Vikings in 1011, petitioned by Wat Tyler in 1381 and Jack Cade in 1450, and the scene of Henry VII's victory over Cornish rebels in 1497).

Next to the heath lies Greenwich Park, enclosed in 1433 by Henry VI and redesigned in 1662 for Charles II by French designer André Le Nôtre. The park's steep escarpment provides unparalleled views over St Paul's Cathedral, Canary Wharf, and the River Thames. The Old Royal Observatory, commissioned by Charles II and designed by Christopher Wren in 1675, houses scientific instruments, a planetarium, and the Greenwich Prime Meridian line.

The route passes the Queen's House (designed by Inigo Jones), St Alphege Church (designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor), the famous clipper ship Cutty Sark, and the Royal Naval College on the site of the former Palace of Placentia. Finally, the path leads past the Trafalgar Tavern and Vanbrugh Castle back to the start.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.