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Tubewalker: The Tube, on Foot

Northern Line: Morden to Kennington

Morden Hall
Morden Hall

OK, I've got to be a bit careful here, because I don't want to be unfairly harsh on south London. The weather has taken a turn for the worse and the less trustworthy tabloids are claiming that it's going to rain solidly for the rest of the summer, but I mustn't let my sodden socks and grey-spattered photographs drag me down when writing up today's trudge. However, I don't think there's any way of avoiding the fact that I felt pretty morose along much of this walk, and deep down, I think it's the area rather than me.

Morden to South Wimbledon

The River Wandle
The River Wandle

Morden station is on the busy London Road, just off the A24 (which I ended up following all the way to Clapham Common). I didn't fancy hanging around there in the rain, so I pulled on my Gore-Tex jacket, popped up my umbrella, started practising my one-handed photography technique, and headed east for Morden Hall Park. Morden Hall itself is just off Morden Road, and although I'm sure this National Trust property is well worth a visit, the real gem for walkers is the large and extremely lush park that stretches out to the north and east. I'd been expecting the usual landscaped grounds with a duck pond and rolling views to the Hall, perhaps with a tower block plonked in the background to bring us all back down to earth, but I didn't see Morden Hall Park coming at all. It's all overgrown and wild, and you need to take the paths if you're going to make any headway through the undergrowth (especially in this rain). Streams seem to come from all sides as the River Wandle splits into multiple channels, and it's easy to imagine yourself cut off from the bustle of London... because you are. It must be glorious on a sunny day; it's even great in the rain.

Merton Abbey Mills
Merton Abbey Mills
South Wimbledon station
South Wimbledon station

South Wimbledon to Colliers Wood

Colliers Wood Tower
Colliers Wood Tower

I tried to find an interesting route from South Wimbledon to Colliers Wood, but I couldn't manage it without taking an unnecessarily long detour, so instead I just walked along the main road, straight to the station. As with pretty much every busy road in London, the road walking was hectic and pretty forgettable, though the road does join the Wandle again at the site of William Morris's printing works, which is now home to a spectacularly large Sainsbury's-cum-Marks-and-Spencer.

Colliers Wood to Tooting Broadway

Tooting Gala Bingo
Tooting Gala Bingo

Just over the road from Colliers Wood station is Wandle Park, a small but prettily formed green space through which the Wandle winds in an explosion of plants and trees. The park was formerly the site of Wandle Park House, which Lord Nelson is thought to have visited on a number of occasions; the house, which was demolished in 1962, was built in about 1791 for the Scottish journalist James Perry, editor-owner of the Morning Chronicle, the most successful newspaper in Georgian times.

Tooting Broadway to Tooting Bec

Broadway Market
Broadway Market

The trek north up Tooting Broadway is another noisy journey along the busy A24, now known as the Upper Tooting Road, though there are some interesting sights along the way. The first, just north of the Tube station, on the right, is Broadway Market, the largest indoor market in south London. There are over 100 traders tucked away in a honeycomb of corridors and open areas, with stalls selling fish, meat, clothes and all the other stuff you'd expect to find. It's definitely worth exploring.

The smaller entrance to Tooting Bec station on the east side of the road
The smaller entrance to Tooting Bec station on the east side of the road

Tooting Bec to Balham

Tooting Bec Common
Tooting Bec Common

In an attempt to get away from the tedious A24, I designed the routes for all the rest of today's sections as loops, leaving the road as soon as possible and only returning to visit the next station. From Tooting Bec, the most scenic route is to head east to Tooting Graveney Common, and then on to Tooting Bec Common, a pleasantly open green space that's shaped like the constellation of Orion, with the railway slicing it in half from top to bottom, and Bedford Hill running across the belt in the middle. This has the effect of making the common feel rather smaller than it actually is, but it's an enjoyable space to wander through. I was particularly grateful for a few shards of sunlight as I followed the Capital Ring for a while, which comes through here on day 5; there's nothing quite as depressing as trying to walk across an open common when the wind is howling and the rain is pelting, but I was spared this ordeal... just.

Triangle Youth Club
Triangle Youth Club

Balham to Clapham South

The estate on Poynders Road
The estate on Poynders Road

If you're ever inspired to walk between Balham and Clapham South yourself, I wouldn't recommend you take the same route as me. I only went this way to take in the flat where Peta and I lived in Balham, and I almost wish I hadn't, for the suburbia to the east of the main road is pretty uninspiring. It didn't seem quite as dull when we lived here, but you should never admit to yourself that your home is crap, at least not until you've moved out. We knew as soon as we moved from Balham to Ealing that we'd made the right decision, and heading back into Balham on a rainy Monday morning didn't change my mind.

Clapham South station
Clapham South station

Clapham South to Clapham Common

Clapham Common
Clapham Common

Clapham Common is a fairly typical common, except it's huge. Like most commons, it isn't landscaped, but is little more than a huge triangular wedge of grass, more like a big field than a park. There's a bandstand in the middle and an oval lake, the Long Pond, along the eastern edge, and on a windy day like today it catches the breeze like nobody's business. Stand in the middle of the common and the sky is very big indeed...

Clapham Common to Clapham North

Clapham North station
Clapham North station

I simply followed Clapham High Street to reach the next station, because Clapham High Street is an interesting road in its own right. I've been clubbing down here more times that I can remember, mainly in the Two Brewers, and it's good to see that the mix of pubs, gay bars, restaurants and shops is still as varied as ever, even though the street still manages to look a little worn.

Clapham North to Stockwell

Attractive terraces in Stockwell
Attractive terraces in Stockwell

Heading west from Clapham North, you step into a strange mix of lovely Victorian terraced houses and large estates. The estate buildings are pleasant, if a little dark, and it's an entertaining wander through the backstreets towards Larkhall Park, a wide open green space in which I managed to pick up an unwelcome and extremely smelly dog shit that buried itself deep in the ridges in my walking boots; this is the first such accident I've had, which isn't bad really, and luckily the rain arrived not long afterwards and gave me a chance to wash it off in the wet grass.

Stockwell to Oval

Stockwell Park Conservation Area
Stockwell Park Conservation Area

On the other side of the A-road lies Stockwell Park Conservation Area, a delightful collection of Georgian buildings dating from the 1830s. The spire of St Michael's Church dominates the area, which was set up as a suburban development and quickly became an exclusive neighbourhood with lots of imposing villas. It's surrounded by estates and social housing, in particular the 1930s Stockwell Gardens Estate and the 1950s Studley Estate, the latter following the destruction of the Blitz. The Conservation Area is like a little oasis of architectural brilliance among the more workaday housing that Stockwell is more associated with.

Oval to Kennington

Cleaver Square
Cleaver Square

Oval Cricket Ground is just down the road from the station, though you'd be hard pressed to recognise it as a station; as you approach it, you're looking at the rear of the pavilion, and it looks for all the world like a normal mansion block, but with fewer windows. All the glory is inside the ground, but you can't peek in from the encircling road, as the stands are too high. Back in 1844, the Kennington Oval was a market garden that was owned by the Duchy of Cornwall; now it's the 21st-century home of Surrey Cricket Club, though it's still owned by the Duke.