Walks

A wander round Burgess Park kindly provided by Jenny Morgan

Stage 1. Peckham to The Lake

Stage 1 printable version

Starting in Peckham, go under the arch towards the library.

Take The Canal walk to the left of the library (see notice giving history of The Canal.)

You will soon be in The Eagle Wharf area.

See Whitten’s Timber Yard on your right; you may like to take a diversion to see their old photographs of the wharf, taken before the canal was drained in the 1960s.

The canal was designed by Ralph Dodd in the early 19th century, and was originally intended to go from Rotherhithe to Epsom.

See Cary’s New Plan of London and its Vicinity.

Also, see Algernon Newton’s “The Surrey Canal 1935” at the Tate Online web site.

Straight on past the allotments, under the bridges until you reach the community garden and food project at Glengall Wharf.


Carry straight on at footpath intersection towards Trafalgar Avenue, where you turn right.

Turn right again (opposite Waite Street) into Glengall Terrace and into the enclosed grass area on your left. Make your way to the far end by the Walnut tree.

If you can, peep through the fence at the end into the private garden, you will just see a Magnificent Date Palm and a Cornus kousa that blooms in mid-May. Also notice the hop vine growing all over the fence.

Take the footpath to your right, and another hidden part of the park opens up before you; a pleasant spot for a picnic just feet away from the noise and traffic of the Old Kent Road.

Exit left onto Old Kent Rd, turn left immediately into Trafalgar Avenue, then right, into Nile Terrace.

At the end of Nile Terrace (Oakley Place) turn left through gates in a wire mesh fence into the park.


Take the dirt path leading into the bushes on your right. This cuts through the wildlife area into Cobourg Road – cross diagonally to your left and you arrive at the entrance to the Lake.