Coulsdon’s parks and Green Spaces

Here, we’ve listed all the parks and green spaces in (or very close) to Coulsdon: and a circular walking route that can also be extended.

Coulsdon Memorial Ground, often called Marlpit Lane park or Coulsdon Memorial park, is a short distance from the town centre and Coulsdon South Station, a great park on a slope with a small children’s agility trail, toddler/junior play area and an area with equipment for older children and a path all the way round. There are tennis and basket ball courts, adult exercise equipment and toilets. Friends of Marlpit Lane Bowling Green, run by volunteers, provide use of a pitch and putt golf course and bowls green, open to all ages for a small charge to have a go. There is a small free car park off Marplit lane and a few up round the back, off Nineacres Way. Chaldon Way Gardens is a small ornamental garden opposite, in the V between Marlpit Lane and Chaldon Way. The Memorial, remembering the fallen in both World Wars, gives a nice view over the park. Poppy Cafe is open daytime and also provide take-away Thai food into the evening.

Rickman Hill has a field on a slight incline, children’s playground, tennis courts, a small wooded area known as Mother Kitty’s Shaw, Dotty’s Tea Garden cafe with toilet. Free street parking on Rickman Hill.

Dunstan’s Wood is really a wooded path, that leads up through Cane Hill to the Water Tower from Coulsdon. There is a trim trail and some children’s play equipment nearer the top. A path stretches up to the Water Tower, where there’s a pond in the middle of the road/roundabout, at the top, right down into Coulsdon town centre.

Farthing Downs is a chalk grassland hill with tree belt and extensive walking path. You can walk to the playground at the end of Ellis Road and/or go on through to Happy Valley Park from here. Managed by City Commons with a small paid car park.

Bradmore Green is a grass area with a pond, flanked with roads where you can see/feed the ducks. There’s no parking right there, but see below as Bradmore Green is oppose Grange Park.

Grange Park, Old Coulsdon is a lovely flat park with football pitches/sports field, children’s playground and a Pistachios in the Park cafe with toilet facilities. Free parking is limited outside Tudor Parade shops, or on Cannons Hill. There is plenty of parking outside the Tudor Rose pub for a small charge, free for their customers but please check!

Happy Valley Park is mostly hilly, meadows and woodland areas, great for walks and you can access the playground at the end of Ellis Road and walk through to Farthing Downs from here. Free car park, past The Fox pub down Fox Lane.

Coulsdon Common and nearby City Commons Estate Office is all part of South London Downs National Nature Reserve which includes Riddlesdown, areas in Purley and Kenley too. See City Commons for suggestions of where to park and for any events at the Estate Office.

Betts Mead Recreation Ground Kenley, between Old Lodge Lane and Hayes Lane (free street parking on either road) is described as grass and scrubland and has wooded areas.

Woodcote Village Green, Purley, Upper Woodcote Village is only a large square of grass with a see saw but it’s a nice quiet area area to walk around the private roads of the Webb Estate and on one corner there is a bench and the lovely Lord Roberts on the Green deli-cafe. Free street parking all around the green.

Corrigan Recreation Ground also known at The Mount park, officially in London Borough of Sutton, has a playground, sports pitches/field tennis courts and adult exercise equipment. Free car park. You can also access Big Wood at the far end and walk several paths or a loop in the woods there. You can also walk from the end of The Mount down a path called The Hatch that comes out near the top of Rectory Lane, Woodmansterne.

Chipstead Meads by Elmore Pond, officially in Reigate and Banstead, you can feed the ducks if there are any, has a playground, picnic area, flat sports fields and free parking.

Woodcote Grove Recreation Ground is classed as a sports field. It is a fairly small, simple, flat grass area behind Woodcote High School and Track Coulsdon running track and Woodcote Primary. Access is from Meadow Hill or Grove Wood Hill (roads), there’s a picnic bench near the entrance off Grove Wood Hill, where you can park, free, on this residential road - but do avoid school times!

NEW - someone on Facebook alerted us to two places we didn’t know about:

Coulsdon Coppice can be accessed at the Junction of St David’s Rd and Southlands close. It is a small pocket of ancient woodland. Has a wide range of flora and fauna including bats, badgers, owls and resident roe deer.

Dollypers Hill is another ancient woodland it is at the cul-de-sac end of Caterham drive. It is part of The Brilliant Butterflies project, run by the London Wildlife Trust, always welcomes volunteers to their Saturday sessions at Dollypers Hill Nature Reserve.

LOOP WALK:

There are loads of great scenic routes in and around Coulsdon incorporating our parks and green spaces. I’ve included this walk, though it’s mostly roads and paths they’re quiet, and I think it’s not well-known, circular and you can walk it from Coulsdon and make it longer by adding on the extensions mentioned below.

The circular loop shown on the map shown is about 4km long.      Starting from Woodcote Grove Rec you can head down Meadows Hill, away from Coulsdon and the High School, through Woodcote Golf Club to where the Jack and Jill pub is at The Mount, Longlands Avenue, officially in London Borough of Sutton.    Turn left anywhere heading downhill and eventually you reach St Andrews Road.  Turn left on St Andrews Road and walk to the end where St Andrews Church is, near Coulsdon town centre and left again.  Turn left down Howard Road and use the pedestrian only footpaths that cross all the roads back to Woodcote Grove Rec.   
                             
Going the other way: leave Woodcote Grove Rec at Grove Wood Hill (the road) going towards Coulsdon, crossing over that and the other roads, taking the footpaths (pedestrian only) until you reach Howard Road, where you need to turn left towards Woodcote Valley Road and when you meet Woodcote Valley Road can either head downhill towards Coulsdon past St Andrews Church, and follow this route, or turn left and go back uphill to make a different loop back towards the park, Woodcote schools or Woodcote Village Green but that's a main road.                     

EXTENSIONS: To extend this route, head off-loop - when you get to the Jack and Jill pub you can carry straight on to visit Corrigan Recreation Ground and/or carry on to Woodmansterne (Reigate and Banstead) there's a playground near the Woolpack pub and Woodmansterne 'log' to climb on if you have children, and/or visit the little Community Garden.  To walk to Woodmansterne you go straight through the path ( Hatch Lane ) at the end of The Mount and keep going until you meet the road, turn right when you get to the end, Rectory Lane, which is steep and a little precarious for a few meters.         

Another option is to turn right at the Jack and Jill down Grove Lane and take the unmarked footpath off to the right of the road.  Bear left when it forks and keep going and going and you end up at the double mini-roundabouts by the Oaks Park and Mayfield Lavender Farm.  Both have cafe and toilets but check opening times.