Starting from Herne Hill Rd Surgery, 1-3, Herne Hill Rd, SE24 0AU
[1] From the front of the surgery turn left along the left side of Herne Hill Road. Cross Padfield Road, Wanless Road and Kemerton Road. Turn left into Finsen Road, cross over the road and turn right into Ruskin Park.
(A) Ruskin Park gets its name from John Ruskin, the famous artist, writer and social campaigner, who lived nearby from 1823 to 1871. At the start of the 20th Century local residents campaigned for a new park on 24 acres of land in Denmark Hill, and the famous parks designer J.J. Sexby laid out the site. Ruskin Park was officially opened to the public on 2 February 1907, but was enlarged in 1910 by adding a further 12 acres of land to the south, which is now used for football and informal exercise.
[2] Go straight ahead up the right side of the park (slightly uphill) and at the corner continue left along the edge of the park to reach public toilets. Ignoring a left turn, continue further along the edge of the park to reach a fork in front of some railings. Bear left, go through a gate and turn left. [Note: The gardens on your right are not part of this walk.You can look forward to visiting these in Walk 4.]
[3] Go round the end of a covered walkway and turn left at a path junction to exit through a gate. Go straight ahead, through an avenue of trees, past a shelter and then continue along this right side of the park to the far corner, where you turn right and exit the park through the gate you originally entered. Retrace your steps back to the start, crossing Finsen Road and turning right into Herne Hill Road, which leads you back to the surgery.