Best day hikes from London - and easy to get to

Here's one that is easily accessed from London: www.nationaltrail.co.uk/thames-path.

How about the Capital Ring Walk - Wimbledon Park to Richmond, or add on Richmond to Osterley if you want a longer walk. Start and finish at stations and get a flavour of the countryside on the edge of London. https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/capital-ring

Some thoughts:

Try searching the Ramblers’ website for organized walks:

https://www.ramblers.org.uk/

Or search the National Trail website for walks along the South Downs or Ridgeway paths, or the Thames Path, that connect two train stations within reasonable walking distance of one another.

We have walked the Thames Path from Henley-on-Thames and back in a loop and run into a group of Ramblers’ out for a walk (with a pub stop for a pint) and they seemed a congenial group.

A walking area we really enjoy is the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, near Lulworth Cove. You can wander this path for miles, passing scenic Durdle Door and other landmarks, or visit abandoned village of Tyneham, requisitioned during the war for D-Day preparations and never returned to the villagers. Scroll down to the Walking area on this website:

https://jurassiccoast.org/visit/attractions/durdle-door/

The visitor center in Lulworth Cove can provide you with maps and suggestions for walking. The get there, you would have a 2-hour train ride to Poole from Waterloo Station. Then ask a taxi to take you to Lulworth Cove, about a 10-minute ride if I recall correctly.

If you want more possibilities and a shorter train ride, it would be worth investing in a guidebook like “country Walks: 52 Walks near London in the Time Out Guides. I am aging there will be used copies on Amazon. They give complete directions for access and completing the walks, most of them loops.

There is a website that lists the country walks to which Lola refers
https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/book_1/
https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/book_2/

If you scroll down you will see a list of the walks. Each has directions, transportation info, and places to stop en route for refreshment.

Thank you, Laura. I did not know they had the walks on a website—-and it is even updated! Now I don’t have to carry our book to London next time.

How long should your hike be and how challenging? Are you open to “urban hikes” that is, walking around untouristed/less-touristed parts of London?

This one looks like a winner.

A friend of mine owns a walking club in the midlands. Her walks occur all around her area, including some in and around London. She is lovely and you'll be walking with locals who regularly go out with her to explore the countryside.
Adventure Geek here is her website.
Here is her schedule of events.

Thank you for all of the replies. I am looking through all of the information. Very much appreciated.

The Seven Sisters is on the south coast between Eastbourne and Brighton. Easy train from London Victoria station and bus or sometimes open-top bus to the magnificent Seven Sisters. I know you don't want a bus, but this one is pretty simple...

Walking through Brighton's Lanes can also be illuminating.

I'm afraid that if you go to Bristol you won't be close to your destination.

Indeed, it is Brighton not Bristol you want for the Seven Sisters.

According to this website, the recommended walk is from Seaford to Eastbourne, passing the Seven Sisters on the way. You can get to Seaford either by taking a train to Brighton and then a bus from there to Seaford, or by train all the way to Seaford, hanging trains at Lewes.

https://moonhoneytravel.com/seven-sisters-cliffs-walk-seaford-to-eastbourne/

I did not confirm their details, but according to them the all-train journey from Victoria Station to .seaford is 1.5 hours. That does nor sound onerous for such a spectacular walk.

Note that the Seven Sisters are now on the “bucket list” of many selfie takers for posting on Instagram, etc.. You may find the site itself quite crowded. But the walk itself should still be nice.

just don't go too close to the edge, especially if the wind is offshore or variable.