Many different types of plants and animals live in themargins and deeper water of the River Cray.

PLANTSA challenge for plants living in open water is to avoidbeing swept away in the flow. Water Starworts anchortheir roots firmly in the bed of the river. Water Crowfoothave very flexible streamlined stems and leaves, tolessen the chance of water flow breaking them off.The Cray is said to have some of the best Alder Carrwoods in London. The Alder’s fine root structure helpsstop soil from being eroded by the river. Willow can beseen in many forms, from shrubby Osiers to large treessuch as Crack Willow. Other more scarce plants are only found in old meadowssuch as at Foots Cray. One such plant is Creeping Rest-harrow, so called because in the past its tough rootswould get caught in farm machinery and cause farmersto ‘rest’ their ‘harrows’. With its striking blue-purple flowers, Devil’s Bit Scabiousgrows well in the damper parts of the meadows, but isscarce elsewhere. Herbalists have long believed theplant to cure many illnesses and legend has it the Devilbit away part of the root to reduce its curing powers.

BIRDSKingfishers can be spotted on the Cray. Though they aresmall, they are brightly coloured, so look out for a blur ofblue and orange darting low over the river. As their namesuggests they catch and eat fish. They hover over thewater briefly, before plunging in to catch theirunsuspecting prey.Grey Heron can be seen too, near the riverbankamongst the emergent vegetation. They also hunt forfish, watching for prey before attacking by stabbing itwith their bill and swallowing it whole.The Mute Swan has pure white plumage and a bright

Rats will feed on anything, but gravitate to food wastedropped by humans. To the untrained eye, the twoanimals are similar, but when you look more closely atwater voles you will see that the tail, ears and muzzleare shorter than a rat’s. The Grass Snake is Britain’s largest snake and can befound hunting for frogs and toads on the river margins.Although Grass Snakes have venom that is poisonousto small mammals, it is harmless to humans.

FISHDace are among the most common fish in the Cray, although they are normally found in shallow, cold and fastflowing rivers. Their name derives from the Old Englishword for darting movement. Dace eat insects, and in thesummer, shoals of Dace can be seen leaping to catchinsects close to or landing on the waters’ surface.Pike live in most UK waters, and are a voraciouspredator. They hunt fish, amphibians, and waterfowl,normally ambushing their prey in a short, sharp strike.Pike prefer the slower moving stretches of the river, atFoots Cray, Hall Place and around Barnes Cray.The Eel is a mysterious fish. It spawns in the SargassoSea in the western Atlantic, and once hatched, its larvaespend three years crossing the ocean to reach UKwaters. As elvers, they make their way into fresh waters,including the Cray, where they will live for up to twentyyears before making the journey back to the SargassoSea to spawn and die.

INVERTEBRATESThe River Cray supports a huge number of smallcreatures collectively known as invertebrates (without abackbone), who provide food for fish and other animals.Mayflies spend most of their life as nymphs in the siltsand sands of the riverbed. In the spring and earlysummer they float to the water’s surface and the adult

winged insects emerge from the river in vast numbers.They normally do not live for more than a few hours ordays, surviving just long enough to mate and for thefemales to lay eggs. Many different types of Caddis fly live in the river. Eachspecies constructs a particular type of protecting orcamouflaging structure, incorporating sand grains andplant debris, held together in its own silk. Freshwater Shrimps are crustaceans with a hardexoskeleton (on the outside of their body), found inlarge numbers in the Cray and an important part ofthe food chain. Shrimps must stay in water or theylose the moisture from their bodies. Perhaps the most distinctive and beautiful insectfound along the river in summertime are Dragonflies.The young dragonfly nymphs climb up the stems of riverbank vegetation, before emerging as adults.They are very agile, to feed on flies and other insects.

INVADERSMany new species of wildlife have come to the UKfrom other countries. Some invasive plants haveformed large patches along the River Cray and willoverwhelm native species if left unchecked. GiantHogweed, for example, can grow up to 3. 5 meterstall with 10cm diameter stems. It has poisonous sap,which when it comes in contact with skin andexposed to sunlight, can cause severe blistering.Chinese Mitten Crabs, so called for the fur forming‘mittens’ over their claws, are thought to have arrivedrecently in ships’ holds. Today they are widespread inthe Thames Estuary, and other eastern UKwaterways. They can be real problems for wildlife, andcan cause the side of riverbanks to become erodedas they burrow extensively to make their homes.

SUITABIL ITYThe map overleaf shows sections of the pathwhich are surfaced, however even on surfacedsections, stiles & gates may make the routeunsuitable for wheelchairs and buggies.

COUNTRYSIDE CODEPlease safeguard the countryside:

• Guard against risk of fire

• Keep dogs under close control

• Keep to the right of way across private land

• Leave no litter

Cray RiverwayWalking leaflet

Wildlife on the river bank

Wildlife in the water

orange bill. They build large nests using riverbankvegetation. They are not shy animals, and will aggressivelydefend their nests if approached.

ANIMALSThe two most common mammals on the Cray live inburrows on the riverbank. Usually where one occurs, theother does not. One is rare, and protected in the UK:the Water Vole. It feeds mainly on grasses and makes adistinctive ‘plopping’ sounds when it drops into thewater. The other is the Brown Rat, which is widespreadalong the river, particularly in urban areas.

Further Informat ionFor further information about the Cray Riverway,Managing the Marshes and other open spaces, routes or initiatives in Bexley, please contact the BexleyRegeneration Delivery Unit Tel: 020 8294 6742or visit Bexley’s website on www.bexley.gov.ukThe distance covered by this walk is approximately 10 miles. Where possible, the route follows riversidewalks but parks, rights of way, and roads are alsoutilized. The walk is signposted with timber waymarkers and metal signs, identified by the Cray Riverway logo.

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Cray Riverway Walk

FOOTS CRAY

Listening to you, working for you www.bexley.gov.uk

If you would like to know more about the services the Council provides, or would like either a translation of this document or the information in a different format, please call ourCustomer Contact Centre on 020 8303 7777 and press 0, quoting reference: 602521/7.07

Listening to you, working for you www.bexley.gov.uk

GETTING THEREby Train: Regular service available to Bexley, Crayford & Slade Green.

by Bus: Bexley Village: B15 (not Sun), 132, 492. Crayford: 96, 428,492. Foots Cray: R11, N21, 233, 321, 492. North Cray: 492. Slade Green: 89, 469.

Transport for London: 020 7222 1234 www.tfl.gov.uk

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The Cray Riverway is a 16km (10 mile) path followingthe River Cray to the Thames from Foots CrayMeadows in the south to Erith in the north. The routeis signposted throughout, but much of it is along un-surfaced paths and may present some difficulties forpushchairs, wheelchairs or those with less mobility.

All Saints Church to Water LaneThe Riverway starts as you enter Foots Cray Meadowsfrom Rectory Lane, just south of All Saints Church.

All Saints Church and Foots Cray MeadowsAll Saints Church marks the entrance to Foots CrayMeadows, and the start of the Cray Riverway. Thoughtto have been a site of worship since Norman times,Foots Cray takes its name from Godwin Fot, a localSaxon landowner recorded in the Domesday Book of1086, and from the River Cray that flowed through hisland. Foots Cray Meadows were laid out as thegrounds to two 18th century estates, Foots CrayPlace and North Cray Place. The open grasslands ofFoots Cray Meadows are managed to support a widevariety of wildflowers and grasses. This has been vitalin conserving the biodiversity we can see today.

Continue along the waymarked rough track, crossingthe river at Penny Farthing Bridge. The route followsthe southern bank of the river past Five Arch Bridge.

Five Arch BridgeFive Arch Bridge was once in the grounds of NorthCray Place, in a parkland setting designed byLancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. Formal geometricgardens favoured in the earlier Jacobean periodwere swept away and replaced with the ‘naturalistic’gardens in fashion at the time. These new ‘Arcadian’landscapes were designed to evoke aclassical idea of perfection; with grandsweeping lawns, tree lined vistas andlakes. The River Cray was dammed tocreate the meandering lake lying at theend of the park, where Five ArchBridge still stands.

Continue walking past ‘The Alders’, a block of woodland on the northernbank, until the route divides into twoseparate routes (A & B) at a sign-posted footbridge at the end of Water Lane.

Water Lane to Hall PlaceRoute A avoids built up areas, andRoute B passes through the historiccentre of Old Bexley.

Route ATurn right at the footbridge andcontinue along Water Lane to meetNorth Cray Road at Loring Hall. Turn left along NorthCray Road following signs. At the roundabout followthe metal signs back along the south side of NorthCray Road and after the Garden Centre, turn leftuphill on the rough track, and follow waymarkers,passing Mount Mascal Stables, and beautiful views

of Joyden’s Wood. Continue along the path and crossVicarage Road entering Churchfield Wood.Thewaymarked path follows the perimeter of ChurchfieldWood passing beneath the A2 and entering into HallPlace Recreation Ground. Keep following waymarkersand cross over the footbridge on the River Cray, whereRoutes A & B meet.

Route BTurn left over the footbridge and walk along the pathuntil you meet Riverside Road. Turn right and follow the finger posts for the Cray Riverway, across farmland.Following the waymarked track past Bexley CricketClub, pass under the railway and continue along TanyardLane into Bexley High Street, (Bexley Station 2 minswalk). Turn right along the High Street and cross at the crossing. Turn left into Bourne Road, and cross that at the crossing. Follow Bourne Road, passing theRecreation Ground on your right. Cross over the A2 as signed and follow the road past the roundabout (look for the view of Hall Place) to the entrance of Hall Place.Follow signs and waymarkers to the River Cray.

Hall PlaceThe present Hall Place Mansion was first built during thereign of Henry VIII, in about 1540 for Sir John Champneys,a merchant and former Lord Mayor of London. Thegardens date from the early 20th Century featuring arose garden, a topiary, a grass maze, herb garden, aformal sunken garden, a walled kitchen garden, and sub tropical plant houses. There is a café near the carpark which serves light refreshments. The house and its gardens were extensively restored by Bexley Counciland are open to the public. Hall Place is now managedby Bexley Heritage Trust.

Hall Place to Thames RoadContinue beside the river until thenorthern end of the recreation groundand follow the boundary of the groundto join Bourne Road. The route followsBourne Road passing Bourne IndustrialPark on the right side to join LondonRoad. Continue along London Roadfollowing signs and cross over CrayfordBridge, continuing along Crayford Way,past Waterside Gardens.

CrayfordCalico bleaching and printing industry came to the townin the 1820’s, followed by carpet making and a tannery.The Maxim, later Vickers factories were established in1896, making machine guns, shells, fuses and cartridgecases. During the First World War aircraft, including theVickers Gun bus and parts for the Vimy bomber weremade here. 14,000 people worked in the factories bythe end of the war. The houses along Crayford Waywere built to house workers. The Princess Theatre was built by the company, opening in July 1916, butwas burnt down in December, reopening as a cinema in July 1919. The building was demolished in the late1950’s and is now the site of the 1960’s housing blockopposite Waterside Gardens. The Vicker’s factory closedin the 1950’s, being converted into the sites of industrialestates and the Retail Park.

At the end of Waterside Gardens, cross Crayford Wayand continue along waymarked track beside the RiverCray where it meets Barnes Cray Road. Continue alongBarnes Cray Road and turn right onto Maiden Lane.Walk along Maiden Lane and join the path along thesouth side of the river. Continue along the path besidethe River Cray and at the end of the path turn left ontoThames Road.

The MarshesCross Thames Road and follow signed path through the industrial area of Saw Millsto Crayford Creek where the River Cray meets the River Darent. The path then follows perimeter of Crayford Marsh, along the River Darent giving extensive views across Dartford Marsh, the Darent Flood Barrier and the River Thames.

The marsh path ends by Erith Yacht Club; continue to Manor Road. The Cray Riverway finishes at the junction with Slade Green Road and Manor Road (Buses) and if walkers wish to continue to Erith they may take the Thames Path to Erith Town Centre.

Saw Mills This is the historic name for the industrial area between Thames Road (A206) and Crayford Marsh. Many local road names are derived from the timber mills that were situated here in the 1840s. Industry thrived here from as early as the 16th Century when a mill for making iron sheet and armour was set up to use the river for power. Since the 1700s the area was also where much of the cloth bleaching took place, a keypart of the local textiles industry. Just beyond the Thames Road bridge was the old millpond, the site in the 1900s of the Vitbe Flour Mill and a chemical works. Both had water wheels to power their machinery.

Thames RoadThe inter war years were a time

of high unemployment. In 1921, construction began on Thames Road

as part of a Government sponsored road building programme. Many un-

employed ex–servicemen were recruited for the work. Before Thames Road opened in

1923, Iron Mill Lane was the only land route to Saw Mills, and it was virtually impassable in the winter.

Sailing barges transported heavy goods, coming fromthe Thames down the River Darent and along CrayfordCreek. The river remained a significant corridor forindustry until recent times. Records of tolls levied in1977 show 400 tons of grain a week was brought alongCrayford Creek for processing at Saw Mills.

Crayford MarshThe marshes have been used

for grazing and rough pasture sincethe beginning of the 15th Century.Tenants were required to pay 6d(half a shilling) per acre to help payfor the upkeep of marshland walls,dykes and fences. Other uses haverelied on the relative isolation of themarshes and access to river transport. For examplethe area where Darent Industrial Estate now standswas the former site of ammunition works, in use from1889 to 1962. It was an ideal place for the storageand manufacture of explosives and armaments.

For more information on the marshes visitwww.managingthemarshes.org.uk

Other walks in the area; The London Outer Orbital Path(Loop) and the Shuttle Riverway.

Cray Riverway

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