Travelling in London by tram — Beckenham Place Park and New Addington

Do you know London has trams nowadays? It's not the double decker running in the city centre, but another network which was completed in 2000, serving Bromley and Addington through Croydon to Morden and Wimbledon.

On that day I decided to travel in south London within the tram network only, although it shares the same fare (single £1.75) and daily cap (£5.25) with bus.

Beckenham Place Park

My first stop was in the easternmost terminal of the tram: Beckenham Junction in Bromley, where I could walk towards the largest park in Lewisham — Beckenham Place Park.

It's been one of my favourite parks in London because I feel like entirely escaping from the busy urban area here, and everything is almost natural so you can enjoy sunbathing, walking in the woods, swimming in a lake and cycling.

There are two cafes in the park. One of them is Hampstead Cafe providing great coffee with pizzas. The space itself is already outdoors with seating, but if you like, you can bring your foods and drinks to enjoy on the big pieces of grassland even under the trees.

New Addington

Besides serving east and west of south London, the tram also serves mid-level neighbourhood of Croydon: Addington. In order to reach there I had to change at Sandilands first to wait another tram from West Croydon.

The second tram entered its own tunnel and went up. It looked like a magic because you will see a lot of green areas with horses and cows after leaving Croydon, and it's not really like London. What a scenic tram route!

The final stop New Addington has a lot of high-rise housing apartments. There is, as usual, a high street serving daily needs.

Just outside the tram platforms there are wooden sculptures including bear, and before I wanted to walk down to Addington Village station I noticed a sign to Hutchinson's Bank which is a natural reserve with butterflies and flowers.

Ten to fifteen-minute walk brought me to a grazing area with sheep, but unfortunately I could see any probably because of hot weather? At least I could enjoy a beautiful sloppy green view!

Walking down from New Addington to Addington Village usually takes around half an hour, where North Down Field was on my left-hand side. When I was about to reach Addington Village station, I was able to see some cows and horses, but they were too far away to be captured by camera. In fact, it's not the only place to see the animals so close in London. I can list at least two or three which have the nicer view.

London Trams vs trams in Oslo and Gothenburg

Leaving skyscrapers and going uphill for suburban areas is not only what happens to the trams in London, as it made me think of the cities where I have been to, like Gothenburg, Sweden; and Oslo, Norway — I got on the trams in the city centre and they went uphill...

Although the tram here is impossible to start from Central London, Croydon Town Centre has a lot of skyscrapers. Taking a tram leaving those busy areas to nature through the tunnel within 30 minutes is already good for sanity.

Sketches

I ended up having 7 trips in total including getting groceries from supermarket, with 5 passenger sketches onboard. Colours were marked during the journey while they were filled after going back home.