Car Hire Catford

Driving into Catford feels a little different from other pockets of South East London. Roads ripple between commons, crescents and lively town corners, giving drivers plenty of reasons to slow down and explore. This area has a population count of 45,000. With the South Circular (A205) and A21 running close by, Catford’s one of those places that fits easily into a day’s drive—a detour that doesn’t demand rigid schedules. While driving in from Lewisham, we found ourselves easing into Catford’s slower, greener rhythm with hardly any effort.

Parking near Mountsfield Park or the town centre is usually manageable if you time it outside peak shopping hours and having the car meant we could jump between green spaces without wrestling with bus timetables. Weather here tracks typical London patterns—drizzly winters, short sharp summers—so it’s worth packing something waterproof and sturdy if you’re heading out to the parks. Spring feels especially rewarding, when Mountsfield Park and the River Pool burst back into life. During a visit to Forest Hill, it made perfect sense to extend our drive and see what Catford had tucked away.

Attractions In Catford

Once known for its mid-century theatres, bustling markets and lively street corners, Catford today carries a slightly scruffy, lovable charm that reveals itself gradually rather than all at once.

The Catford Cat

We knew we were close before we even parked—the Catford Cat was already staring down from its rooftop perch above the shopping centre. Its enormous grin looked almost smug in the morning light, the edges weathered slightly by years of London drizzle.

Standing underneath it on Rushey Green, we watched a schoolchild pass by, calling up, “Morning, Cat!” without breaking stride. Around here, even a giant fibreglass feline blends into daily life. It’s pure Catford: eccentric, unbothered and completely stitched into the town’s fabric.

Mountsfield Park

Pulling into a side street near Stainton Road, we found a lucky spot right beside the entrance. Mountsfield Park opened out in soft, rolling curves, stitched together with shady paths and wide, open playing fields.

Open daily from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, the park carried the soundtrack of Sunday football—the sharp shouts of players, the thud of boots against damp turf. At the crest of the hill, the city skyline floated hazily on the horizon, softened by the late afternoon light.

Bellingham Green Children’s Park

Tucked behind the shops and flats of Bellingham Green, this modest park buzzed with quiet energy. Scooters clattered along the playground, dogs barked from somewhere near the swings and the smell of frying onions drifted over from a nearby food van.

Open 24 hours, it’s the kind of spot that anchors a neighbourhood. While driving from Honor Oak Park, we paused for coffee, stretched our legs and watched the small world of Catford turn gently around us.

Riverview Walk & River Pool Linear Park

Parking just off Southend Lane, we found the start of Riverview Walk tucked behind a weather-beaten fence. The change was almost immediate: traffic noise fell away, replaced by the low rush of the River Pool and the whisper of willow branches overhead.

Open 24 hours, the trail weaves alongside the water, broken occasionally by splashes from dogs leaping in and out. Cracked paths, mossy banks, quiet corners—Riverview Walk offers the simple, steady kind of peace that most cities hide well.

Blythe Hill Fields

Approaching from Brockley, the road lifted and twisted until it delivered us onto the edge of Blythe Hill Fields. From the car, it looked spacious; on foot, it felt endless.

Kids rolled down grassy slopes, kites flailed in stubborn breezes and the horizon cracked open into a glittering sweep of London rooftops and cranes. We sat for a while, letting the sky stretch wider with every slow breath.

Lewisham Clock Tower

Navigating the lunchtime congestion from Blackheath was its own small challenge but the Lewisham Clock Tower made an easy target to aim for. Erected in 1900, it rises slightly defiantly between the chaotic hum of markets and shops.

We pulled over and stepped out into the buzz of the high street, running our hands over the cool, pitted stone. Around us, vendors shouted prices, buses sighed at the kerbs and the clock tower simply ticked on—unchanged, undeterred.

Ladywell Fields

We found a narrow parking spot tucked along a side street and wandered in through a gap in the trees. Ladywell Fields doesn’t announce itself; it just unfolds quietly—a stitched patchwork of lawns, playgrounds and riverbank corners.

Open 24 hours, it draws everyone from joggers to picnickers to children racing bikes over tiny wooden bridges. Somewhere nearby, the smell of bacon sandwiches drifted from a café kiosk. During a morning drive from Eltham, it made an easy place to stop, stretch out and pick up the river path heading north.

Bellingham Leisure & Lifestyle Centre

After a stretch of quiet parks and green lanes, Bellingham Leisure Centre felt lively in a different way. We parked easily on Randlesdown Road and headed inside, swapping the scent of fresh air for the soft chlorine tang of a busy community pool.

Open from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm, the centre buzzed with the bounce of basketballs and the clink of dumbbells. We squeezed in a swim—quick, refreshing—before heading back into Catford’s slower streets.

Dulwich Woods

Driving from Kidbrooke, the houses thinned and trees thickened until Dulwich Woods seemed to spill straight across the roadside. We parked near a mossy brick wall, stepping into a cool underworld of twisting trails and heavy green shade.

The deeper we walked, the more the city faded. Footsteps softened against the leaf mulch and birds darted like shadows between tree trunks. We lost the path once, laughed about it and followed the echo of distant voices to find our way back.

Beckenham Place Park Swimming Lake

We caught glimpses of Beckenham Place Park’s lake flashing through the trees before we even left the car. Turning off Beckenham Hill Road, we parked easily and joined the line of early swimmers trekking towards the water.

Managed by PTP Coaching and open from 6:15 am most mornings, the lake buzzed gently with slapping flip-flops and murmured hellos. The water was a shock—clear, cold, brilliant—and the sky stretched wide and soft above. For drivers coming from East Dulwich, it’s an unbeatable reset on a hot day.

Food, Sleep And Slow Wanders

Spending time in Catford often means following your nose—sometimes quite literally. We found ourselves pulled toward Good Hope Café, a warm, easygoing spot near Ladywell Fields where the coffee’s strong and the breakfast plates generous. Later, hunger led us into the Duke of Catford, a pub on Rushey Green where hearty meals and colourful murals make it easy to lose an afternoon.

Accommodation here keeps things simple: functional budget hotels cluster along Bromley Road, handy if you’re driving, while a scattering of guesthouses around Bellingham and Ladywell offer quieter stays. Catford doesn’t push itself forward—but if you’re willing to slow down, it has a way of unfolding all the same.