Bat walk among the Crystal Palace dinosaurs, Sunday cyclo-cross, a nearly-new baby sale in Orpington, and Sunday rail closures at Beckenham Junction to plan around.

Friday evening’s bat walk through Crystal Palace Park is down to its last tickets. On Saturday there is a nearly-new baby and children’s sale in Orpington, and on Sunday the park hosts a round of the London and South East cyclo-cross league.

Two dates to plan around. Bromley’s League One match at MK Dons on Saturday has been postponed. And on Sunday, Beckenham Junction, Kent House and Penge East all close, with Lewisham shut for the whole weekend. Details below.

This weekend in Bromley at a glance: Friday 25 September, bat walk in Crystal Palace Park at 6.30pm and the Charter Market on the High Street; Saturday 26 September, Mum2mum Market at Orpington Methodist Church 2pm to 4pm, Churchill Comedy Club, and Bromley's match at MK Dons postponed; Sunday 27 September, cyclo-cross in Crystal Palace Park from 9am, and Beckenham Junction, Kent House and Penge East closed with buses instead
Graphic by Bromley Online
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Friday 25 September

  • Bat walk in Crystal Palace Park, 6.30pm to 8pm. The Linnean Society leads a walk with bat detectors from the Canada Gate entrance, taking in the dinosaurs and the Italian Terraces, with a talk on the 18 species recorded in the park. The park’s page had it on “last tickets” on Thursday. (Crystal Palace Park, Bat Walk)
  • Stepping Out at the Churchill Theatre. The comedy about a tap class runs Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September in the main auditorium, 2 hours 35 minutes including the interval, tickets from £26.50. (Trafalgar Tickets, Stepping Out)
  • Bromley Charter Market. The market trades in the pedestrian part of the High Street every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 9am to 5pm. (London Borough of Bromley, Bromley Charter Market)

Saturday 26 September

  • Mum2mum Market in Orpington, 2pm to 4pm. A nearly-new sale of baby and children’s clothes, toys and equipment at Orpington Methodist Church, Sevenoaks Road, BR6 9JH. Entry £2 for adults, children free. (London Borough of Bromley, Bromley Mum2mum Market)
  • Churchill Comedy Club. Stand-up in the Churchill’s studio, tickets from £15, listed as selling fast. (Trafalgar Tickets, Churchill Comedy Club)
  • No Bromley match. MK Dons v Bromley, due at Stadium MK on Saturday, was postponed on 16 September because several Bromley players have international call-ups. Tickets already bought stay valid for the rearranged date, which had not been announced by Thursday. (MK Dons, Bromley (H) postponed)
  • Members’ talk on restoring the dinosaurs, 10.30am to 11.30am. Rosie Baines, the deputy park manager, on 172 years of repairs to the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, at the Visitor Centre near Penge Gate. Members of the park trust only. (Crystal Palace Park, How to Restore a Dinosaur)
  • Chislehurst Caves. Lamp-lit guided tours leave on the hour from 10am to 4pm, Wednesday to Sunday. Adults £10, over-64s and children £8. (Chislehurst Caves)
  • A charity ride passes through. The Offload Challenge, a 60-club ride towing a water butt, finishes at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon after calling at Bromley RFC, Beckenham RFC and Beccehamian RFC during the week.
  • Driving into Kent or Essex on Saturday night. The QEII Bridge at Dartford closes from 9.30pm on Saturday to 9am on Sunday, with the East Tunnel running a contraflow and no access for vehicles over 4.8 metres high. Full detail on our roadworks and travel page.

Sunday 27 September

  • Cyclo-cross in Crystal Palace Park, 9am to 2pm. Brixton Cycles Club hosts round 3 of the London and South East Cyclo-Cross League across the park, on a course that hosted the world championships in 1973. Riders enter through the league; the racing is in the open park. (Crystal Palace Park, Cyclo-Cross Round 3)
  • Secrets of the Sculptures walking tour in the same park at 10.30am is sold out. (Crystal Palace Park, what’s on)
  • Trains: Beckenham Junction, Kent House and Penge East are closed. The lines between Brixton and Shortlands via Herne Hill shut on Sunday, with buses serving the three stations. Lewisham is closed on both Saturday and Sunday, so Hayes line and Grove Park line trains run through without stopping there. All lines through Tonbridge are also closed on Sunday. Our roadworks and travel page has the replacement bus detail, sourced from Southeastern’s engineering work list.

Planning your weekend

If a Sunday plan involves a train from Beckenham Junction, Kent House or Penge East, allow for the bus. Our train times page has the normal service to compare against. Driving into Bromley town centre, the parking page lists the car parks; Saturday is the busiest market day.

More ideas beyond this weekend are on our things to do in Bromley page.

Sources