nature

Eastbridge to Minsmere Nature Reserve, Suffolk

Posted on by Rhi Bowen

Hi again! Over the bank holiday I went back to my home county of Suffolk to get some fresh air and enjoy the sun. While I was back, my parents took me on one of their favourite walks on the Suffolk coast (and now it’s one of my favourites too, not least because it starts with a great pub, the Eel’s Foot, in the village of Eastbridge 🙂 ). Coming out of the Eel’s Foot, you walk left, up the road out of the village, until you see a track on the left with a “public footpath” sign. Keep following this track for some perfect examples of Suffolk’s vast, wide-open scenery.

   

Eventually the track leads out to the sea, but before this you get to appreciate the feeling of immense space around here- Suffolk is very flat but doesn’t feel bleak to me, because everything’s so lush and green!

  

Further up the track there’s also the opportunity to take a little detour to see the ruins of St Mary’s Chapel, which also acted at one time as a disguise for the WWII pill box concealed inside. In the same field as the Chapel’s ruins, there are also Highland cattle, and, at the time we visited, Konik ponies! This ancient Polish breed has been released into the area around Minsmere as their grazing habits help maintain the wetland environment. They have a pretty large area to roam around, so they can be pretty difficult to spot.

  

In the distance behind the ruins, you can see the sand dunes that mark the beginning of the beach. A little further down the coast is the village of Dunwich, formerly a large port in the 1500s- now just a small collection of houses, a pub and part of a graveyard which is in the process of falling over the edge of the gradually eroding cliffs. Bones from the graveyard, as well as furniture from houses that have toppled over the edge over the years, have been found washed up on the beach. Erosion happens at an alarmingly fast rate along the coastline here- the area around Dunwich is now falling into the sea at a rate of 1m per year.

  

Once you’ve reached the beach, you can go back on yourself and go through the gate next to the one the track led up to- this takes you into the Minsmere Nature Reserve, home to hundreds of species of flora and fauna, and one of the best wetland nature reserves in the country. There are bird hides and easily accessible footpaths all around the reserve’s 2500 acres. You can follow these footpaths through the reserve to make this walk a circular. Owned and maintained by the RSPB, it’s great for birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts as well as just keen walkers. I’ll be back to talk more about Minsmere, and other great days out in Suffolk, in more detail at some point over the summer!

Rhi xx

 

South Norwood Country Park

Posted on by Rhi Bowen

Hi again!

In the beautiful weather yesterday, I took the train down to South Norwood to visit the Country Park there, and now I have another new contender for my favourite place… made up of wetlands, meadows and a large lake full of birds such as coots and canada geese (at this time of year anyway), it’s quite different from a lot of the heavily wooded green spaces I’ve visited previously in the series. The park feels very open, and very distant from the city, despite only being a couple of miles out.

   

There’s so many different types of flora and fauna here- it’s also uncommon for a London green space in that the damp conditions created by the lake create a perfect breeding ground for different species of birds. We spent ages birdwatching (and trying to make friends with coot chicks from a distance)!

  

There are lots of wide, even paths throughout the park which make it perfect for cycling, as well as smaller narrower routes great for rambling and meadows for picnics and just generally chilling out. We stopped for a picnic and saw loads of beautiful red and black Cinnabar moths- just one of the 19 species of butterfly and moth that have been recorded in the park (unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to get a photo, though).

Around the lake there are a couple of viewing platforms where you can watch the birds and appreciate one of the largest bodies of water in South London.

   

The park is pretty much surrounded by train stations; the closest being Elmers End, from which you can get to Charing Cross or Cannon Street. A fifteen minute walk away is also Norwood Junction, which is an Overground station, so easy access back up to North East London if you need it!

The variety of habitats and flora makes this a gorgeous park for a day trip that doesn’t take much preparation- a gorgeous nature reserve right on London’s doorstep.

   

Rhi xx

Beckenham Place Park

Posted on by Rhi Bowen

Hi again! Yesterday I took a trip to the gorgeous Beckenham Place Park in South Lewisham; the grounds of Beckenham Place mansion, which nowadays is open to the public as an arts facility, as well as housing a cafe, and even a record shop if you fancy a browse! It’s the largest green space in Lewisham, and also makes up a part of the Green Chain Walk which continues throughout the whole of South London.

The park is a lush mixture of specifically planted trees and shrubs, left over from its days as private land, and wilder vegetation as well as ancient woodland. The rolling hills of the park create a lovely vista, as well as a feeling of really having escaped the city for the day.

There are footpaths you can follow through the park, but it’s easy to ramble off the beaten track as well; there are few hard-to-access areas, and most of the land is very open rather than being entirely dense woodland. This is definitely one of my favourite places for a day of chilling in the sun, having a picnic or just a relaxing stroll (the amazing weather definitely helped on this occasion as well)!

As well as the wilder and more open areas, there are also more structured parts of the land which form a garden area, with benches nearby perfect for picnicking, and even tennis courts.

Despite the beautiful weather, the park was pretty quiet when I visited; it seems to be a pretty well-kept secret even from most locals! As much as I love Greenwich Park, it can get a little crowded, especially in the summer! I think this might be my new favourite for a sunny ramble.

Rhi xx

 

Joydens Wood, Bexley

Posted on by Rhi Bowen

Hi again!

 

Last week on the one day that really did feel like the beginning of spring (13 whole degrees!!), I went to Bexley to explore Joydens Wood, a piece of ancient woodland which has a long history stretching back to Roman times. Cared for by the Woodland Trust, there are multiple trails you can follow through the area. This is a lovely ramble; a couple of times I stopped just to listen to the sound of- well, pretty much nothing, other than the birds! The roar of London is only there in a very distant sense.

There are a few entrances to the Wood; the one I used took me down Stable Lane, just outside the village of Bexley. After you pass the stables, there is a gate on the left leading up into the woodland.

There are still traces of ancient human activity in the forest; including Faesten Dic, a boundary made up of a ditch and a raised bank, which runs through the woodland for about a kilometre. You can follow this as one of the trails, which are all really well sign-posted.

You could probably spend most of a day exploring the woodland- not only are there numerous trails to follow, there are also remnants of ancient settlements, such as The King’s Hollow, part of an old dwelling; also a well which would have been the area’s original drinking water source.

It’s very evident from the size of a lot of the trees just how old this woodland is; my favourite was the “Old Oak” towards the Summerhouse Drive entrance to the woods.

Another thing I noticed was how much wildlife there was about; the birdsong was so loud there, and there were squirrels absolutely everywhere!

Joydens Wood also forms part of a longer walk around the Bexley area which is fully outlined in the “London’s Parks & Countryside Pathfinder Guide“. This walk also involves a lovely stretch of the River Cray, which I’ll have to test out very soon!

Rhi xx

P.S. One thing I did find was that most of the trail I took was seriously muddy, so best to wear walking boots or an old pair of trainers you can stick in the wash afterwards!

 

Hawkwood Estate, Chislehurst

Posted on by Rhi Bowen

Hey!

It’s been a long time, but I’ve finally gotten around to writing this post- a while ago, I went to visit the Hawkwood Estate in Chislehurst, having scanned Google Maps as per usual for big green spaces in Southeast London I somehow haven’t gotten round to exploring yet!

    

Chislehurst itself doesn’t feel like London- the moment you step off the train you seem to be breathing Kent’s air instead. Climb the hill to the left out of the station, and head across the cricket ground towards the village- it’s even got a pub called the Rambler’s Rest.

The part I was specifically heading for was up the road a way from the train station, past the also-lovely Chislehurst Common, which I’m fully intending on giving its own post at some point soon.

My favourite part of this walk is actually the beginning, as the buildings gradually peter out along Hawkwood Lane; once you’re past the two schools along this road, you reach what appears to be a cul-de-sac; but leading off to the left is a dirt track called Botany Bay Lane. Take this track and suddenly- BAM!- you’re completely and totally in the countryside.

        

The tree-lined track keeps pretty much straight on; there are a few other footpaths leading off it, which, again, I need to explore soon. There are some amazing views (and friendly sheep) along the track, and it’s generally pretty quiet save for a few dog-walkers (one of them even said hi, which I feel is pretty conclusive evidence that this wasn’t London!). Essentially you could ramble around the whole area for hours feeling like you’ve totally escaped from the city.

       

Hawkwood Lane then runs alongside the train tracks for a little while; after this point you can either cross the bridge into more woodland, or curl back around onto a boardwalk and find yourself in the Petts Wood conservation area; more recently I visited this in the snow with a Klean Kanteen full of coffee!

                    

Side note: there’s a bunch of pubs in the picture-postcard centre of the village; so if you happen to find yourself here in the cold weather that’s supposed to be making a comeback this weekend, there’s plenty of places to warm up!

Rhi xx

 

A Brief Interlude: Dunwich Forest (Suffolk)

Posted on by Rhi Bowen

Hey again!

As I’ve been at my parents’ house in north Suffolk this week, I thought I’d go off-course and take advantage of some of the beautiful countryside I grew up around, and talk a bit about the history of it. One of my favourite places ever is Dunwich Forest (and Dunwich itself, due to the slightly spooky story behind the place). Me and mum went for a lovely walk through it.

Dunwich used to be (a very very long time ago) one of the biggest port cities in the UK- until it started slipping into the sea. As early as the 11th century, the city started to fall into the sea. By the 17th century it was a quarter of its original size. In the early 1900s, All Saints church went over the cliff, and today the final gravestone from the churchyard is at the edge.

Various objects and relics have washed up on Dunwich’s shore (among them have been a piano, a wardrobe and human skulls from the old graveyard).

The village still has the ruins of Greyfriars Abbey; although they’re getting perilously close to the edge now too.

As I say, my favourite part is the forest. It’s mainly coniferous woodland, and is currently undergoing “rewilding”; trying to re-establish elements of the environment that have declined. This has previously involved bringing konik and exmoor ponies in to keep the undergrowth under control (sadly we didn’t see any this time so no pictures…).

The part of the forest me & mum walked through was also full of dens… (the one below was probably the most impressive!)

I’ve always found Dunwich Forest to be super atmospheric and a bit spooky… at some point I very much want to come and get lost in the forest with a notebook and just write all day!

Later this week I’ll be back exploring Southeast London’s wild areas (although there’ll definitely be more Suffolk stuff to come in future… watch this space! :3 )

Rhi x

Robin’s Rambles: Gillespie Park

Posted on by Robin Hill

It’s easy to feel trapped in the city when you live in London, especially for those of us who in past lives spent the majority of their time outdoors. Finding escape can be tricky. In response I am going to share some spots around my home in North London where I regularly retreat from life in the smoke. As soon as the rains stop and clouds part it’s time to get outdoors and luckily with 33% of London being vegetated green space there’s loads of little pockets of weird and wonderful nature to head to. First up Gillespie Park.

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Wedged on a strip of land between Finsbury Park Station and the old Arsenal Stadium at Highbury is Gillespie Park Nature Reserve and Ecology Centre. Having a peaceful oasis 20 metres from one of Zone 2’s busiest transport intersections is an under appreciated blessing. Especially an oasis that seemingly condenses a broad array of British wilderness environments into a tiny space, which up until its re-appropriation in 1980 was warehouses and coal yards left abandoned since the 1960s.

Gillespie Park’s entrance on Seven Sisters Road makes understated sound extravagant. For the first two years of living in the area and regularly passing the steps up to the park I dismissed them entirely. Then one day, looking for a shortcut, I ventured up and in and found the wonderful wild escape inside. This lesson seems to be the key to discovering London’s little gems of green space; ignore innocuous inconspicuous entrances and go in regardless, you’ll often be lead to the more interesting and underused of urban wilderness retreats.

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With a whole world of meadows, copses, ponds and gardens inside Gillespie Park represents a real microcosm of the British Countryside, in the bizarre way that only a city centre nature reserve can. There’s an alarming array of life in the small repurposed space, tallying 244 species of plant, 94 birds and even 24 species of butterfly.

At most times of year the park seems grossly underused, most visitors just taking advantage of the shortcut from Highbury to the station at Finsbury Park or using the meadows as a convenient spot for dogs to relieve themselves. So even on the crispest and brightest of winter days it’s very easy to find peace and solitude waiting here.

My two favourite spots are Astor Meadow and Highbury Copse. The former sits at the top of the park and has a couple of well placed benches. The best of these is positioned perfectly so you can feel the subterranean rumble of trains as they tear along the Piccadilly and Victoria Lines on their way to Highbury & Islington or Kings Cross. Combined with the perpetual chirp of the local bird population and the fluttering shadow cast by Islington Council’s lone wind turbine, the sensation of the Tube trains below creates a very particular and surreal sensorial experience. Occasionally one of British Rail’s finest hurtles down the rail tracks running alongside the meadow, just to remind you that you are in one of the most populous urban areas in Europe, which staring into a glorious mess trees, bramble and wildflowers you might be liable to forget.

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For a more ensconced uninterrupted escape from the hubbub of the capital Highbury Copse and Ambler Wood are the real deal, small tracts of dense woodland. Inside Highbury Copse you are completely cocooned against the usually inescapable throb of traffic on Seven Sisters Road. The sensation of being isolated by nature and the outdoors is prevalent here despite being slap bang in the middle of North London.

If I ever lack the time, energy or money to head out of the city in search of respite then I come and wander about and sit in Gillespie Park. The great outdoors are a magnificent thing but so can be their miniaturised equivalents offered by London’s multitude of green spaces.