Stave Hill Ecological Park - TCV — Attraction in London

Lovely to catch up with my dear son Matthew. Our plan was to cover the full Bermondsey to Brockley Nature Trail (6 miles) we met at the start but only got as far as the Stave Hill Ecology Park. This place on maps looks tiny. Wrong! Once inside there are so many areas to explore. As a nature reserve in London for Well Being benefits this is off the scale. Often I was pinching myself that this beautiful place was just minutes away from Canada Water. It felt like I was in the heart of the countryside. This is a Gold Star for re-wilding. Big thank you to Rob from The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) for the GIFT of small trees which included wild pear. This selection will soon be planted at The Bernie Spain Gardens in Waterloo and The Forest Hill Library...

A really innovative and intricately thought out example of modern park design. Here there is no dull lifeless flat grass so beloved of London councils. You find nature in abundance all over this place. I had to make a quick exit with my torch to avoid any accidental squelching the last time I visited , so full were the paths with not only snails and slugs but masses of toads/frogs (I can't be sure). It was great to be chased out by the wildlife! Congratulations to those who created a modern park that is actually pro - nature, full of diverse habitats. Too many park planners in London seek to fence off, cut down or pave over any wild areas because they see a plain grass park as easy to manage and control. So...

Don't call it park, but "reserve" :) A bit of wilderness in Central London. Thanks to an attentive management the woodland area is kept at its natural state. Flora and fauna thrive in this environment - in a quick stroll you should see squirrels, ducks, herons during the day and foxes, hedgehogs and bats at night. From the top of Stave Hill you have an amazing view of Canary Wharf on one side and the City on the other, while in a clear day you can see clearly the London Eye and the Orbit in Stratford. The only hope is that we manage to protect such a beauty from the aggressive house scheme which Southwark Council is putting in place...