Hello from London!

[sarahwt]

Just came across this forum while procrastinating Just moved to London from the countryside, and I'll be honest, not loving it! Any escapism ideas will be gladly received!! I'm looking forward to getting to know you all x Sarah x

[Deb London]

Hi Sarah,

Welcome to WAB

Oh dear, just moved here and you already want to leave.

There used to be a London Wildweb (Mayor of London) site where I found so many excellent and often hidden wildlife places, but sadly, these days, it says "We are in the process of reviewing and updating Wildweb.".

Anyway, if you are in North london I can be of some help, and WAB has members to the East, West and South too.

Whereabouts are you? Where did you arrive from? Do you have a car?

Deb

[sarahwt]

I don't have my car down here no, I'm in South London - near Clapham Common, so at least that's some escape, but I travel to North London for work every day... I know there's commons and parks and heaths all over the place, but they all seem pretty lifeless naturewise. I miss my garden (parent's garden!) at home, full of birds and little animals, and the odd deer!

[sarahwt]

Ooh, forgot to answer - I came from a tiny little village just south of Guildford!

[artdemole]

Welcome to WAB the place to learn about the wildlife ....There will be many who will say that the Commons-Parks- Heaths are far from lifeless .....

[sarahwt]

I'm probably being a bit quick to judge, just feeling a little homesick in this big city! It's a bit of a culture shock I think, I'm not used to it at the moment! Any advice will be very gratefully received

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by sarahwt

I don't have my car down here no, I'm in South London - near Clapham Common, so at least that's some escape, but I travel to North London for work every day... I know there's commons and parks and heaths all over the place, but they all seem pretty lifeless naturewise. I miss my garden (parent's garden!) at home, full of birds and little animals, and the odd deer!

There's plenty of major natural areas within easy travelling distance of central London but also lots of little nooks within the highly built-up areas. There are plenty of people here to give you advice but a lot on the internet - most of the borough councils have pages on nature and, of course, you should look into the LNHS (London Natural History Society) which arranges site meetings and trips with knowledgable and friendly members. Have fun!

[Bobbobthebob]

If you’re in the Clapham area, then I'd hop on the train to Richmond Park and check it out. Also worth exploring Wimbledon Common and Bushy Park nearby.

Within easy reach there’s Oxshott and Esher heaths, Banstead Woods, the Wetland Trust Centre at Barnes, Addington Hills and Hutchinson's Bank towards Croydon, plenty of bats to see at South Norwood country park. The list goes on and I was being fairly patchy.

A bit further away there’s the Rainham RSPB Reserve, the Lee Valley to the north, the North Downs to the south and stretches of the upper Thames and the Chilterns to the west.

Edit: And join the LNHS! London more than makes up for it's mainly urban areas with the sheer numbers of knowledgeable people on your doorstep to learn from.

[sunnydale]

Hi Sarah and welcome

Hope you enjoy your time here,

Tracey

[gregA]

Hi sarah welcome to WAB
gregA