Urban walks

[Paul mabbott]

I do a lot of walking in cities, searching for wildlife and the like - often successfully! Can do lots in Sheffield and, of course, London. Any other recommendations?

Much as I enjoy urban walking, I've seldom tried it at night. Take your bat detector? Here's a nocturnal one for a good cause .... Wakefield Hospice | Events Pages | Midnight Walk

[Meta menardi]

I am too rural a beast to be happy in cities, but I am sure there is a lot to see.

The small town I live in has so many interesting plants in little niches, inverts. on walls and so on.

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

I am too rural a beast to be happy in cities, but I am sure there is a lot to see.

The small town I live in has so many interesting plants in little niches, inverts. on walls and so on.

In Glasgow you will see lots of Foxes as seen on Naturewatch

[seamusagleann]

it's the one thing i will miss now that my visits to edinburgh have been curtailed is the wildlife. used to see foxes walking between waverly station and the royal mile, swifts around hunters square....but now ,as my daughters moved to glasgow , i've got a whole new city to explore!!.

[ChrisJB]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

I am too rural a beast to be happy in cities, but I am sure there is a lot to see.

Me too. My nearest city is Manchester and I find it a loathsome place. As much as I love wildlife, even some great rare bird turning up in a city wouldn't attract me. I'd rather listen to the skylarks and curlews on my local hills than go and see the Manchester city centre peregrines or black redstarts.
But, each to their own own course!

Regards, Chris

[zan]

I *much* prefer living in the countryside, but since that's not possible at the moment, I've been quite pleasantly surprised by the amount you can find in cities. I'm in Glasgow at the moment, and aside from the foxes, rats and squirrels that you can find quite easily, there are also huge numebrs of birds and beasties out along the canal (including cormorants and kingfishers and lots of little things I don't know) and the River Kelvin. there are even a pair of bullfinches nesting in a scrubby bit of grass on my way to the subway, and we had a kestrel outside our flat earlier this year

You just have to look in the wilder bits of the cities I think if you want to find the cool stuff.

[Shearno]

The London loop are great walks, loads to see, I have walked three of them so far, on the South London side, and planning to do all of them.

You can down load .pdf guide leaflets of all the walks or order them for free, each guide points out what you might see such as great crested newts etc.

All in all it is 24 seperate walks which link together around outer London at a total distance of 150 miles, fantastic.

Walk London
London Loop | Transport for London

[Paul mabbott]

I've done the Lea Valley one (didn't realise it was that long!) and the green chain in SE London has much to recommend it. The great thing about the London walks is that you eventually cross a 'bus, tube or train route so getting on to the walk and back is usually quite straightforward.

I see someone on another thread is advertising a walk in Cardiff, a city I don't know: Nature walk, Cardiff, 25 June, 6-8pm

Originally Posted by Shearno

The London loop are great walks, loads to see, I have walked three of them so far, on the South London side, and planning to do all of them.

You can down load .pdf guide leaflets of all the walks or order them for free, each guide points out what you might see such as great crested newts etc.

All in all it is 24 seperate walks which link together around outer London at a total distance of 150 miles, fantastic.

Walk London
London Loop | Transport for London

[Stewy]

I'd wan't to be wearing a stab proof vest if I was out walking at night in most of our major cities, sad but true.

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by seamusagleann

it's the one thing i will miss now that my visits to edinburgh have been curtailed is the wildlife. used to see foxes walking between waverly station and the royal mile, swifts around hunters square....but now ,as my daughters moved to glasgow , i've got a whole new city to explore!!.

In my very limited experience, Glasgow has got some nice big green areas - whereas everything seems to be kept rather well trimmed in Auld Reekie. Keep us up to form on Glasgae - I'm very tempted to return some day! (When I've saved up enough money for the train journey)