We arrived back from 3 weeks in Mexico just as lockdown went into operation. Three weeks of walking  and sightseeing. Climbing mexican pyramids, looking at art, eating   and garden visits. Then back to a walk once a day, and those 20,000 daily steps soon dropped. Massively.

But we found our groove pretty early on as we pushed ourselves to go on a daily walk. Trust me. Some days it was a push. Even if it meant just a walk around the block admiring other peoples gardens. Not that I’m nosey. Not much ~ that’s why I love NGS open gardens. But after living in the area for over 30 years the walks introduced me to places I had only skirted around before.

Yes I had been to Peckkam Rye but did I know before lockdown that there was a lovely garden in the centre? Did I kow that Brockwell Park in Brixton had a magnificient walled garden? Had I heard of Russia Docks, that the walk at One Tree hill was lovely.? No.No.No.No.No.

Well I do now

Take Peckham Rye park. A good walk through the back streets to get there for us. Across the common where people are working out, where mothers are walking with their children, joggers and cyclists  Across to the centre and to the garden  A garden with a lovely wisteria walk. A Japanese garden. The Sexby garden. A lake – who knew? Everyone I suspect excepy me.

 

 

Brockwell park

I drive past the park often on our way to friends or on our way to Somerset  I lived close to, the park in 1982 and have been in a few times since. To the Lambeth Show, to Pride celebrations. But why hadn’t I ventured further into the park and found the walled gardem. In lockdown we have all been looking for that extra something. In my case it was often four and yeast but also stretched to new gardens and parks to be able to wander and get that fresh air.

 

Beckenham place park

This is one that simply wasn’t on my radar. Not a clue until a friend mentioned she had been there in an instagram post so I looked it up, About 7 miles from us it was once a golf course and now a new municipal park. Helped with a £6M lottery grant the 96 hectare site has been remodeeled into a recreational and natural park  boasting a 45m wide wild swimming lake and you can still see the bunkers. Not in the lake obviously.

The grounds include a georgian mansion built around 1773 and which is currently being run to hold arts events, yoga classes with a bar in the basemet but all on hold at present because of COVID 19.

Add a pretty garden and outbuildings housing a cafe and you have a fabulous walking place and with 96 hectares you don’t feel that it is busy.

Russia Dock Woodland

Another one off our radar. Russia docks was a working dock in Surrey Quays and was used to import soft wood from Sweden and Russia. The docks were closed in the 1970;s  and were planted as a woodland of 34 acres in 1980. It is a lovely woodland park which also includes the Stave Hill Ecological Park.

There are areas of wildflowers and a lake along with the lovely woodland walks.

 

Horniman Museum Gardens

Another one we had driven past as we winded our way through East Dulwich and beyond. We have walked through the gardens a nuber of times in lockdown and they like most gardens change on a daily basis. With 16 acres and a stunning view over London the gardens were some of the most colourful during lockdown and are educational as well as visibly gorgeous.

 

 

 There have been others. One Tree Hill. Burgess Park and Greenwich Park. A walk over Tower Bridge and through St Katherines Dock. A walk along the Thames to view the floating gardens as the Downings Road Moorings or Garden Barge Square, the gardens  can be viewed from the shore at  anytime but for a close-up view, you’ll need to visit on a NGS open day.

 As gardens have opened we have been to RHS Hyde Hall. To Nymans National Trust. Lockdown has had some benefits. We have found and re found local parks and gardens. Hats off to Southwark Lambeth and Lewisham councils.

Bottoms up.

 

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