Beautiful Autumnal Spaces

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird, I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

George Eliot

There was no blog last week as I managed to escape the COVID Groundhog Day drudgery and went to Turkey for a week of utter, utter peace and bliss, the weather was gorgeous, it didn’t drop below 28 degrees during the day and the evenings were still balmy enough to sit outside a bar or restaurant sipping wine until the cows came home.

However – Now I’m back but not disheartened wishing I was back in Turkey, quite the opposite, I’ve come back invigorated with a desire to make the most of our beautiful outdoor spaces! I’ve said it before however, at a time like this it’s really important to be grateful for the little things in life, I personally feel very grateful about living in London. London, my adopted home, is beautiful at this time of the year, especially the colours generated by the onset of autumn in the parks.

We’re lucky in London, we’re actually spoiled for choice when it comes to our green spaces, from the huge parks like Greenwich on my doorstep to the small little dots of green like Dickens Fields where people sit and enjoy the tranquillity as they munch their Pert a Manger sandwiches on their lunch break. However, I have to say, some of our green spaces really come into their own at this time of year. Here are a few of my favourites;

Epping Forest

Out on the North East of London is technically the largest green space in London. Epping Forest is home to more than 50,000 ancient trees, it’s those trees with their beautiful tallow, brown and golden tones that make it a wonderous place at this time of year! There are also 100 lakes and ponds dotted throughout and if you catch them at the right time of morning, with the mist rising it can’t fail to make you feel glad to be alive! I used to love foraging for mushrooms in the forest however, I learned a few weeks ago that stripping this ancient woodland of its fungi is actually quite detrimental the whole Eco structure, so, don’t be tempted!

St Dunstan-in-the-East Church Garden

On a much smaller scale the garden at St Dunstan-in-the-East Church is a little gem! Normally a popular spot for City workers on their lunch break, now is the perfect moment to visit the Grade-I listed St Dunstan in the East, where the ruins of an 11th-century church are surrounded by lush autumnal gardens.

Abney Park Cemetery

London has lots of old cemeteries that are fascinating to walk around. One of the Victorian cemeteries known as London’s Magnificent Seven, wandering through Abney Park feels a bit like stumbling into a Gothic novel, but in a genuinely pleasant way.

Walthamstow Marshes

With a dozen miles of footpaths, this man-made wetland is one of the top places for urban birdwatching in London, whilst a little quitter on the bird front right now, you might still be lucky enough to spot the kingfishers living among its reed-lined ponds.

Ham House & Gardens

Set along the banks of the Thames, the grounds of Ham House were restored to their original 17th-century style in the ’70s. They do lovely tea and scones at the pretty Orangery café, which uses produce from the kitchen gardens.

Syon Park

One of London’s tributes to the affluence of the Victorian age, Syon Park, the London home of the Duke of Northumberland, served as the backdrop for Julian Fellowes’s Gosford Park in 2001. Make sure to look into the Great Conservatory, which was restored to its former glory in the late ’80s after years of neglect.

Culpeper Community Garden

A good friend of mine lives just around the corner of this trendy little community garden and we’ve been a “participated” a few times! So, if you’re actually looking to do a little gardening rather than just enjoying your surroundings, Culpeper is the ideal place to volunteer – and feels like a true secret garden in the middle of Islington.

If you don’t live in London, and most of you don’t, have a look in your own towns and cities, London doesn’t have the monopoly on urban green spaces so, put a little normality back in your life and get outside, if you need more motivation, it’s a fact, the more we live our lives in the great outdoors, the less likely we will be to come down with COVID!

What’s on this week?