Eleven hectares of life in the heart of London
Leaving the station Manor House (the nearest metro stop), the image that one contemplates It's typical of a London street : a bus stop with people getting on and off the popular red double-decker buses, a kebab stall, and a bookmaker advertising the results of the latest Premier League game in its shop window. Nothing makes us think that a few meters away is the nature reserve ** Woodberry Wetlands **, a small oasis of tranquility that silences the noises of the city with the chirping of the birds and the sound of the wind that rocks the reeds that grow on the edge of its wetland.
This oasis silences the noises of the city
It is a new green space in the city (free admission) that opens for the first time after almost 200 years closed to the public . Its origins go back to 1833 , when it was decided to build a water dam to supply the population due to the pollution problems of the River Thames. Today it continues to function as a water reservoir for the city, but the richness of its flora and fauna have earned it the name ‘Metropolitan Place of Interest for the Conservation of Nature’ .
One of the main reasons why its doors are open to the public is to bring this place closer to its visitors so that they appreciate the importance it has conserve these ecosystems . And it is done through courses, workshops and classes with which one can learn a lot about the flora and fauna of the Woodberry Wetlands, at prices ranging from 12 euros to 35 depending on the activity.
The city, so distant... just a step away
For this spring and summer there are organized bird watching workshops in which they will teach you to listen and differentiate the different birds that live in the reserve; survival courses focused on learning to make a fire and set up your own shelter and plant collection workshops that grow in the reserve, more than 70 species between forest fruits and mushrooms, and that will become your meal that day.
Art and creativity are also enhanced at Woodberry Wetlands with photography and painting courses that seek to portray its flora and fauna.
Foxes, inhabitants of Woodberry Wetlands
If yours is to combine sport and nature , sign up for yoga and tai chi classes that take place just at sunset, and that add even more magic to this practice. There is also yoga and fitness for those who have just become mothers with exercises designed exclusively to recover after going through a pregnancy. All outdoors.
Imagine practicing tai-chi or yoga here
Once you enter the Woodberry Wetlands, the only thing that will remind you that you have not left London is the line of skyscrapers and Victorian houses that surround this nature reserve, an urban oasis a stone's throw from the financial and tourist heart of the British capital.
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A panorama with the London skyline in the background