Hounslow Heath

Where? Hanworth Road, Hounslow, TW4 5LJ

Wildlife to spot: common lizards and stonechats

Great for: heather, gorse and heathland wildlife

Did you know? Hounslow Heath is one of the most important sites within London for reptiles. One of only four known adder populations in London lives here.

Located to the west of Hounslow town centre and managed by Hounslow Council, the Heath is a large, open area of scrub and lowland heath – one of the rarest habitats in Britain. Shaped by people over the centuries, this habitat is historically significant. Evidence has been found of an Iron Age village, while a 1,000-year-old bronze boar was found by farm workers in the 1800s.

A Roman road, now the Staines Road, crosses the northern edge of the heath, and Oliver Cromwell famously used the heath as a military camp during the English Civil War in the 1600s. A series of markers take visitors through the history of the heath. The heath is home to a number of rare species, including Dartford warblers, adders, water voles and stag beetles. Dartford warblers are a rare breeding bird here and can be elusive, though you may see one perching atop a gorse bush to proclaim its territory in spring. Along the heath’s edge there are ancient oak trees, making this a good place to find fungi in autumn. A popular spot for walking, cycling, picnicking and wildlife watching, along the west edge of the adjacent golf course runs the River Crane.

There is the chance to observe grey herons and listen for the ‘plop’ of water voles diving into the water from their bankside burrows. Look out for neatly cropped ‘lawns’ where they feed. The London Loop crosses through the heath’s heart, allowing for walks to Richmond Park to the east or following the Crane north towards Cranford.

Find out more about Hounslow Heath

Centre for Wildlife Gardening 

Where? 28 Marsden Road, Peckham, SE15 4EE

Wildlife to spot: blackcaps, toads, newts, butterflies, hairy-footed flower bees  

Great for: a family day out or getting away from it all

Hidden away between Peckham and East Dulwich is an urban oasis. Our award-winning Centre for Wildlife Gardening is a favourite spot for local families, gardeners and wildlife watchers, and offers a perfect place to learn and relax in a welcoming outdoor environment. With all manner of ponds built across the garden, it is a haven for amphibians, and in spring an abundance of bees and other pollinators visit the many different flowers in the wildflower areas and raised beds. Foxes are easy to see here, as well as lots of birds including blackcaps, chiffchaffs, jays, sparrowhawks and once even a kingfisher. The garden is a great place to spend a restful couple of hours and learn more about the history of London Wildlife Trust. There are plenty of examples of wildlife gardening techniques and micro-habitats to inspire you to create your own wildlife garden.

Find out more about Centre for Wildlife Gardening

Biggin Wood 

Where? Upper Norwood between Norbury Hill and Biggin Road

Wildlife to spot: nuthatches, wood anemones, oaks

Great for: appreciating the amazing biodiversity of ancient woodland

Biggin Wood is a surviving fragment of the Great North Wood owned by Croydon Council, a site that is unknown to many people, despite being just a short walk from the well-visited Streatham Common. Chiffchaffs and blackcaps can be heard in the dense scrub in areas of recently coppiced oaks north of Covington Way. Where water collects in muddy pools, look out for nuthatches collecting mud to line their nest holes. The enigmatic woodpeckers of the Great North Wood can be heard throughout Biggin Wood, the laughing cry or ‘yaffle’ of a passing green woodpecker and the unusual timbre of the great spotted woodpecker knocking on wood. Biggin Wood has a fabulous display of bluebells in the spring, as well as several patches of the dainty wood anemone – an indicator that this is an ancient woodland (continuously wooded since 1600). 

Find out more about Biggin Wood

Still want more? London Wildlife Trust cares for and manages 36 free-to-access urban nature reserves all over London.

Find one to visit today.