After the success of the 2017 Walk in the Park series to commemorate Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s 50th anniversary, the programme is returning again for 2018 with even more guided walks on offer.
The park runs through London, Hertfordshire and Essex and the first Walk in the Park of the New Year will take place at River Lee Country Park on Sunday 7 January, from 10.30 to 12.30. Walkers should meet at Pindar car park before exploring the sculptures dotted around the park and may even be fortunate enough to spot wintering birds such as Bittern or Shoveler ducks feeding on the open water.
The group walks will be led by the park’s rangers and team of volunteers. Open to all, regardless of age or fitness, families, groups of friends and solo visitors are welcome to join. Each walk is priced at £3.00 per person, with all funds raised from the year-long programme going towards the ongoing maintenance of the park’s green spaces.
Other Walk in the Park sessions scheduled for the New Year include:
Sunday 21 January, 10.30 – 12.30 – Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Get close up to some of the most world’s most iconic sporting venues such as Lee Valley VeloPark, London Stadium and the ArcelorMittal Orbit. Participants will also see the new pleasure gardens and wildlife at the wetlands. Meeting point: Lee Valley VeloPark car park.
Sunday 4 February, 10.30 – 12.30 – Waltham Abbey Gardens
Take in the historic scenery of the historic Waltham Abbey Gardens and Cornmill Meadows, once one of the largest Augustinian abbeys in the country. Meeting point: Waltham Abbey Gardens car park.
Sunday 18 February, 10.30 – 12.30 – Tottenham Marshes
Wildlife, history and community in a single walk: The marshes are the only ‘wild’ open space in the London Borough of Haringey. Learn about The East Hale allotments which are a remnant of the Second World War effort to get Britain growing. Meeting Point: Tottenham Marshes car park.
Sunday 4 March, 10.30 – 12.30 – Old Mill and Meadows
Having changed hands and usage many times, the Old Mill, which is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, oozes history. Even today, it has a fascinating story to tell which resonates with modern visitors. Meeting Point: Old Mill and Meadows car park.
Sunday 18 March, 10:30 – 12:30 – Gunpowder Park, Swan and Pike, and Enfield Island
Discover how this ex-MOD site was decontaminated, visit Swan and Pike pool – once a turning point for the power mill canal barges – and explore Enfield Island, a former royal small arms factory built near the end of the Napoleonic War. Meeting Point: Gunpowder Park car park.
Alex Farris, Green Spaces Manager at Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, said: “I am delighted we are running the Walk in the Park programme for another year. Gorgeous scenery, wonderful locations, fresh air and great company – I can’t think of a better way to spend a morning. Our rangers and volunteers look forward to the return of 2017’s walkers and I hope very much that we will see some new faces at our 2018 sessions as well.”
Find more information about the Walk in the Park 2018 programme at visitleevalley.org.uk/whatson.
