We are so lucky to have Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve and Ruislip Lido near where we live. The Lido gets pretty busy on a sunny weekend so we avoid going but it’s surrounded by ancient woodland which is the perfect place to escape to for a cool walk. We last visited a few weeks ago and were so happy to see the bluebells blooming.
We headed for a walk around Park Wood. It had been raining a lot but thankfully there were lots of raised paths so we didn’t get too muddy. My children love the woods and it was really lovely to see everything springing to life after such a long, cold winter.
Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve is the largest block of ancient, semi-natural woodland in Greater London and include one of the most extensive oak/hornbeam coppice woods in southeast England. The site also includes acid and neutral grassland, ponds, streams and marshland. It’s made up of four extensive woodlands, Park Wood, Copse Wood, Mad Bess Wood and Bayhurst Woods.
There was lots of things to keep the children busy along our walk. There were some dens to explore.
And lots of bluebells to enjoy.
It’s a great place to take bikes too, with lots of paths going through the woods down to Ruislip Lido. We love the cafe at the edge of the Lido so stopped off for an ice-cream and a play on the new pirate adventure ship. It was really busy so we didn’t stay too long.
I can’t wait to go back again soon and see more bluebells!
I love bluebells. Possibly the prettiest of all the flowers, especially when they appear in clusters of thousands. Here in North Wales when they bloom, it’s like the whole of the country turns purple. Such beauty we have in this world. It’s lovely to read about your adventures!