Thanks to a second lockdown we have been back to exploring our local area again. Thankfully we are on the outskirts of London so are spoilt for places to explore which are suitable for our Bichon Frise puppy and two children. A few weeks ago we explored Northmoor Hill Local Nature Reserve in Denham. This is another of those places which is really close and we were happy to have discovered it.

Northmoor Hill Local Nature Reserve

Northmoor Hill Local Nature Reserve is part of the Colne Valley Regional Park and we’ve explored small pockets of it this year. There’s a small free car park and you can follow a circular trail through the ancient woods. The kids loved walking the boardwalk over the wet alder woodland.

The scenery seemed to change every few minutes. Some parts were steep, especially going down to the swallow hole.

The children loved running up and down through the old quarry.

We didn’t complete the whole walk which was just over 5 miles. We cut off a big chunk as we wanted to end up at Denham Aerodrome. We heard there was a great little cafe and wanted to watch the small planes land and take off. The weather was gorgeous so we were able to sit outside The Crew Room Cafe with a drink to warm us up.

During the First world War the Royal Flying Corps was based in nearby Higher Denham, where airmen were taught to rig aircraft and pack parachutes. Various biplanes flew from the present site of Denham Aerodrome, but after the war the land was returned to farming.

Denham Aerodrome continued to be used from the 1920s and is a busy site today. Some of the buildings look pretty ancient and the children loved seeing the large hangars and some of the planes being washed.

Apparently the aircraft ejector seat was invented nearby and is still produced there and tested at the Aerodrome today!

We enjoyed discovering more about Northmoor Hill Local Nature Reserve and Denham. It’s a great little walk with lots of sign posts and information boards along the way.

The Crew Room Cafe can be found at Hangar Road, Denham Aerodrome. Check out their opening times on their Facebook page.