Hello and welcome! 🙂
Join us for a nature walk to explore the wildlife and wild spaces of Walthamstow Wetlands, one of London’s most exciting urban nature reserves.
Key Points
- Nature walk through Walthamstow Wetlands Centre, a haven for wildlife in the city
- Learning about wildlife and actively engaging with nature during walks increases mindfulness
- Meet new people
- Get some exercise
Agenda
- Meet at 10am in the Walthamstow Wetlands car park (2 Forest Road, N17 9NH)
- Walk begins at 10:10am
- Wrap up around 12:00pm, with an optional chance to go for a coffee in the café afterwards
About the organiser – Dr Matt Milton
I’m a doctor in A&E and a lifelong nature lover. I grew up in rural Devon and spent thousands of hours immersed in nature, putting up bird boxes and reading about wildlife. Now it's always exciting to introduce this hobby to other people!
About the walk
Walthamstow Wetlands is one of Europe’s largest urban wetland nature reserves. It’s a mosaic of reservoirs, reedbeds, grassland, and patches of woodland – home to an impressive range of birds, mammals and insects.
Spring is a fantastic time to visit. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open for herons, warblers, swifts, and nesting great crested grebes.
As a group, we’ll go for a gentle stroll, spending time observing the birds and learning about their lives. Spring is an exciting time to see the birds pairing up, building their nests and raising their young. There’ll be opportunities to use binoculars and a telescope to see the birds up close. We’ll also take plenty of time to sit, listen and appreciate common bird calls and songs. Hopefully you’ll soon learn to identify them yourself.
The more knowledge you gain of the wildlife you come across, the more you’ll be able to appreciate the natural world around you on your walks. Being more actively engaged with nature will help you to focus on the present moment and your surroundings, be more mindful and pay less attention to everyday thoughts and worries. This can all help you gain more mental health benefits than walks ever have before.
It’s only relatively recently that I realised I was practising mindfulness all these years and that connecting with nature is essential for my wellbeing and productivity. My aim is to introduce lots more people to the benefits of getting out into the nature around us, even in cities.
See you soon!
Matt Milton
