We went here almost, perhaps entirely, by accident. One of those days when you drive around a little aimlessly, so unsure where you're going that you end up having to pay the toll on College Road Dulwich.
On Crescent Wood Road, we saw several cars parked, and various people heading to an open gate outside which was a sign for the Green Chain. Seemed silly not to explore!
Immediately we descended a long staircase which brought us into the woods and almost immediately onto the path of an old railway line. This was the Crystal Palace and South London Junction Railway which opened in 1865. The last service was in 1954 and the track was lifted in 1956. Along with neighbouring Dulwich Wood, this is the largest part of the ancient Great North Wood. It is managed by the London Wildlife Trust. The disused tunnel is now a roost for bats.
We visited in mid-April last year. The previous months had been exceptionally wet. A key feature of many of our Spring walks - and ensuing blogposts - was the considerable amount of mud and standing water. Not so much standing water here, but certainly lots of mud. I was glad I was wearing my walking boots; they needed a good scrub down later. I would guess it will be equally - if not more - muddy for the foreseeable future
I'm not sure how far we walked because although I set 'My Tracks' app on my phone, I forgot to turn it off when we got back in the car, so the stats told me we covered 8 miles. Google suggests that it's 4 miles from home, but because of traffic congestion we didn't drive the most direct route. So the walk wasn't notable for its length although really quite strenuous. We completely lost our bearings and wandered around aimlessly and in circles. It turned out we had crossed to the far side of Dulwich Wood, and ended up having to ask directions from a dog walker. Dogs are not allowed in Sydenham Hill Wood during Spring, so I should have sussed out we were in a different wood!
We have been meaning to go back several times but haven't yet. It was a strange and eerie place to visit, like a sunken wood in a secret valley. It is clearly teeming with wildlife, all sorts of trees and woodland plants, and nesting boxes. According to Wikipedia:
it is home to over 200 species of trees and flowering plants. A multitude of fungi, rare insects, birds and elusive woodland mammals including the Wood mouse] are also present.
I increasingly find it frustrating that not only do I rarely know one species of tree or bird from another but I also rarely even see birds that are supposed to be in places. I now have apps on my phone to identify birds and trees, but, as with flowers, you need a broad idea of what they might be, or resemble, in order to narrow them down. Besides, when out walking, who wants to spend the entire time consulting phone apps. Surely the point is exercise and fresh air - the 'walk' bit - and an open almost passive awareness of the surroundings, seeing it and absorbing it, rather than actively pursuing sights of specific objects!
A couple of weeks after we visited the BBC published this narrated Slide Show, just over four minutes
Sydenham Hill Woods from Transpontine blog
Sydenham Hill Wood and Folly from thelondonphile blog
Thames Tributary Effra -Sydenham Hill from Edith's Streets
The mysteries of the night wood remain from Daniel Greenwood
