Secret London Sanctuary The Greenwich Ecology Park

Secret London Sanctuary, otherwise known as the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park…what a fantastic and relaxing place this park is. I had a ball wandering around this four and a half acre urban wildlife park, enjoying the tranquillity and ambiance of this man  made natural wonderland.

The Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park was created on the site of an old steelworks in 2000 and over the years the English Partnerships have created an amazing and beautiful place. I found it  a truly relaxing experience wandering around what seemed like a hidden London gem. I couldn’t believe that there were only a handful of people there. I arrived at the park  around 1pm in the afternoon, but it is the school holidays so I would have expected to see more people there. I wasn’t complaining though, the less people the better!

The Ecology park may be a man made site, but the interesting thing is that none of the animal species have been introduced, but have found there way their because of the habitat that has been created. When I was wandering around I watched a Coot eating some water plants…I thought that they ate the same food as ducks which is bread that is handed out by kindly people, that was my sense of humour kicking in!

At this wonderful secret London sanctuary you will find an outer and inner lake. When I first arrived I walked along the pathway that takes you through the outer lake and came out the other side thinking…WTF, is this all there is to the place. I went back to the start and opened my eyes and discovered you could enter the inner part of the park through the gatehouse! I would advice visitors to walk through the outer lake pathway and follow the signs back to the park entrance and then go into the inner part of the park. The raspberries and blackberries I discovered on the perimeter of the park were delicious, I only had one of each!

There is an abundance of wildlife flourishing at the the park all year round, including a variety of birds, newts, frogs, dragonflies, moths and  butterflies to name but a few, and there is also an huge variety of plants, trees, grasses and I just loved the little streams, along with the two lakes, which combine to create an amazing little haven of tranquillity.

And within the Secret London Sanctuary, there was a fantastic little seated area, where I sat and had my packed lunch, right next to the water. I truly felt like I was in the middle of the wilderness. I could have sat there for hours, it was a great place to chill out and relax. In fact the whole ecology park was.

The little child in me, came crashing out when I found the little area called ‘The Den’, where they have created a couple of reed tepees and a willow shelter, which you are encouraged to go inside. Don’t just look, go inside and experience it for yourself!

Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park is a great place to visit and not only experience nature close up and chill out, but you can also learn about what is going on in the park. This Secret London Sanctuary, is a place that I have walked past a few times in the past without going in, which was my loss. I cant wait to come back and visit this little gem of a place again. And the good news is that it is free…

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Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park
The Ecology Park Gatehouse
Thames Path
John Harrison Way
Greenwich Peninsular
London
SE10 0QZ
UK

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1. Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park – Wonderful London Oasis