If you’re looking for a wet adventure this weekend without travelling too far, this location has everything from scenic walking trails to lakes – and it’s free to visit
Finding fun activities for the entire family to enjoy can be quite difficult, but dreamy locations do exist near to London. Sometimes staying local isn’t the worst thing as the city has plenty of fun things to do which most people might not have heard of.
Now as the days get colder and shorter, it can be hard landing on something local for the entire family to enjoy. Now one person revealed “one of London’s cutest hidden gems” – and it’s just 20 minutes away from central London on the Victoria Line. So have you ever visited this exciting location before?
In a post on TikTok, the travel blogger, known as @gsaaroundtheworld, wrote in a clip: “One of London’s cutest hidden gems, just 20 minutes from central London on the Victoria Line.”
The clip shows Walthamstow Wetlands, known as Europe’s largest wetland nature reserve. There you can enjoy walking trails, lakes, birdwatching, a lovely cafe and plenty of picnic spots – perfect if the weather is nice.
She added: “It’s the perfect escape when you want to feel miles away from London without actually leaving the city.”
Discover Europe’s largest urban wetland and wildlife haven
Walthamstow Wetlands is completely free to visit and there you can find a unique haven to explore. It contains a range of habitats and experiences, from sheltered dense scrub-lined banks to wide windswept views towards the city.
It remains the largest fishery in London and it’s part of the Walthamstow Reservoirs Site of Special Scientific Interest, the Lee Valley Special Protection Area, Ramsar site of international importance, and Lee Valley Walthamstow Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.
There are a host of activities to enjoy there, from spotting herons, wildfowl to kingfishers and migrating birds.
If you want to enjoy a nice scenic run, you can explore 13 miles of flat, country paths winding past the historic reservoirs.
And once you’ve done all your exploring, you can relax with a coffee, local bakes and hot food inside the restored 1894 Victorian engine house.
The site is a great place to go fishing too, just be sure to bring your gear along with you. To fish, you must have a valid rod licence too.
Travelling to Walthamstow Wetlands is also quite straightforward as you just need to take the Victoria Line to Tottenham Hale or Blackhorse Road. From both stations, it will take between 10-15 minutes to walk to the reservoir.
If you’d like to drive, there is paid parking is available at the reserve.
