Sense and The Outdoor Guide have partnered to create two sensory walks in London – ‘Giving people the space to explore nature whilst being active.’ Sense is a national charity supporting people with complex disabilities. At Sense, we believe everyone, no matter how complex their disabilities, deserves the right to enjoy a physically active life.
Walking is a great way to stay active and Golders Hill Park offers a wealth of sensory delights along the way. Download the walk map pdf to enjoy the walk on your own, with family and friends. Or, join us on our pilot sensory walks project every Friday at 11am starting from 7th June. This will be a guided walk aimed at people with complex disabilities but open for anyone to join. For more information please contact Mayana McDermott, mayana.mcdermott@sense.org.uk
Walk Details (Written by Ben Wilson, as featured in the video who has a visual impairment and love of the outdoors)
The thing that strikes me about this walk is the variety. Each section appears to be completely different. From the woodland, filled with towering trees and singing birds, into the vast, open park, home from everything to deer to lemurs, to the secluded stumpery teeming with life; this walk seems to have everything you could want.
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The thing that strikes me most about the first section of the walk is the sounds of the birds in the trees.
A cacophony of tweeting and singing from all sorts of birds is a real treat. And then we cross a small stream, the sounds of the birds are accompanied perfectly by the gentle babbling of the stream. I’m not sure if I can imagine anything more peaceful and idyllic.
As you finish the woodland section of the walk, it is interesting to note the variety of different trees, their different leaves and barks, the different shadows they cast across the path and how they change the atmosphere, but next up is the large, park, open area.
This is clearly a popular spot, as we met plenty of friendly dog walkers, people out for a run or a walk and I can see why people like it. We get to stop to say hello to the deer and admire the aviary and one of the gardeners stops to explain what they’ve been planting and explains some of the gorgeous things we can smell in the air. But the highlight of the walk for me is the stumpery. As soon as you enter this little enclave of nature, everything seems to change. The air quality is different, the light transforms and every inch of it is buzzing with life. I could have stayed in here for hours.
We end our adventure by saying hello to the ducks and geese enjoying life in their pond and sitting down with a cup of tea and a cake in beautiful surroundings.
Nearest Train (or tube) Station(s):
Golders Green, London Euston
