Like many Londoners (and indeed town dwellers worldwide) I discovered the pleasures of our local park during the pandemic lockdowns. Whether on our permitted visits to the shops or on the also permitted daily walks close to home, Walpole Park was our refuge and our delight.
Since then I have continued to visit regularly. It is still our preferred route to the shops, and it’s convenient when we just need a little fresh air. It’s also a great option when I feel like getting out with my camera but don’t have a lot of time to spare.
I already shared a brief history of this lovely park in a previous post, A Neighbourhood Walk. That post showcased the park in the autumn, so for Denzil’s Nature Photo Challenge this week I decided to take a walk there this morning and see what I could discover to share. I found some lovely trees, beautiful flowers, bees, ducks and even a fish!
But a park wouldn’t be a park without the people, so even though this is a nature challenge I’ve included a few of them too – and their dogs!
Of course with the people and the dogs comes a certain level of activity so you wouldn’t come here if for true peacefulness you need solitude. But for the city dweller a park like this is the closest we come to nature on a daily basis. And as I enjoy a bit of people-watching just as much as I enjoy nature, Walpole Park is peaceful enough for me.
Although I visit this park at least weekly, all these photos were taken today!
Bridge by the more natural of the two ponds in the park
A favourite tree, seen from two angles
Carp in the more formal of the ponds
Tufted duck in the same pond
Bees on laburnum
Yellow flags by one of the ponds
And a purple iris nearby
Columbine
Dog rose
Dog rose
Hawthorn aka May Tree
A quiet spot
Time for a rest
Dog among the daisies, with stick
I visit Walpole Park frequently; all these photos were taken in May 2023
51 Comments
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SoyBend
What a peaceful looking place!
Sarah Wilkie
Ha, not always on a summer weekend, but at quieter times yes 😀
SoyBend
That’s how one of my favorite walks along the Deschutes River is here. I go near sunrise when hardly anyone is there, but later, it’s the most popular place for walkers and runners.
Helen Story
Love the parks of London, always full of life in one way or another! Enjoyed the history of this one, a lovely place to have on your doorstep.
Sarah Wilkie
Glad you enjoyed it Helen, and thank you for commenting 😊
Mike and Kellye Hefner
You are so fortunate to have this beautiful park nearby, Sarah. (I can’t think of one park here that has a flower in it at all!) This was a wonderful nature walk, and as always, your photos are lovely.
Sarah Wilkie
I can’t imagine a park without some flowers at least!
Mike and Kellye Hefner
Isn’t it strange? But it’s because it’s so dry here, and we have water rationing to an extent. We can only water our lawn on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Sarah Wilkie
Sometimes in the summer if it is dry for too long we have what they call a hosepipe ban. We can still use watering cans but no hosepipes or sprinklers. But I think local authorities have some exemptions. The grass gets very dry but they water enough to keep the flowers alive.
Mike and Kellye Hefner
I suppose water is a global issue. We are fortunate to have gotten some rain over the last week or so. It has been a godsend.
wetanddustyroads
Like other comments here, I must also say that you are very lucky to have such a beautiful park nearby! The duck is lovely, as are the flowers (of course), but I like the dog among the daisies the most.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – I was pleased the dog chose that spot in which to play!
Denzil
London is renowned for its city parks, and this one looks like a small gem. Thanks for contributing Sarah
Sarah Wilkie
Yes it is a bit of a gem 💎
grandmisadventures
How lucky to live so close to such a beautiful park!
Sarah Wilkie
We are lucky, yes – just five minutes away!
Marie
I love the setting by the bridge…
Sarah Wilkie
It’s a pretty spot 🙂
Suzanne
There were a few positives of a lockdown and here in NZ we were in for long haul. One of the positives was a quieter environment to appreciate our surroundings. Love the images and there are many good green spaces in the London area.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, we’re lucky like that, and Ealing prides itself on being one of the greenest London boroughs 🙂
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Amy
Such a beautiful garden, Sarah! I love these close-up flower photos.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Amy, it IS a lovely park 😀
Alison
Lovely place for a walk
Sarah Wilkie
It is indeed Alison 🙂
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
Lovely. I agree about lockdown heightening the pleasure of parks. Through our local one is often the shortest route from A to B, but I now take more time to appreciate it and to seek out parks slightly further away. Glasgow is not known as the Dear Green Place for nothing!
Sarah Wilkie
That sounds just like us – we’ve always used the park as a route to the shops but during Covid we discovered other parts of it and began to use it more for leisure too 🙂
thehungrytravellers.blog
We have a beautiful country on our doorstep, I guess we travellers must ensure we never forget that (although personally I don’t think either you or us do forget). When my daughter first moved to, and fell in love with, London, its parks were one of the things that enchanted her, not least because they were (are) somewhere that you can observe people enjoying whatever a park means for them. I think she met more friends when walking the dog than she did through socialising!
Sarah Wilkie
I don’t forget, no, although Covid strengthened my appreciation of it 😀 We don’t have a dog but I notice that for those who do the park is definitely a great meeting place!
restlessjo
The close ups of the flowers are lovely, Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jo 😊 It occurs to me, belatedly, that this would have made a nice Monday Walk!
restlessjo
So many would, Sarah, and even when they don’t, we accommodate them 🤗🌸. I’m currently in Beja, having a lot of fun with the Romans. It could be a recommend for next May? 🩵
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks for the suggestion but our meeting places are determined by those who are will to step forward and volunteer themselves as organisers. They propose a place, usually their home town or somewhere they know well, and if there is more than one proposal we vote on it. This time (i.e. for next year) we are choosing between Amsterdam, Saranda (in Albania) and Kotor. I will find out a week today which has got the most votes!
restlessjo
I wasn’t thinking of Virtual Tourist but if this is your normal meet up time…. Kotor would be fabulous 🤗💜
philosophy through photography
Love the Tufted duck.
Beautiful clicks!
Sarah Wilkie
I’m fond of tufted ducks, they have such clean lines between black and white 🙂
lisaonthebeach
That park looks amazing! I would spend a lot of time there too if it were nearby. I am curious how big it is. It looks wonderful! …and I think many of us found a new appreciation for outdoor space during COVID. Probably the only good thing that came out of that insane period of time.
Sarah Wilkie
You’re right about that positive effect of Covid Lisa 🙂 This isn’t a large park, certainly smaller than the ones in central London. You can walk straight through it in less than ten minutes and a comfortable stroll around the perimeter would take less than twenty if you weren’t stopping for photos! According to Google it’s 28 acres. You can see it on the map here: 51.50881606161567, -0.3098546262600896
bushboy
Ducks, flowers and places for contemplation….whats not to like Sarah 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Exactly Brian 🙂 And yet somehow I seem to have come up with a second post on this theme, which I’ll share later today or tomorrow, showcasing some more peaceful spots but a bit further from home!
Nemorino
I assume laburnum isn’t poisonous to the bees, otherwise they would have learned to avoid it.
Sarah Wilkie
I had the same thought Don 🙂
Heyjude
It looks like a delightful place, not overly manicured and some very pretty planting.
Sarah Wilkie
It’s definitely not manicured and I like it that way! There are no formal beds, just shrubbery and trees around the perimeter and lots of trees, old and new, lining the paths and dotted around elsewhere. Plus the two ponds, two playgrounds for kids and the cafe. There’s a small walled garden off to one side near the old Pitzhanger Manor which is used mainly for veg in raised beds, and bee hives 🙂
Heyjude
Sounds perfect.
Anne Sandler
This is a beautiful park to take your camera for a walk. And, beautifully photographed. I especially liked the carp.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne 🙂 That carp was a surprise to me, it’s the first time I’ve noticed them in that pond =- although we don’t very often go over that side of the park as it’s not on our walking route to the shops.
margaret21
This park looks as if it gets a lot of TLC. A lovely place to have on your doorstep.
Sarah Wilkie
It does, but not too much – the grass is left to grow long in places for instance. A small army of volunteers help with litter picking and basic gardening duties. And in the summer we have a whole series of festivals – comedy, jazz, blues and beer 😀
margaret21
Wow! It sounds quite a hub for good things.