On Sunday 19th November a small handful of SELHuG members met outside East Dulwich Train station for a late-morning walk around the area of Dulwich and Camberwell. We were lucky to have a beautiful day, with bright sun and the trees glorious in their autumnal colours.
Barbara Chandler had devised the walk and had found things of interest nearly every step of the way. We walked over an area of land between Champion Hill, Dog Kennel Hill and the Greendale which used to be a film studio in the early years of the Twentieth Century, before becoming tennis courts and now a wild space. A beautiful green space in the heart of the urban bustle but how fascinating it was to also reflect on the differing uses of the space over the last hundred years.
We walked on further and ended up in Ruskin Park. A wonderful space with lots of community activity but also quiet, tranquil areas. Barbara shared with us some of the history of the park and how it had been developed along with news on current work by the Friends of the park. On leaving we saw the strange sights of at least a couple of dozen pigeons in one tree – which we walked under with a slight quickening of pace – and, further along, dozens of squirrels under one tree all frantically burying seeds!
We ended in the cafe by Denmark Hill station and enjoyed coffee and cake before heading our separate ways. A really interesting, beautiful and gentle walk which we all appreciated. Thank you to Barbara for organising.