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Fryent Country Park & Brent Reservoir (London - England)

There is something in London, under Transport for London called the Walk London that encompasses several tracks that are around various genres of interest like greenery, heritage, industrial history, Thames river bank, etc. One of it is called the Capital Ring that's the 78 mile walk through London's greenest suburbs. One section passes through Fryent Country Park & Brent Reservoir.
Remember my first ever post from London? This was when I passed through a road that had the Fryent Country Park on either sides. So one fine day I decided get into it. The entire space is about 108 hectares. There are about 30 tiny little ponds in the park but the only one that's relatively bigger is atop the Barn Hill. The entire space is taken care of by Barn Hill Conservation Group which is comprised completely of volunteers!!! 
The place is a perfect forest. The car park is close to the highway (Fryent Way) which runs across the park. The eastern side is majorly grasslands and never ending green pastures. This is under Soil Association Organic Standard. The shapes are irregular from as they were acquired since 16th C and still go by their old names! 
I entered in through the western side. In the western side there are dirt tracks in 3 directions. The map of Capital Ring walk directed me to go towards Barn Hill direction. Directions are kept by Capital Ring with a log planted on the ground with a slanted top and its logo and an arrow that directs in the path to continue in! 
The western side its more like a forest. Coming here, for the first time I had a feel that I was inside a forest. All that was there was dirt track with woodlands and trees and mature vegetation on either sides. The trees here include Oak. Ash, Hornbeam, Sweet & Horse Chestnut etc. On these tall trees are also some bird boxes and this a haven for birds! There are about 30 species here incl Chiff Chaff, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Mistle Thrush, Green Woodpeckers, Tawny Owls etc. Foxes can also be spotted! 

Half way through is this pond ahead of which is the top of Barn hill. Its more like the top of Primrose hill. I'd say its altitude is very less to consider it a hill! Though this point is 282ft above sea level the climb is too subtle to notice! From here the view of Wembley Stadium was pretty good. Here is a small pyramid like construction. I came to know that this was once a folly in 18th C (a castle like little building meant for decorative purposes!). All this was a part of the design in 1793 by the landscape gardener Humphry Repton. 

From there my next stop was the Brent Reservoir. Long back I had visited the St.Andrews church but I couldn't go in coz, being an Anglican Church it had very strict timings. What I hadn't known was that this was a 12th C old church!  When I went to Brent Reservoir, which is located almost behind this, again, the church was closed and I couldn't go in. I didn't manage to go inside till I left London, sad..... The path to reach there was definitely exquisite filled with mature vegetation & high trees on either sides, again forest like!
The Brent Reservoir is also called the Welsh Harp reservoir which spreads across 68.6 hectares. There is a sailing centre here which hires kayaking boats and there's a section within the reservoir with boundary across which its impossible to sail away. Like any other water body in London, like St.James Park, this place also has its own Swans, Coots, Geese etc. A section of the Welsh Harp has high trees with several benches beneath it, as well as several benches along the walk path facing the water body. A perfect place to just sit & relax!

 To Get There:
Nearest railway station: Wembley Park

 Dedicated to Venkat

Bhushavali

An ardent traveler by passion. Being an ex - Art History Teacher, my area of interest especially lies in Nature and Heritage. Visited 85 UNESCO World Heritage sites as of June 2022. I've been listed among the Top 7 Women Travel Bloggers of India, Top 50 in UK. I have been interviewed in a couple of TV Shows, Radio Channels and Events as well. Read more about me and read the testimonials of different brands

20 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 12, 2018 at 4:34 AM

    Never in a million years would I have guessed this was in or near London! My husband and I were just talking about how we want to return to England and I am definitely going to make sure we make it here! Loving all of the greenery! It looks stunning!

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  2. DadaJanuary 12, 2018 at 2:16 PM

    I love cities that has a huge kind of forest in the middle or next to and the Fryent country park seems wonderful! Visiting a hectic city as London can be fast tiring and having a moment in a peaceful environnement as the Tryent country park is a good way to regain some energy for more discoveries later in London.

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  3. Mimi & MitchJanuary 12, 2018 at 2:23 PM

    Ok well this is a fun activity we shall do next time we go to the UK! So much green and nature, right what we like! Best part is that we can only take the railway? winning!

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  4. Aisha SylvesterJanuary 12, 2018 at 11:45 PM

    This park is so lovely! With all of this lush, vibrant green I can hardly believe it's London! As much time as I've spent in London, I love discovering unlikely new things like this that give me something to look forward to exploring next time I'm in town. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Medha VermaJanuary 13, 2018 at 9:56 AM

    Wow so this park in the middle of the city? I’d love to get away from the busy and bustling city to this lush green area for a quiet walk and enjoy the peace, all with greenery and ponds and birds! I’ve never heard of the capital ring, sounds quite interesting !

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  6. JenJanuary 13, 2018 at 10:39 AM

    I have been to London only once and I remember spending some time at a park. I can’t quite remember which park it was but this looks a lot bigger! I would love to visit this park too, just to see the owls and foxes. :)

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  7. ashokJanuary 13, 2018 at 11:09 AM

    Awesome clicks!

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  8. Elizabeth OJanuary 13, 2018 at 4:32 PM

    I've been in London last year and I really love seeing those beautiful sceneries, views and parks it is so fulfilling to visit. Love those greenery.

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  9. YuktiJanuary 13, 2018 at 9:29 PM

    Lush green Fryent park in busy city of London is really a bliss and relaxing for nature loving people like me. I loved the rough dirt patches or pathways on western side of park. Brent Reservoir also looks peaceful place and ideal site for long evening walks or afternoon picnics.

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  10. PreethikaJanuary 15, 2018 at 4:35 PM

    This park looks so serene and peaceful. How I wish something like this existed close to where I live. Would love to go for a jog and even take evening walks out here.

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  11. UnknownJanuary 15, 2018 at 10:45 PM

    What a lovely day for a walk! So glad to know you’ve decided to finally visit the park.. Love how green and clean the Fryent Country Park is. It’s so peaceful and very relaxing.. :) I’d definitely enjoy a long siesta on those benches!

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  12. Cat LinJanuary 16, 2018 at 12:57 AM

    This looks like such a calm and quiet place for a walk! It would be nice to kayak there! Did you see any foxes while you were there?

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  13. UntaJanuary 17, 2018 at 12:09 AM

    Wow! I loved parks in London, but had no idea about this! Perfect getaway from the city.

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  14. UnknownJanuary 17, 2018 at 2:03 AM

    It's hard to believe that there is so much green space inside the city. What a treasure! I'd love to spend some time walking and picnicking here!

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  15. UnknownJanuary 17, 2018 at 11:22 AM

    I love how cities have these large parks and forests where the tranquility and peace starkly contrasts against the busy traffic in the city. It's just like Seoul Forest in South Korea, a lovely escape from the chaos all around!

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  16. UnknownJanuary 19, 2018 at 1:22 AM

    You can find plenty of green spaces in London, this is my third year here and I still haven't visited all of them. We did our kayaking courses at Brent Reservoir and we had to be careful with the swans as they can be aggressive if you disturb them. Too bad everyone is visiting just St James Park without looking into other options. My favourite will always be Richmond Park.

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  17. Adrenaline RomanceJanuary 21, 2018 at 1:08 PM

    That's great! A perfectly preserved mini-forest within a large city! Afternoon walks here would be really awesome.

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  18. sandy n vyjayJanuary 21, 2018 at 7:10 PM

    Fryent Country Park looks so verdant, it indeed looks like a forest. The flora and fauna look beautiful too. Definitely a serene place to immerse oneself in the beauty of nature. I like the look of those small ponds, they look so ethereal.

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  19. HarshJanuary 21, 2018 at 10:38 PM

    We'd love to go to London this year and a visit to Brent Reservoir will definitely be on our list. It looks so lush and scenic. Definitely looks more like a forest. A walk here would be so good.

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  20. UnknownFebruary 6, 2018 at 11:25 PM

    Beautiful park and the flowers are just lovely. I love going to the parks just to get in touch with nature. It give peace and relaxation.

    Liz Gen | fatmoments.com

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