I love this place for the proximity to walking adventures in beautiful green forests and commons nearby! I’ll describe more of what I discovered, but first, the practical part:
Enjoyed my stay at this Airbnb. I had room 1. I would suggest you choose room 2 if you can’t sleep well with traffic noise as room 1 is facing the road and traffic starts up as early as 6am.
Room 1 was clean and spacious. I had enough space to do my yoga every morning! My own TV and desk and lots of storage space as well. One of the biggest perks was my very own bathroom. The bathroom had a full tub and shower and window that opened for ventilation. It also had heated radiators to ensure towels were warm and dry. Two towels are supplied.
The room comes with a kettle, mugs, tea, sugar, and milk is also supplied by the hosts so you can have your tea. Downstairs, the shared lounge it is comfortable and there is a mini fridge and microwave that you share with other guests. Includes plates, bowls,
and cutlery which is helpful as I ate food from the grocery store to stay on budget (being Canadian!).
The hosts Jo and Steve were wonderful! They were truly concerned about my safety and comfort and extremely communicative using the app. I felt very safe at their place as a woman travelling alone in the city. (My husband Brandon did not come on this trip.) They also allowed me to do two loads of laundry and they hung it up for me. Very kind!
My primary reason for coming to England this time around was to see family. I am an avid hiker and walker from the Vancouver, BC area of Canada and so I was very excited to learn that this Airbnb is located at the very edge of the greater city of London and with easy walking access to vast green space! In fact my house tells me that the Greenbelt runs from here all the way down to the south coast. (Jo also led a successful political campaign to stop developers from building on nearby protected land.)
Another thing I had not realized is that England is full of public walking paths - rights of way that run along side parcels of land. Whereas in Canada you would be trespassing, in England you could walk and walk for miles… for days even and never be forced to turn around!
The first place I discovered was Oaks Park (with its history and friendly cafe offering English breakfast, lunch, tea and coffee). This park is an easy 15 to 20 minute walk from the Airbnb. There is a golf course that is open to the public and beyond that is an open space where many people and families walk their dogs. There is a forested perimeter trail around Oaks park that I would say takes about 20 to 25 minutes to walk fully around. That is special in its own right! Or, you can walk out on the open grass field to watch the dogs run and enjoy the vast ever-changing sky and glimpses of the English countryside to the south.
You can read about the estate that once existed on the property and the succession of people that lived there until its end. There are chalk lines in the ground so you can see where the building was located and a history board to learn more about the area.
Eager to get outside and explore, I downloaded the OS Maps app and was able to choose from a range of 1 to 10-mile walks that others had recorded and shared on the app. This made it possible for me to go on a walk that someone else had successfully done before, to see so many different sights, and to ensure, using the app (+ the Excellent UK phone service giffgaff + my iPhone gps) …that I was not going to get lost!
I went on three of these walks and had an incredibly fun time and explored a variety of terrain, farmland, protected land, community parks and residential streets.
One of those places was Banstead Commons, with a number of trails from expansive wide parades lined with trees to secret overgrown trails thick with wild plants, overgrown Ivy and nettles… to well worn paths running alongside walled gardens or train tracks.
I had the thrill of walking through open fields with horses grazing and playing in the distance. How much more English can you get!?
A long meandering ramble along woodmansterene lane led me to secret doors tucked into hedges and beautiful century-old homes with ornate gardens and flowers I had not seen before. Being mid-May it was the end of London’s early spring flowers and the beginning of the next phase. Everything was intensely Green (and this is coming from someone who lives in Canada and spends most of her free time outside in nature!!).
The famous Mayfield lavender fields of Sutton are a decent walk from the Airbnb. I had a glimpse of them over the fence during one outing but the lavender won’t be blooming until late summer - worth coming back for!
I enjoyed my walk across the protected chalk grass fields - Carshalton Road pastures alive with insects and birds of all sizes. This then connects quite easily back to Oaks Park where your tired legs can have a rest in or outside the café and enjoy something tasty from their large, fair priced menu.
I should not forget the bird song! If you are lucky enough to be out walking through the local forest in the early morning - and I was out there between 7 and 9 AM on all of my walks - your ears will be filled with Bird song from what sounds like 4 to 6 different types of birds. A sanctuary. A sacred place. Music for your ears …and for the trees! The