A LONDON OASIS
Even though London is a pretty noisy city, you can find patches of tranquility there, usually on the edges and outskirts. We have Richmond Park, which is a very large, natural heath. We also have Trent Park in the north on the boarder with Hertfordshire. Bang in the heart of London itself though, we have this extension of Epping Forest which is an oasis of peace in the otherwise rowdy Zone 2.
I used to live right next to this park. Back then I was there every week. You can actually get a canoe and paddle on the water. I used to enjoy doing that. As you can imagine, it's pretty popular with families with young children and pets, but they seem to stay near the entrance with the car park and benches. I prefer to wander around the less busy parts into the woods.
This is not Epping Forest proper, but rather then extension that is in east London, rather than in Essex. The water bodies are referred to as "Hallow Ponds" or collectively with the area around the pond as "Layton Flats". I've even seen the area labelled as "Waltham Forest", but I like to use the more general name "Epping Forest". Probably confusing :)
It is very picturesque, especially in autumn. I've done photoshoots with some of my model friends there. There are many opportunities like easy-to-climb trees and large logs to use as props.
There's something about this park and dead trees. There are quite a few of them there, more than is usual for parks such as this one. Their branches are often trimmed probably to avoid accidents in case one of them snaps off and injures someone (or worse). I find dead trees actually very picturesque, especially if their branches are still there. There are also some trees that have obviously been burnt, but are still standing. They look like the fire was extinguished before the trees were significantly consumed.
Peace & Love,
Adé
