Stalking Trees: Beating the Bounds

Before the tube created the suburb of Golders Green, this part of London was fairly rural: boundaries were marked by hedgerows and oak trees. Although barely visible today, join keen-eyed urban nature photographer and writer, Peter Coles, to go stalking boundary trees in Golders Green and Hampstead Heath. You will see many trees on this route, spotting the occasional ones that mark a boundary revealing how the area was once sub-divided.

In Golders Hill Park, we will see a line of old Lime trees marking an avenue, a couple of fine old oaks and a wonderful Sweet Chestnut, marking a kink in the parish boundary line. Nearby is an old, collapsed mulberry tree, once next to Golders Hill House, destroyed in the war.

We visit another splendid Sweet Chestnut in The Hill Park before crossing North End Way, by the famous Old Bull and Bush pub, into the West Heath, where there are some amazing grown-out beech coppices and other notable trees. Crossing into the Heath Extension, hedgerows and oaks still mark the field boundaries of a farm that used to be here.

We at the Museum of Walking are not “tree huggers” but we do love trees, for we feel that they contribute more to our urban neighbourhoods than they detract. Urban trees are a hardy bunch, able to absorb not only natural hazards, but also man-made pollutants, restoring the quality of air we breathe, and providing habitat for many species of wildlife. Many trees have witnessed significant changes to their surroundings, so as our cities expand, some trees are threatened by development, others are planted to create new vistas, shade and shelter.

For several years, we have been getting people to share their knowledge and stories about trees, and more recently, with the help of urban nature photographer and writer Peter Coles, we have been ‘stalking trees’ to discover more about individual species and specimen, and how they can be photographed in different seasons.

This is a circular route that will bring you back to Golders Green tube station. The route will include walking over uneven surfaces and rough ground, please come prepared.

Numbers are limited, so booking is essential. This free walkshop has been made possible through the support of the Mayor of London