Travel Itinerary

Before breakfast, follow the Beverley Brook trail to look for green woodpeckers, treecreepers and the elusive little owls that nest in old oaks.

Pack up camp, hop on the 15-min train to Barnes; from the platform it’s a short riverside walk to one of Europe’s most central wetland reserves.

Start at the visitor gate, collect a free winter-wildlife checklist and head onto the raised boardwalks—perfect for bitterns, teal and wintering shoveler ducks.

Finish the loop at the Peacock Tower hide, 3-storeys high, giving 360° views over the marshes—ideal for photographing hen harriers if they’re passing through.

Walk the Thames Path west to the Victorian railway bridge; watch for cormorants drying their wings on the pilings and the sky turning rose behind Hammersmith Bridge.

Take the train back to central London for a warm bed and hot shower; the hostel has a quiet lounge to log your wildlife sightings in the field notebook.

A 20-min Tube ride to Highgate, then step into 70 acres of 500-year-old oak-hornbeam woodland alive with nuthatches and tawny owls.

Exit the wood onto the Heath and climb to the stone viewpoint for a sweeping winter skyline of London—perfect finale shot before heading home.