Leg O Mutton

What it’s like

A free mile-long walk round a quiet nature reserve, good for spotting herons, terns and roosting bats.

This is a nature reserve rather than a playground, so the main activity is the walk itself: a mile-long path round the perimeter, flat enough for smaller legs and buggies to manage without too much moaning. Along the way there's proper wildlife to spot, cormorants, herons, tufted ducks, and breeding common terns if you time it right in the season.

The bit that sticks with kids is usually the bats. The site mentions bats roosting in the Hybrid Poplar trees, which is the kind of detail that turns a walk into a hunt if you get them looking up rather than at their feet. It's a slow sort of visit rather than an exciting one, so it suits a calmer afternoon more than a big day out.

It's free to get in and open weekdays from 9am to 5pm, no booking needed. Dogs are welcome but have to stay on leads the whole way round, which is worth knowing if you're bringing one along with the kids. Barnes Bridge station is the nearest stop, and bus route 419 also runs there if you're not driving.

Facilities

Need to know

Dogs

On leads at all times within the reserve

Getting there by bus or train

Nearest train station is Barnes Bridge

• Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, so plan around that if you're going straight after school on a weekday
• It's a walking and wildlife-spotting visit rather than play equipment, so pack binoculars if you've got them
• Dogs must stay on leads the whole way round the reserve

Plan your visit

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