National Trust Trips: Selsdon Wood

Around a week ago, I mentioned there were three National Trust parklands and woodlands in south London that I hadn't yet visited. I recently made my way to the depths of Croydon to visit one of them.

Selsdon Wood might be owned by the National Trust, but it's Croydon Council who operate the area; as you'll come to see in these posts, that's not particularly unusual. Either way, it counts, all 200 acres of it. That comfortably makes Selsdon Wood the third largest green space in Croydon, by the way. 

 

With those 200 acres, it might be overwhelming to know where to go, not least since there are a few quirky wood carvings along the way which you'd hate missing out on. Luckily, the Friends of Selsdon Wood have drafted up two separate routes, red and green - the latter giving you a more comprehensive walk - which are clearly signposted throughout the woods. There's also a large map by the main entrance with the car park, along with smaller paper copies. I took one and headed off, following the green route, which I didn't follow that strictly most of the time. But first, some background info.

How Selsdon Wood came to be 

Selsdon is one of those suburbs that sits between the rural and the urban. Just a few minutes away from the wood, you'll find a high street with all your favourite shops and cafes, with houses scattered around the place on side streets. Before 1926, most of Selsdon was open land, historically farmland, but in 1810, George Smith, then director of the East India Company, bought the land and converted it into the Selsdon Park Estate, building a manor on the site. Worth adding Smith is actually an ancestor of the current king. The estate stood until 1925, when the land was sold, and plans were made to develop Selsdon into a garden village.

Many were concerned about what would happen to the rural fields, though. A committee was established, and decided the land that would become Selsdon Wood would be preserved from development, and the rest of Selsdon could be built. This took ten years to come to fruition, and had people like zoologist Sir Julian Huxley and RSPB member Etta Lemon as supporters. With this, Selsdon Wood became one of the earliest chunks of London's now infamous Green Belt.

Walking through the woods 

The map claimed the green route was going to take about two hours to complete, but I finished in just over an hour. Whether that's because I'm particularly quick, or because I barely took in the nature along the route, I'm not sure. 

   

Right by the main entrance, beside the car park, lies a lovely wood carving of a bear. It was created in 1988, during the first ever Forestry Show that took place in the woods, by local tree surgeon Selwyn Smith. They don't do shows here anymore, by the way, they stopped them all the way back in 2002. I didn't spend long admiring the carving, though, as I soon made my way past the dense network of trees that cut through Green Hill. Not long after, I could look back across the field, spotting a few houses peeking over the horizon. Soon, it was about time to enter the actual woodland, where the sky would be blotted by the overhangs of various trees.

   

I scanned the QR codes provided along the signposts, which gave some interesting background info about the specific places I was in. Broad Walk, for instance, has several English oaks lining the footpath, and along the nearby Beech Grove, you can find two large yew trees. Apparently, yews were used to mark out the boundary between Croydon and nearby of Addington, and these two are possibly descendants of the original yews. They look magnificent, with their entwined branches, don't you think? Though they look somewhat dull in the photos, I fear.

  

I wandered off the beaten path soon after to admire some bluebells. It's springtime, which means it's bluebell season, meaning woodland up and down the country suddenly grows a lovely carpet of blue. My photos aren't particularly clear, and are far better at capturing the vibrant greens than the bluebells. There was the sweet touch of birdsong in the air, making the wood feel even more serene. I also managed to get this photo of a wood fern, which I'm proper impressed by.

   

I soon headed back out, where I made my way over to this lovely carving of a mushroom. This is the second carving I spotted on the trip, and it's certainly quite cute. From here, I got slightly lost, because I wanted to find the nearby estate of Forestdale, which borders the wood. In hindsight, I'm not sure why I wanted to, but either way, it's partially blocked off from the rest of the wood by a fence, so I didn't bother. I'd have to go on a far larger detour than I was intending, and my phone wasn't giving great instructions, so I headed back to the green path.

   

It took a while to get there, but soon I found this lovely carving of two owls. It was almost rewarding to see them, having spent the best of ten minutes wandering before walking back into the open. I then made my way over to the Gorses, a small region of woodland where you'll find gorse. I wasn't lucky to see their blooming yellow flowers, though I did spot this wonderful silver birch. Walking through the Gorses, I found some more bluebells, as well as some oak trees, and spots of lichen.

Linden Glade

Not long after, I was at Linden Glade. Here, you'll find a lovely pond, with six linden trees towering over it in an arc. You might spot a stone beside the pond, which has a poem enscribed into it, dedicated to Lt. Colonel and Mrs H S Wood, two key players in the purchase of the woodland. I could have probably spent longer here, but I headed on.

 

You'll find some more bluebells and some holly trees when walking down the Farleigh Border. The small village of Farleigh lies to the left, with a massive golf course blocked off from the woods by a fence that is in very shoddy condition in some places. Indeed, the wood is right on the border with Surrey along its southern end. I spotted one final carving, the Green Man, etched onto the end of a fallen tree trunk, taking my total up to four. There are loads of other carvings dotted around the wood which I didn't even know of, and which I'd probably have seen if I took a more cohesive route. 

The final stretch is up ahead, with various cherry trees and hawthorns lining the route, and soon enough, I made my way out of the dense woodland, and back into the open air. Once again, I could see the houses in the distance, and I was glad I'd finally tackled the wood. I was also relieved, because right at the end, a massive thunderstorm broke out, with a touch of hail. I had a raincoat, which was nice, but otherwise I was significantly underprepared. I'd argue the weather app had lied to me, it said there was going to be no rain until much later in the day. Luckily Selsdon itself wasn't too far away, so I managed to get a bus soon after, by which point I was drenched.

   

Selsdon Wood, when not hindered by rain, is a wonderful day out. It probably helps if you're a nature lover, of course, not least as if you come at the right time, you might even be able to see some creatures lurking about. It's always charming to be able to wander around a wood for fun, especially when you don't get the opportunity all that often, and I'm glad I visited. Two more left, I suppose.

Here's a nice blogpost about seeing some carvings in Selsdon Wood