Sunday, April 19, 2020

Lockdown walk around Brent Reservoir


Since the lockdown started four weeks ago I’ve been getting my daily exercise by going for a walk around Brent Reservoir which I thought I’d share with you today. The reservoir is locally known at the Welsh Harp but it was first named Kingsbury Reservoir when it was constructed in 1835 to supply water for the Grand Union Canal. It gets its name Welsh Harp from a pub which used to stand on the Edgware Road and there was even a Welsh Harp railway station nearby. The area has a fascinating history (read Geoffrey Hewlett's book 'Welsh Harp Reservoir through time' for more info).

Canal feeder from the bridge in Harp Island Close

My walk starts in Neasden, just behind the dam along the entrance to Harp Island Close at the bridge over the canal feeder. Although the reservoir no longer supplies water to the canal on a regular basis the feeder still connects to the Grand Union Canal and water is occasionally taken from the reservoir. Most years I see a pair of Kingfishers along the canal feeder but I’ve not seen them at all this year.

From here I walked around the loop of Braemar Avenue and up a alleyway between two houses which takes me to the entrance to Neasden Recreation Ground. There are various paths that cross this bit of parkland but I chose the central grass path. It was a wise decision as one of the first birds I heard was a Yellow Wagtail. This is a summer visitor to the UK and just passes through Brent on its way to its breeding grounds. Typically, I see Yellow Wagtails flying over but this one was feeding in the areas of cut grass that Brent Council have mown to plant bee-friendly strips of native flowers.
Yellow Wagtail

The path leads along the southern edge of the dam wall up to the edge of the reservoir where there is a lookout. From here you can see the sailing base and there’s often ducks and geese milling around waiting to be fed. Across the water I could even hear a Cetti’s Warbler singing from the North Bank. This lookout connects with the lottery-funded made up path that continues the length of Neasden Rec so I followed this path to the end. Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, more summer migrants fresh in from Africa, were singing from the hedge alongside the path, both of these are common warblers which stay to breed here.

Looking back towards Wembley Stadium

The air was thick with pollen so not such a good walk if you suffer badly from hayfever. The bank on the southern side of the path was full of cowslips, these were planted when the bank was created about ten years ago to help prevent flooding. It’s a pleasant walk and if you haven’t got a lot of time or energy you can just do a loop of this area as there’s a path just inside of the North Circular Road. It used to be possible to walk through the woodland to complete a loop of the reservoir but it’s too overgrown now so I exited Neasden Rec at the end and walked along the path adjacent to the North Circular.

Cowslips
Eastern end of Neasden Rec

The streetlights of the North Circ are visible behind the hedge

Blossom on a fruit tree

This is a very industrialised area with factories and warehouses both sides of the road. Some of them are clearly derelict, one of these premises, Atlantic House, was gutted by fire last year. It’s only about a ten minute walk along this stretch so it’s not too much of an ordeal. It is served by the 112 bus but as that’s not exercise it’s not permissible under lockdown rules. There is also wildlife to be seen along this stretch of concrete jungle – Pied Wagtails breed in the factories and Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls are often seen on the larger warehouse rooves and may breed there.

Exiting onto the North Circular Road
Looking back to the entrance to Neasden Rec
Ornate metal work

Derelict showroom

A well known company across the North Circ

The charred remains of Atlantic House

Pied Wagtail in the factories

North Circ looking East towards Staples Corner

Another factory that has seen better days

Dunnock feeding beside rubbish next to a factory
The empty former JVC building

At the end of this section is Staples Corner, the intersection of the North Circular and Edgware Road as well as the start of the M1. There are two levels of flyovers above the roundabout and a series of pedestrian walkways. In 1992 the IRA detonated a bomb here which destroyed a warehouse and caused damage to the roads but failed to bring down the flyover.

Flyover at Staples Corner

A McVities truck probably full of biscuits made nearby in Park Royal; the 112 bus stop in the foreground

Flyover over a flyover with pedestrian walkways
My route is up the side of the slip road which loads onto the Edgware Road. It crosses over the River Brent which is the border between the London Boroughs of Brent and Barnet. This stretch of the river is canalised and fairly polluted so has little to offer wildlife. Crossing over Priestly Way, the road that leads into the industrial estate, I then re-entered the reservoir open space by taking the path behind the poster hoardings; it’s also possible to access the path further up the Edgware Road past the bus stop.

Bridges over River Brent and mainline railway into Euston 

The River Brent flowing into the reservoir

Priestly Way with the slip road onto the Edgware Rd to the right
This goes up a steep slope and then levels out onto a small scrubby area which was originally silt that was pumped out of the reservoir and has now dried up and is covered with vegetation. The dominant tree here is Sycamore which is quick to colonise areas like this. The path drops down the other side where I turned right to join up with a narrow path that loops around the back of East Marsh. On both sides of this path there are large Crack Willow trees that are susceptible to high winds and most years one will come down in one of the autumn storms and may block the path. There were two trees that came down last year but fortunately both of these have now been cleared by the council.


Sycamores and Cow Parsley

Reeds at the back of East Marsh

Ramsoms (Wild Garlic)

I wonder what insect did this?

Cut tree
The path winds its way past the flats of Verulam Court then emerges out of the trees between the houses and the reservoir and it’s now possible to view Wembley Stadium at the far end. Since the redevelopment of Wembley Park started a few years ago, much of the stadium has disappeared behind large blocks of flats but the arch is clearly visible.

Old railings that used to border a long gone boatyard


Verulam Court behind the trees
Improvised path created by Welsh Harp Conservation Group

New growth of the invasive Himalayan Balsam which needs destroying

Path by side of houses

View towards the dam and Wembley Stadium

This is the best area to hear the loud and explosive song of the Cetti’s Warbler, a recent colonist of the area, first breeding in 2019, there are now eight territories around the reservoir including three in East Marsh. Continuing along the path a pair of Mute Swans have a nest in a small reed bed and other pairs nest elsewhere. The path borders a car park and storage area for the housing development in West Hendon before finishing at Cool Oak Lane.

Path opens out

Swan on nest
View of main reservoir
Builder's car park
Observation platform on opposite bank
Crossing the bridge you can see the new pedestrian bridge that is being built on the right. It should have been completed by now but the lockdown has delayed the opening; fortunately Cool Oak Lane is a lot quieter at the moment so it’s easy to walk across the Victorian road bridge. At the other side there’s a choice of routes, the quickest is to follow the path along the north bank of the main reservoir which heads back towards the dam but today I’m turning right and walking along the northern arm of the reservoir.

Cool Oak Lane bridge

Male Tufted Ducks
Looking towards North Marsh from Cool Oak Lane

Cool Oak Lane bridge and new pedestrian bridge

There’s a small triangular shaped patch of rank grassland on the left which is good for butterflies but it’s too early in the day for any to be flying now so I carry on. There are a few places on the right to look over the water and the monstrosity of a tower block in the West Hendon estate. The path takes you past an open public hide which I’m avoiding during this time and instead I pause on a raised wooden observation platform instead. The lack of rain over the last month is clearly evident in North Marsh as the water level is very low and has exposed a lot of silt which has come down the Silk Stream.
Path heading towards North Marsh

Bluebells in disused allotments

The public hide

Viewing platform overlooking North Marsh

North Marsh from viewing platform

Silt build up in North Marsh

Carrying on, the path climbs up a short section to an area known as the dump as it’s an old landfill site that was used in the 1960s. It’s now a good area of scrub with mature trees and rank grassland. There are various paths that cut across it towards the playing fields but I want a longer walk today so I continue along the grassy path with the reservoir still on my right. This passes some mounds that are now covered in trees but if you look closely you can see pipes emerging at one end. These are old bunds that silt from the reservoir was pumped into. The path drops down to another wooded area that used to be a concrete oval cycle track, again if you look carefully you can just see the edge of the track in places.

Path heading up to the old dump
Left path to playing fields

Isolated Oak tree in front of bunds

The bunds have now grown over

Path leading down to the cycle track

Pipes leading into the bunds

Remnants of old cycle track
The path emerges onto an open area opposite a bowling green and behind that is another area of parkland with mown grass and scattered trees. I turn left before the bowling green and head across the football pitches that make up West Hendon Playing Fields. It’s one of the best places to find migrant Wheatears but there’s none around today so I keep left and walk towards the wooded hillside (known simply as 'the slope').

Bowling green behind trees

Path heading left towards parkland

Parkland behind bowling club

West Hendon Playing Fields

Wembley Stadium's arch

Towers of Hindu temple on Kingsbury Road

Large numbers of Carrion Crows feed on the playing fields
There are paths at both ends of the slope but I went up the left hand side today. At the top is an area that was planted with gorse bushes. There’s another football pitch on the top and a choice of paths, you can either diagonally across the pitch or keep to the left which takes you through a stand of trees back to Cool Oak Lane. Here you can really see how this road still retains the look of a country lane which it was when the reservoir was first built.

Path heading up the slope

Patch of Bluebells by the slope

Gorse patch

Top football pitch with planted conifers behind; the rounded one on the right is a Stone Pine

Looking eastwards towards Hampstead Heath

Path to Cool Oak Lane

Cool Oak Lane looking westwards

Cool Oak Lane heading East towards Woodfield Park
Walking back towards the bridge with the old greenhouses on your right you arrive at the entrance to Woodfield Park. It’s currently locked for cars but you can walk in. I followed the tarmac path down the hill towards the reservoir and through the gateway at the end onto the main path. Turning right, this goes all the way back to the dam but there’s plenty to look at along the way.

Entrance to Woodfield Park

Greenhouses at top of Woodfield Park
Looking towards Dollis Hill

Football pitches with Woodfield hedge in the background; a natural spring flows under it

Magpie in Woodfield Park

Gateway at bottom of Woodfield Park

Main path looking west towards the dam

First up is the Phoenix Canoe Base, a ramshackle collection of huts that they hope to replace with a super-duper two storey building next year. As it doesn’t even have planning permission yet that seems rather optimistic. Opposite that you can see the concrete slope that they use to launch boats from and a large floating plastic jetty that is used by various birds to rest on when there’s no boating activity, as at present.

Mallard resting on jetty

Great Crested Grebe swimming inside jetty

Moorhen

Coot (note the bald head which led to the expression 'bald as a coot')


Family of Mallards

Greylag Goose
Continuing on, the path gets a bit wet, this is from a natural spring at the top of Woodfield Park. It used to flow under the path but the pipes are clearly blocked and there seems little prospect of Barnet Council fixing it so it will remain damp. The path passes a rifle range on the right and the scrubby grassland in front of it is covered in anthills so is a good place to see Green Woodpecker which feed on the ants.

The spring now flows over the path

Field in front of the rifle range
A Grey Heron flying over the rifle range back to its nest
Several mature Horse Chestnuts (conker trees) are growing their new leaves and their flowers, known as candles. However, the dominant tree along this stretch of woodland that borders the reservoir is the mighty Oak. Ahead on the right is the borough boundary between Barnet and Brent and this goes through another Oak woodland. At this point I turn off the main path and go left to the reservoir edge where there’s a lookout point across the water. Almost hidden by the trees is an ancient pond, known as the bomb crater pond. It’s one of the few ponds in the area and is a breeding site for the local frogs and toads but is prone to drying up in the summer.

Horse Chestnut

Candles
Oak

Oak trees bordering the reservoir

Robin
Borough boundary
Path through Oak wood

Viewpoint over reservoir

Looking towards the dam

Mallards

Bomb Crater Pond
Beyond the pond there’s a narrow grass path that takes you on near the bank of the reservoir. This is a good path to walk along for views of the dam and water birds. It’s also a good place for warblers and I heard my first singing Lesser Whitethroat of the year here today. These are typically shy warblers and don’t often show themselves but I saw this one briefly as it worked its way up a pile of recently cut trees. Further back, the other side of the tarmac path is Shrike Field, a large area of rank grass with scattered bushes and trees.

Elms trees; in the summer these host White-letter Hairstreak butterflies

Patch of Forget-me-not
The dam wall with Wembley Stadium in the background

Wembley Stadium

Lesser Whitethroat

Blue Tit
Further along the path there’s another small reedbed in which a Reed Warbler has taken up territory. The path wends its way up the slope, past some display boards and finishes at the car park at the end of Birchen Grove. From here I walked back along the road, passing the locked gates to the garden centre and past the entrance to the churchyard of old St Andrews’s Church. Birchen Grove terminates at Blackbird Hill which then runs south into Neasden Lane North and crosses over the River Brent.

Shrike Field
Looking across towards Neasden Rec

Gadwall

Information boards at the end of the path

Car park at end of Birchen Grove

End of Birchen Grove

Entrance to the Garden Centre (currently closed)
The spire of St Andrew's Church

Sailing Base (also closed under lockdown)

This spur leads to the churchyard

Return to civilisation - Blackbird Hill
Turning left into Coombe Road, past the closed McDonalds, there’s a gate at the end which leads to a footpath behind the housing estate (Roger Stone Court) that takes you along the River Brent back to where my journey started at Harp Island Close.

Bridge over River Brent

Looking along the river back towards the reservoir


Random rubbish left on Coombe Road, a regular occurrence

Path leading to river
Riverside path behind Roger Stone Court

River Brent behind Harp Island Close

Back to Harp Island Close

3 comments:

  1. Thank you Andrew - a very enjoyable and informative tour. Hope to get back to the res one day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The leaf mine in what looks like a Bramble leaf is probably from the Micromoth Stigmella aurella.

    ReplyDelete

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