Harvington Woods and Park | The Weekend Diaries

Harvington Woods and Park is one of Bromley’s hidden gems.

We are frequent visitors to Kelsey Park with it’s circular, scooter-friendly route, manicured gardens and large children’s play area. But this time, we decided to hop just over the road to it’s quieter neighbour, Harvington Woods.

Immediately upon entering the woods, the boys broke into a run, shouting excitedly about which way to go and the numerous exploration possibilities. There was a time when Arlo would moan about the way mud felt underfoot, easily tiring and demanding to be carried. On this particular trip, I was reminded of how much older they seem.

There is a clear stream that is evidently a well-loved paddling spot. A rope swing hangs from the branches above. Throughout the morning, the stream filled with a steady procession of wading children – despite it being well into Autumn, and no longer particularly warm.

Towards the other end of Harvington Woods, the treeline opens up into an open field of grass and a small playground beyond – slide, swings and a zipline. This area of Harvington Park is great for small children.

I really love this series of shots of the boys giggling away on the roundabout.

Harvington Woods is a small area, walkable from on end to the other in around fifteen minutes. The perfect size for our family now that we are starting to test out small outings without a pushchair – Rory is very keen to walk whenever he can and Arlo has finally turned a corner with his over-use of the buggy board.

When walking through any of the numerous woodland areas we are lucky to have near South East London, it’s hard to imagine that you are just ten minutes drive from Croydon, or only a short journey from the city life of London.

We’ll be back when the leaves have turned golden. And again in the summer for more paddling adventures.

Harvington Woods and park is in Beckenham, Bromley – adjacent to Kelsey Park.