LCC Nature Walks: RUISLIP WOODS CIRCULAR [NORTH LONDON]

Welcome back ramblers! For our next adventure, we're off to north-west London to take on the Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve in the Borough of Hillingdon, comprised of Bayhurst Wood, Copse Wood, Mad Bess' Wood, and Park Wood, home to the lovely Ruislip Lido. Our starting point is conveniently located right on the Central Line.

Ruislip NNR became London's first-ever nature reserve in 1997. A properly ancient forest, the woods are the remains of the dense woodland which would have covered the county of Middlesex from prehistoric times. Flints, stone tools and rubbish dumps indicating Bronze Age settlements have been found. Woodland was cleared over time for farming, housing, and significant monumental projects in London. Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the knight Ernulf de Hesdin was given the manor of Ruislip, which included the woods, in recognition of his service to William the Conqueror. In 1087, de Hesdin passed the manor to the Bec Abbey. During the Abbey's ownership, timber from the woods was used in the construction of the Tower of London in 1339, Windsor Castle in 1344, the Palace of Westminster in 1346 and the manor of the infamous Black Prince, in Kennington.

One site of special historical/political interest to keep a (very sharp) eye out for is the former grounds of Kokyo or Franklin House, in its latter days known somewhat incongruously as Battle of Britain House. Built in 1905 by Josef Conn, the house was taken over in 1920 by American shipping magnate Meyer Franklin Kline. Kline first renamed the house "Kokyo" to reflect his company's presence in Asia, followed by "Franklin House", after President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During his ownership, Kline had various ornaments from the Far East placed around the gardens, and had furniture built for the house using wood taken from the luxury cabins of his ships.

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Kline was in America and leased the house to a mysterious German national. The unnamed German was forced to relinquish his ownership due to regulations brought in by the British government. It was then provided to the United States military to enable agents of the Office of Strategic Services (predecessor of the CIA) to be trained before embarking on sabotage missions in occupied France, its location within Copse Wood making it ideal for this purpose. The building burned down in 1984 and the grounds were allowed to return to nature after a series of unsuccessful attempts to sell the property. We'll keep an eye out anyway!

Our route will take us from West Ruislip Station on the Central Line, north over the River Pinn and into the farmlands around Bayhurst Wood, through that wood and west into Mad Bess' Wood, westward still through Copse Wood and then south around Ruislip Lido into Park Wood, for a small circular to finish before heading south back towards Ruislip town and a local pub, to be decided upon in true mass-democratic fashion on the day.

Toilets are available at West Ruislip station before heading off; the station also hosts a small coffee bar if you want to pick up last-minute some caffeine, water or snacks pre-walk.

• Distance/Time: About 9-10km for a good 3.5-4.5 hours' walk, depending on our pace
• Terrain: Mostly flat; mix of paved towpaths, dirt tracks, and moorland. Muddy patches possible—wear waterproof hiking boots if you can!
• Supplies: 2L water and some snacks - we'll stop off for a late lunch in Ruislip at the end!
• Weather: Forecast is England: bring a light rain and/or wind layer and a packable jumper (small rucksack advisable)