Countryside and Parks

Priory Park Gardens Church Hill, Orpington, BR6 2QY Orpington is well known for the picturesque Priory Gardens. Facilities include a library, church, museum, large children's play area and rose garden as well as the Priory itself - linked to King Cnut. The park is mostly dog-free although there are areas for dogs to run around in. There are disabled facilities and the park is wheelchair friendly with wide paths and gentle path gradients. It is a beautiful oasis just minutes from the busy town centre. The pond in the gardens is the source of the river Cray.

Scadbury Nature Reserve St Pauls Cray Scadbury Nature Reserve is an extensive area of magical, hidden woodlands and open, untouched fields. It is home to many horses and ponies as well as an abundance of wildlife. Hidden in the woods is a Moted Manor House where you will often find bats flying around at dusk. There is also a pond, open fields for picnics and a nature centre for schools.

Foots Cray Meadows and the 5 Arches Bridge North Cray Road, Foots Cray Foots Cray Meadows is a beautiful expanse of fields and meadows that the River Cray flows through. In summer you will often find children playing and having fun in the lower part of the river while the upper part is a protected nature reserve for you to walk around and enjoy. It is full of wild birds, ducks and swans as well as other wildlife. You can visit the Ancient North Cray Woods whilst in the area as well as the stable blocks from Foots Cray Place. Foots Cray Place was historically one of the largest estates in the area.

North Cray Woods North Cray The North Cray Woods are classified by English Nature as Ancient Woodland, which means there has been continuous woodland here since at least 1600AD. This continuous cover means that this area is an extremely long established habitat for many birds, wildlife and plant species. Much of this Ancient Woodland was managed for centuries by coppicing, whereby the stems of the trees were repeatedly cut down to provide firewood for fuel and poles for hops as well as many other things. From the cut base of the tree new shoots would develop and grow to form 'new trees'. This type of management is no longer used but many coppice trees still stand today. You can enjoy a walk through these woods whilst visiting the Foots Cray Meadows, as they border each other.

Goddington Park Goddington Lane, Orpington There are rugby, football and cricket pitches in Goddington Park - Orpington Cricket Club and Orpington Football Club are both based here. There is a children's play area, five football pitches, two cricket squares and two rugby pitches. It is a great open space.

Eldred Drive Playground Eldred Drive Orpington This is a great little playground with a couple of swings and other equipment for children. There is disabled access.

Sandway Park Sandway Road. St Mary Cray. This park includes a children's play area with swings, play eqiptment and five a side football posts. There are two goal mouths and there is a local bus service to the site. The main entrance is in Sandway Road.

Riverside Gardens Sevenoaks Way St Marys Cray. 21 hectares of local open space. There are entrances in Sevenoaks Way, Kent Road and High Street. This park has the only boating pond available in the borough and the paddling pool is open for children to play in in the summer. During the Second World War land on the banks of the Cray was laid waste by the bombs that were dropped by the German Air Force. Riverside Gardens was created from this wasteland after the war. It now has lovely areas to walk through and is popular for feeding the ducks.

St Mary Cray Recreation Ground Park Road St Mary Cray 19 hectares of recreation ground. The main entrance is in Park Road off St Mary Cray High Street. There is another entrance in Crowhurst Way. There is a play area with swings and see saws and the play area is dog exempt.

St Paul's Cray Hill Country Park Star Lane, St Paul's Cray This park is currently undergoing improvement and should be great when it's finished. The London Borough of Bromley and Woodland Environmental Ltd, have embarked on a major improvement scheme within St Paul's Cray Hill Country Park. The landscape within the park is being re-designed to include mounds and hills, new trees and shrubs, wild flower and grassland meadows, woodland copses, picnic areas, an extensive path network and a viewing point. A diversity of wildlife habitats will be created and potholes, rocks and existing hazards will be removed with bench seating, litter bins, gates and signage all being added. The work is scheduled to be completed in the autumn of 2009 and a newsletter will available every 6 weeks providing updates on the scheme's progress. This newsletter will also be distributed at regular residents' association meetings.

Hoblingwell Wood Off Leasons Way St Paul’s Cray This is 87 hectares of recreation ground. There is a car park, local bus service, Café - open at weekends, large children's play area, kick-about area, basketball post, three football pitches, one junior football pitch, four mini soccer pitches and two rugby pitches run by Orpington Rugby Club.

Foots Cray Recreation Ground Haven Close, Foots Cray. This is a grass area suitable for play and informal activities, with a footpath route ideal for dog-walking.

Foots Cray Garden Open Space Foots Cray High Street, Foots Cray. There is a footpath route through these excellent gardens that are of horticultural interest. The area supports various species of wildlife, and it is suitable for dog-walking. It also has an area that is ideal for play and recreation activities.

Chalk Wood Parsonage Lane, North Cray. This is an ancient woodland site with a bridle path for horse riding. It is also an important wildlife habitat and its footpath routes provide opportunities for some lovely walks.

Hall Place Bourne Road, Old Bexley, DA5 1PQ Hall Place is a beautiful grade 1 listed house originally dating from 1540. It is situated on the road out of Bexley towards Crayford and is set in 62 hectares of award winning gardens on the banks of the River Cray. Hall Place houses the Bexley Museum Collection, some of which is on display throughout the house. The house is also the venue for events such as concerts, lectures and private functions. The Great Hall is licensed for Civil Wedding ceremonies. Group guided tours can be pre-booked year round.

Bexley Park Wood Brigden Road, Old Bexley. This is an ancient woodlands site and long established wildlife habitat which has a footpath route running through it. It is suitable for dog-walking as well as other informal activities.

Bexley Village Open Space Hurst Road / Parkhill Road, Old Bexley. This area is a children's playground with an informal grassed area. It is suitable for picnics, walking with the childeren and dog-walking, with litter and dog bins provided.

Riverside Walk Old Bexley This area is part of the River Shuttle Walkway taking you from Camden Road along the River Cray through Bexley. The east part of the walk takes you through Bexley Park Wood - an ancient woodland. The central part follows the river along natural wildflower river margins. The is an amenity grassed area here, which has a children's playground and basketball and five-a-side hard surface courts too. The west part of the walk leads up to Albany Road.

The Dell Crayford Way, Crayford. This two-acre site includes a purpose-built street hockey pitch which is provided free of charge to street hockey players. The entire site is a dog-free zone.

Jolly Farmers Open Space Crayford Way, Crayford. This is a large grass recreation area at the junction of Crayford Way and Thames Road. The River Cray runs alongside the east boundary of the space and there are many wildlife habitats here. The area is suitable for dog-walking or an afternoon stroll through.

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