travel writer

By Tim Saunders

Water voles are once again thriving. This fact we learn during our visit to the Wildlife Discovery Centre at Lee Valley Regional Park - a 26 mile long park running through London, Essex and Hertfordshire.

They were virtually extinct after mink were released by wildlife activists in the 1970s, according to Mandy our tour guide. But now they are making a good recovery at the site. Another species to suffer a decline in the 1970s was the otter but this was due to pollution and construction and similarly, they are in abundance at the park. However, it is difficult to spy an otter.

“The centre has been here since 2020,” explains Mandy, who was previously a hospital photographer but covid forced a welcome change of career. “It was built with sustainability in mind and used steel and recycled concrete. It’s a great office.”

Inside there are some stuffed birds thanks to one of the volunteers who is a taxidermist. The stuffed Bittern shows you how well camouflaged they actually are when seen amongst the reeds. There’s a stuffed kingfisher, which shows us how tiny they actually are.

The structure has been very well designed and the panoramic landscape windows provide a wonderful way to view the lake. “This provides a complete sensory experience,” says my wife Caroline. “It’s like a moving picture, it’s wonderful.”

Walking up the spiral staircase to the viewing tower we see black headed gulls out in the lake and notice that they like to nest at the edges, probably for security. There’s a dry roof and a wet roof and there are copper gutters in the shape of bird beaks, which is a nice touch.

This free to visit resource is open all year round from 10am to 4pm (apart from Christmas Day) and has a healthy band of volunteers. A large colony of terns comes in summer and the bitterns are here in winter, leaving in early spring.

We stay in the Amelia shepherds hut at Lee Valley Caravan Park, which provides comfortable self-catering accommodation and car parking on your own private driveway. There’s even an electric vehicle charging point at the property that is free to use for those who are staying. Inside there’s a kitchen cum lounge, a master bedroom and two singles so Heidi (11) uses the sofa bed. There’s a shower room, too. During our stay we’re blessed with good weather, which means we can sit out in the garden by the water’s edge to watch the swans. Some ducks even come to greet us in the hope of feeding, no doubt. In the morning while eating my breakfast I even spot a mudjack walking alongside the water.

Henry (9) makes sure he visits the play area and sandpit. With bikes and helmets supplied we enjoy some excellent rides along the boat lined canal on our journeys to Ware, known for its historic buildings and Waltham Abbey refounded by Harold, last Saxon king of England. At Waltham Abbey there are some very arty mosaics on the paths around the church and we have a picnic in the rose gardens.

At Lee Valley White Water Centre we take to the water in single kayaks. Our instructor, Sarah, asks me, “What is your aim today?”

“To stay dry…” I reply.

This I do quite well, apart from my wet bottom. It’s a chilly day and Caroline and I just don’t fancy getting wet. Anyway, Sarah shows us how to hold our oars and ensures that we all wear the correct helmets and life jackets. We get the kayaks in the water and row round the lake. We’re used to tandem kayaks but single ones seem to be easier to topple over. Sarah talks us through the process of righting an upside down kayak and how you throw yourself at it and push your stomach onto it in order to get back in. Towards the end of the session the children try this, grateful that there are warm showers to be had afterwards.

Afterwards we head for Myddelton House Gardens, a restored botanist's gardens, with a carp lake and Victorian glasshouse. The sun shines and we explore the grounds and vegetable gardens. The children play hide and seek. We learn that laurels actually contain cyanide… There’s also a delightful Monkey Puzzle tree all the way from Chile.

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Child-friendly camera

On our trip the children used their purple Photo_creator Pop Colour 8+ digital camera. “We find it really user-friendly,” says Heidi (11). “It’s simple to take photos and videos and to turn the sound up and down. I like the stickers that it comes with, too.”

£30 available online.