Sydenham Hill Wood

This lush and ancient woodland in south-east London makes the city feel a million miles away. It's studded with remnants of a history that goes back centuries, long before Queen Elizabeth I used its wood to build her famous fleet of ships. The best way to discover it is to follow the Railway Nature Trial, which starts near the Horniman Museum, and follows a disused railway line that once wound its way through these woods. Look out for the Victorian folly hidden in its depths, which looks like the ruins of an ancient cathedral. Its undergrowth is also home to rare creatures including the wood mouse, the nuthatch and the long eared brown bat.