Places to visit - Osterley Park in West London

Osterley Park can be found out on the A4 in West London and is easily reached by road (there is plenty of car parking space) or public transport, with its own Tube Station. Owned and run by the National Trust, the house is worth a visit but the park itself is free to enter if you are not a member. I had not been for many years and it was fun to go back their, especially to find my favourite water birds, the Great Crested Grebes, with young in tow.

map courtesy of Open Street maps

Osterley Park and House is a Georgian country estate in west London, that straddles the London boroughs of Ealing and Hounslow. Originally dating from the 1570s, the estate contains a number of Grade I and II listed buildings, with the park listed as Grade II. The main house was remodelled by Robert Adam between 1761 and 1765. The National Trust took charge of Osterley in 1991 and the house and park are open to visitors - thank you to Wikipedia for the background

The grounds are extensive with many walks, lakes and even a herd of Charolais cows.

My favourite water birds, the magnificent Great Crested Grebe

Here’s looking at you kid - can you spot the second chick?

Being close to the M4, Kites regularly fly over the park

I don’t know about you but I have found the Coal Tit harder to find these days, so I was pleased to spot some in the grounds.

As with many lakes in and around London, you’ll find the odd terrapin, which are of course not native but are pets deposited here by the public and are known to be quite predatory.

Please let me know if you visit and how you found it?