When the impressive iron gates open onto this local nature reserve it's a joy to step inside and discover a wildlife haven with a whole variety of ecosystems - woodland, water, meadow, marsh and scrubland.
Enter through the gates
Here over two hundred types of wildflowers have been found and seventy species of birds. There are breeding pairs of song thrush, blackbird, wren, robin, blue tit, magpie, dunnock, great tit and long tailed tit.
Spring flowers
This local nature reserve was once a railway goods yard and evidence of its former life can still be spotted here and there around the site - giant lumps of concrete, rusting metal and rails.
Rails cross the path
There is interest all year round on this site. In Springtime, the trees light up the reserve with their blossom.
A sunny day in early Spring
And there are many suprising inhabitants here. Follow the path around the site and in the sunniest spot there are a pile of stones, where lizards can bask in the sun.
A stretch of path through Railway Fields
Another path leads to a pile of wood, rotting down gently into the ground. It may not seem an attractive sight for humans but for Stag Beetles it is the perfect place for their larvae to incubate - which takes several years.
Stag Beetles may look ferocious but they are completely harmless and need protecting.
A path winding through the different habitats
Harringay Green Lanes Station check opening times as the gates are locked
North London map