Excellent, thanks @Oakr - I have made this a wiki post, so all members of trust-level-1 and above (about half the members) are able to edit and add other relevant parks.
Hey, don’t forget our magical hidden gem that is “Albion Millenium Green” Ssh don’t tell everyone though 
There is also the small playground on Baxter Field
And if you are in Dulwich you might want to visit the “Fresh Prince of SE21”
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/search/fresh+prince+se21
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River Pool Linear Park (starts behind Sydenham Sainsburys) has a river complete with herons and kingfishers and a kids playground. The river path runs all the way down to Wickes in Catford. Great for dog walkers.
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Beckenham Place Park was the most mind-blowing oasis of countryside just outside Catford! A stately home, a council run golf club for poor/normal folk to use, FREE parking - oh, what joy!. Acres of free, wild fields and prairies, a wood full of bluebells in May, an exquisitely well maintained flower garden with tennis courts and totally unspoilt! It was all so free and easy. No cyclists bombing past you knocking you off your feet, nothing ‘focus grouped’ made, nothing gentrified - just sheer peace and quiet. Heather, gorse, wood peckers, rhododendrons, a few dog walkers saying ‘hello’ as you pass each other by - utterly natural and unpretentious. Unfortunately, locals felt it was under-used and the lottery has allowed some ‘big thinkers’ to move in, and hence, changes are afoot, which will yes, get more people there - but probably scare the wildlife off. Also, some people felt golf was an elitist sport (even though it was open to everyone) and that has been closed down. An absolute haven of quiet, unstructured bliss
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Thanks Chris - I’m soooo more tech’y adventurous!
Eeek - the upset about you on Nextdoor rumbles on, and on… you’re famous (or is that infamous?!)
Right on our doorsteps, Dacres Wood Nature reserve is open this Saturday, with native bluebells
as well as some other less likely plants - I dug out a bay tree yesterday from the slope at the south end of the pond, and there’s a camellia nearby, which must be a relic of when this was a large Victorian back garden.
I have some native bluebells in my garden this year for the first time. I wonder if they are making a comeback.
We have had loads for years. It is stopping them that is the trick! 
Native or Spanish bluebells? We’ve always have plenty of the latter, but never the former, until this year.
I enjoy them for a week or so then grumble for months about the damned leaves everywhere.
Don’t know, sorry.
A-ha, well, that’s the point. Native bluebells are under threat of extinction. Spanish ones are not. So a good reason to visit Dacres Woods (trying to get the thread back on topic after I hijacked it).
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I planted some in my garden a few years ago, along with cowlips and fritillaries
The native and Spanish hybridise readily, so probably no so many pure bred round here. The tell for the native genes are the curling up ends of the petals
I checked this yesterday and the source I read suggested the only surefire way, due to hybrids, is the colour of the pollen: white in the case of the native species IIRC.
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Sydenham woods, a great for hot summer day to hide in the shade and explore
Recently I’ve been taking my girls on their bikes. We found a route over the German Bridge( younger one needs help with her bike) then by Mayow Park and with back routes get to behind Bell Green Reatil centre. Pick up Waterlink way by the river Pool. You can then go all the way to Ladywell station through parks, stops on the way from play parks to water sides.
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Sydenham Hill woods are amazing.
And agreed re Waterlink way especially. We quite often cycle as a family down to Greenwich that way.
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You are right about Waterlink.
After Ladywell we went to Lewisham and picked up Deptford Creek and watched the Maraton on Sunday at mile 7. It was only a 6miles from home one way, something that the girls did without any complaints. My mother is completely astonished how we found such a lovely route going towards the centre of the city.
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Can you follow the river all the way up to Deptford Creek? - I lost it last time and there seem to be bits of it that you cant walk/ride along.
I tried following it the other way out of Sydenham on Sunday and it goes awol as it crosses Worsely Bridge Road although you can pick it up again. It would be nice to be able to go the whole route along the river bank
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